An adjective clause is a dependent clause that functions as an adjective in a sentence, containing both a subject and a predicate to modify a noun or pronoun. Master the complete syntax, relative pronouns, defining and non-defining types, and rules of adjective clause usage with clear examples.
What is an Adjective Clause?
Adjective clause হলো এমন শব্দগুচ্ছ যেখানে একটি subject ও একটি predicate থাকে এবং যা adjective হিসেবে বাক্যে তার কার্য সম্পন্ন করে। নিচের বাঁকা হরফে দেওয়া শব্দগুচ্ছের দিকে তাকানো যাক:
The umbrella which has a broken handle is mine.
এই বাক্যে 'The umbrella is mine' হচ্ছে principal clause এবং 'which has a broken handle' শব্দগুচ্ছ umbrella-কে বর্ণনা করছে এবং বাক্যে adjective হিসেবে কাজ করছে। এবং যেহেতু এতে একটি subject ও একটি predicate আছে, তাই একে adjective clause বলা হবে।
How to Identify an Adjective Clause?
Adjective clause সূচিত হয় একটি relative pronoun বা একটি relative adverb দ্বারা, যেমন:
- I know the man who came here.
- The book which you gave me is very good.
- He is the man whom we all respect.
- The time when the boat leaves is not yet fixed.
- The house where the accident occurred is nearby.
- The reason why I did it is obvious.
Relative Clause: Adjective clause-কে relative clause ও বলা হয় কারন,এগুলো শুরু হয় relative pronoun দ্বারা।
Relative clause দুই প্রকার : defining এবং non-defining.
What is a Defining Relative Clause?
Defining relative clause নির্দেশিত noun বা pronoun-কে বিশেষ শ্রেণী বা প্রকারে সীমায়িত করে। এ clause ‘কেমন?' 'কোনটি?' ‘কার?' এ ধরনের প্রশ্নের জবাব দেয়। যেমন:
People who do such things are fools.
এখানে 'who do such things' এই relative clause-টি people-কে সীমাবদ্ধ করেছে, অর্থাৎ এখানে কেবল সেই ধরনের people-কে নির্দেশ করা হচ্ছে যারা fool.
নির্দেশিত noun-এর অর্থ পরিষ্কারভাবে বোঝার জন্য defining relative clause আবশ্যক। এটি লক্ষ রাখতে হবে যে নির্দেশিত noun ও defining relative clause-এর মাঝখানে কোন কমাচিহ্ন ব্যবহৃত হয় না।
- The man who told me this refused to reveal his name.
- This is the picture which/that caused such a sensation.
- The stairs which/that lead to the cellar are rather slippery.
Defining relative clause সাধারণত the + noun এর পরে দৃষ্ট হয়, কিন্তু এরা a/an + noun-এর সঙ্গেও ব্যবহৃত হয়। এছাড়া plural nouns ( without the) এবং pronouns all, none, anybody, somebody, anything, something-এর সঙ্গে ব্যবহৃত হয়:
- The story is about a girl who fell in love with a taxi driver.
- Birds which are flying in the sky have come from Siberia.
- I met somebody who knows you.
- She was annoyed by something that I had said.
Defining relative clause-এর সঙ্গে যেসব relative pronoun ব্যবহৃত হয় সেগুলো নিম্নরূপ:
For persons:
- (subject): who, that
- (Object): whom/ who, that
- (Possesive): whose
For things:
- (Subject): which, that
- (Object): which, that
- (Possesive): whose/ of which
নিচে defining relative clause-এর আরো কিছু উদাহরণ দেওয়া হলো।
- The man who robbed your father has been arrested.
- Everyone who/that knew Robin liked him.
- The man whom I saw told me to come back today.
- People whose jobs were terminated can appeal.
- The film is about a spy whose wife betrays him.
- All the mangoes that fall are picked up by children.
- This is the best hotel (that) I know.
Adjective clause-এর শুরুতে যে relative pronoun ব্যবহৃত হয় তা যদি ঐ clause-এ কোন transitive verb-এর object হিসেবে কাজ করে তাহলে সেটা optional হয়ে যায়। এ ধরনের relative pronoun-কে রাখাও যেতে পারে, আবার বাদও দেওয়া যেতে পারে।
যেমন:
- The boy (whom) you called has arrived.
- This is the book (which) I lost.
- The flower (that) you gave me was very fresh.
What are the Positions of an Adjective Clause?
