An adjective clause, like an adjective, modifies a noun where the noun it modifies is part of another clause. Thus adjective clause is a clause within a clause. It is positioned after the noun it modifies and hence called post-modifier. Since noun is more important than its modifier, noun is always part of main clause and adjective clause is dependent. Since as a clause, the adjective clause must have a noun/pronoun but cannot use the same noun of the main clause which it modifies, it instead uses a pronoun of that by placing the pronoun right after the noun. Thus it is a sentence comprising of two separate clauses –both referring to the same noun. The pronoun next to the noun is called Relative Pronoun or Fused Relative – namely that, who, which, what, whom, whose, when, where, why.
Relative Adjective Clause (detailed)
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