The One I Trust
Intermediate
A song to practice adjective phrases and clauses
Download the PDF version
A. Grammar background
1. Forms
a.) Form of adjective clauses
Adjective clauses are like adjectives because they give more information about nouns. However, unlike adjectives, they come after nouns and are a full clause, which means they have a subject and a verb.
- I like the yellow dog. ←Adjective
- I like the dog that has yellow spots. ←Adjective Clause
Adjective clauses start with a relative pronoun. Possible relative pronouns are who(m), which, that, when, where, why, whose, and Ø (no pronoun).
- Is this the phone you were talking about? (No pronoun)
- Chocolate, which is my favorite food, is good for you.
- Martin Luther King Jr. was an American who promoted justice and freedom.
- The reason why I quit smoking is that I learned how unhealthy it is.
b.) Form of adjective phrases
Like adjective clauses, adjective phrases come after nouns and give more information about them. However, unlike adjective clauses, they are not full clauses. We will talk about two types of adjective phrases here: those with V-ing and V-en.
Adjective phrases with V-ing
These consist of a verb in the present participle form, plus any other parts of the verb phrase (such as direct objects, prepositional phrases, etc.)
- People holding tickets for the 4:00 show should enter the theater now.
- Do you see the man drinking coffee out of a wineglass?
- Anyone considering running for office should get advice first.
Adjective Phrases with V-en
These consist of a verb in the past participle form, plus any other parts of the verb phrase. The adjective phrase usually has a meaning similar to a passive.
- I bought a coat worn by a movie star.
- Any garbage found on the street should be moved to an appropriate container.
- The men trapped in the mine were rescued this morning.
2. Meaning of adjective phrases and clauses
Sometimes adjective phrases are called reduced adjective clauses. That’s because they have the same meaning as adjective clauses with some pieces taken out (the relative pronoun and auxiliary verbs).
- The girl who is jumping rope is my daughter. ←Adjective Clause
- The girl jumping rope is my daughter. ←Adjective Phrase
- The men who were trapped in the mine were rescued this morning. ←Adjective Clause
- The men trapped in the mine were rescued this morning. ←Adjective Phrase
3. Use of adjective clauses and phrases
Adjective clauses and phrases are very common in English. You will especially see a lot of them in newspaper articles, where writers try to include a lot of information in a short space.
In this song, two people sing about a trusting relationship.
- First, listen to the song once. In your own words, what is the main idea of the song?
- Now listen again. Do you hear some adjective clauses? Fill in the blanks below with adjective clauses.
- Then listen one last time. This time, listen for adjective phrases. Fill in the blanks below with adjective phrases.
The One That I Trust
Listen for adjective clauses:
I’d like to spend some time with you
I like the quiet way _______________________________
You have a gentle spirit too
The sun coming through my window
Is lifting me towards you
We can go walking in the park
By the children playing in the grass
You have a smile _______________________________
The fish swimming in the water
Are telling me that
You’re the one _______________________________
You are the one I can rely on
When it’s cold or when the sky is turning gray
And I believe in us
The music ringing in my ears tells me
There’s nothing left to fear, and you will stay
I’d like to spend some time with you
Your hands are softer than the rain
Your eyes the clearest shade of blue
The breeze coming through my window
Will carry me towards you
We can go driving in the woods
Through the oak trees turning red and gold
Our picnic lunch will tase so good
The birds singing in the willow
Are telling me that
You’re the one I trust
You are the one _______________________________
When it’s cold or when the sky is turning gray
And I believe in us
The promise written in your eyes tells me
That it’s all right this time, and you will stay
Listen for adjective phrases:
I’d like to spend some time with you
I like the quiet way you talk
You have a gentle spirit too
The sun _______________________________
Is lifting me towards you
We can go walking in the park
By the children playing in the grass
You have a smile that warms my heart
The fish _______________________________
Are telling me that
You’re the one I trust
You are the one I can rely on
When it’s cold or when the sky is turning gray
And I believe in us
The music _______________________________ tells me
There’s nothing left to fear, and you will stay
I’d like to spend some time with you
Your hands are softer than the rain
Your eyes the clearest shade of blue
The breeze _______________________________
Will carry me towards you
We can go driving in the woods
Through the oak trees _______________________________
Our picnic lunch will taste so good
The birds singing in the willow
Are telling me that
You’re the one I trust
You are the one I can rely on
When it’s cold or when they sky is turning gray
And I believe in us
The promise _______________________________ tells me
That it’s all right this time, and you will stay
C. After you Listen
1. Practicing forms
a. Adjective clauses
Look at the adjective clauses that you wrote down in the blanks. Which ones do not have a relative pronoun?
b. Adjective phrases
Look at the adjective phrases that you wrote down in the blanks. Which ones start with the V-ing form of the verb and which ones start with the V-en form?
2. Practicing use
a. Adjective clauses
Think of five important people in your life. Describe each one with a sentence containing an adjective clause. Examples are given below.
- My friend Erica is the person I tell my secrets to.
- My mom is the one I can call when I feel down.
b. Adjective clauses and phrases
Imagine that you are a detective. Your boss has asked you to make some observations about people in your area. Go to a public space such as a park, library, or coffeeshop and write about seven sentences about the people you see. Try to use adjective phrases and clauses. Examples are given below.
- The boy wearing the baseball cap is reading a mystery book.
- The woman who just came through the door ordered a coffee.
- The man working behind the counter is serving pie.
Lyrics to "The One I Trust"
(Don’t look until you’ve completed the activities!)
Adjective clauses are in red
Adjective phrases are in blue
I’d like to spend some time with you
I like the quiet way you talk
You have a gentle spirit too
The sun coming through my window
Is lifting me towards you
We can go walking in the park
By the children playing in the grass
You have a smile that warms my heart
The fish swimming in the water
Are telling me that
You’re the one I trust
You are the one I can rely on
When it’s cold or when the sky is turning gray
And I believe in us
The music ringing in my ears tells me
There’s nothing left to fear, and you will stay
I’d like to spend some time with you
Your hands are softer than the rain
Your eyes the clearest shade of blue
The breeze coming through my window
Will carry me towards you
We can go driving in the woods
Through the oak trees turning red and gold
Our picnic lunch will tase so good
The birds singing in the willow
Are telling me that
You’re the one I trust
You are the one I can rely on
When it’s cold or when the sky is turning gray
And I believe in us
The promise written in your eyes tells me
That it’s all right this time, and you will stay
Answers to "The One I Trust" exercises
1. Practicing forms
a. Adjective clauses
Look at the adjective clauses that you wrote down in the blanks. Which ones do not have a relative pronoun?
I like the quiet way you talk
Your the one I trust
You are the one I can rely on
b. Adjective phrases
Look at the adjective phrases that you wrote down in the blanks. Which ones start with the V-ing form of the verb and which ones start with the V-en form?
V-ing
The sun coming through my window
The children playing in the grass
The fish swimming in the water
The music ringing in my ears tells me
The breeze coming through my window
The oak trees turning red and gold
The birds singing in the willow
V-en
The promise written in your eyes