Adjective clause-এর position দু'টি lateral (পার্শ্ববর্তী) এবং medial (মধ্যবর্তী)।
Lateral position-এর adjective clause বসে principal clause এর পরে এবং medial position-এর adjective clause বসে principal clause-এর দুটি অংশের মাঝখানে। নিচের বাক্যগুলোতে adjective clause-এর অবস্থান লক্ষ করো:
- Allah helps those who help themselves. (lateral)
- The girl who is sitting over there is my cousin. (medial)
- This is the book I was looking for. (lateral)
- The money you gave me has been spent. (medial)
Wh-adverb - when, where, why দ্বারা defining relative clause হতে পারে।
যেমন:
- The year when he was born was torn with war.
- The hotel where they were staying was costly.
- The reason why he gave up the job is the bad working environment.
- You use defining relative clauses to say exactly which person or thing you are talking about.
- Defining relative clauses are usually introduced by a . relative pronoun such as 'that', 'which', 'who', 'whom', or whose'.
- A defining relative clause comes immediately after a noun, and needs a main clause to make a complete sentence.
What is a Non-defining Relative Clause?
Non-defining relative clause এমন noun-এর পরে বসে যা আগেই নির্দিষ্ট হয়ে আছে। কাজেই এটি কোন noun-কে বর্ণনা বা সংজ্ঞায়িত করে না, বরং এর সম্পর্কে অতিরিক্ত কোন তথ্য যোগ করে।
Defining relative clause-এর মতো এটি বাক্যের জন্য আবশ্যিক নয়, সেজন্য একে ইচ্ছে করলে বাক্য থেকে বাদ দেওয়া যায়। Non-defining relative clause-কে কমা দ্বারা এর নির্দেশিত noun থেকে বিচ্ছিন্ন রাখা হয়। এটির ব্যবহার অপেক্ষাকৃত আনুষ্ঠানিক এবং কথ্য ইংরেজির চেয়ে বরং লেখ্য ইংরেজিতে বেশি দেখা যায়।
Non-defining relative clause-এর সঙ্গে যেসব relative pronoun ব্যবহৃত হয় সেগুলো নিম্নরূপ:
For persons:
- Subject- who
- Object- whom/who
- Possessive- whose
For things:
- Subject- which
- Object- which
- Possessive- whose/of which
উদাহরণ:
- My neighbour, who is very pessimistic, says there will be no mango this year.
- Haider, whom everyone suspected, turned out to be innocent.
- She gave me a woolen sweater, which she had knitted herself.
- The car, whose handbrake wasn't very reliable, began to slide backwards.
- The wealth, of which he always boasts, was earned in a dishonest way.
Non-defining relative clause সম্পূর্ণ main clause-কে নির্দেশ করতে পারে, যেমন নিচের বাক্যে:
He tried to sing at the concert, which was a disaster. (= He tried to sing at the concert, and it was a disaster.)
- You use non-defining relative clauses to give extra information about the person or thing you are talking about.
- Non-defining relative clauses must be introduced by a relative pronoun such as which, who, whom, or whose.
- A non-defining relative clause comes immediately after a noun and needs a main clause to make a complete sentence.
What is a Relative Adverb?
যে শব্দের মাধ্যমে স্থান (কোথায়), সময় (কখন) বা প্রক্রিয়া (কিভাবে) বোঝায় তা relative adverb — where, when ও why দ্বারা সূচিত হয়:
- This is the house where I was born.
- This is the time of the year when flowers appear.
- He could give no reason why his sister had left home.
Relative adverb দ্বারা সূচিত হলেও এদেরকে adjective clause হিসেবে গণ্য করা হয়, কারণ এরা adjective-এর মতো কাজ করে।
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🗣 Writer:
This Article is compiled by Zubayer Islam
Zubayer Islam is a brilliant student of Intermediate (Science) and he is a Grammar Maniac.
Key Takeaways
- An adjective clause (or relative clause) contains a subject and a predicate and functions as an adjective to modify a noun or pronoun.
- Relative clauses are divided into two categories: defining and non-defining relative clauses.
- Defining relative clauses specify exact nouns and are not separated by commas, whereas non-defining clauses provide extra information and are isolated with commas.
- Relative adverbs like where, when, and why can also introduce adjective clauses indicating place, time, or reason.
Quick Practice
Test your understanding of adjective clauses by answering the following questions in the comments below:
- Identify the adjective clause in the sentence: "The book which you gave me is very good."
- Write a sentence using a non-defining relative clause with "who".
FAQ
What is the difference between a defining and non-defining adjective clause?
A defining relative clause identifies which specific person or thing is being discussed and is essential to the sentence meaning without commas. A non-defining relative clause provides extra information about a noun that is already specific, and it is separated by commas.
Can relative pronouns be omitted in an adjective clause?
Yes, when the relative pronoun acts as the object of a transitive verb within the adjective clause, it becomes optional and can be either kept or omitted.