Identify the Adjective Clause in the following sentence:
She bought a dress that had beautiful embroidery on it.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → that had beautiful embroidery on it
An adjective is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun, for example a tall tree, the food is tasty.
Adjective clause:
- An adjective clause (relative clause) is a dependent clause that describes a noun or pronoun, just as an adjective does.
- It usually begins with a relative pronoun: who, whom, whose, which or that.
- It comes right after the noun it describes.
- This sentence: that had beautiful embroidery on it begins with "that" and describes the noun dress, telling which dress she bought.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: She bought a dress — Incorrect. This is the main (independent) clause. It makes complete sense on its own.
Option 3: on it — Incorrect. It is a phrase (preposition + pronoun) with no verb, so it is not a clause.
Option 4: a dress — Incorrect. It is a noun phrase, the object of "bought", and not a clause.