COLOR KEY and DEFINITIONS
INDEPENDENT CLAUSE = a group of words that has a subject and a verb and that can stand on its own as a complete sentence.
MAIN CLAUSE = another term for INDEPENDENT CLAUSE
DEPENDENT CLAUSE = a group of words that has a subject and a verb, but it cannot stand on its own as a complete sentence.  It has to be connected to or embedded in an independent clause.  An adjective clause is one type of dependent clause.
ADJECTIVE CLAUSE = a dependent clause that describes a noun
RELATIVE PRONOUN = the first word (or key word) of every adjective clause
ANTECEDENT = the noun that a pronoun refers to.  It appears BEFORE the pronoun (ANTE means BEFORE).
SUBJECT = WHO or WHAT is doing the action in the clause
VERB = the ACTION that someone or something is doing

Examples:
The dog that barfed on my homework is dead now.

• The dependent clause, or adjective clause, has a subject and a verb  -- that barfed on my homework.
• What is the independent clause? -- The dog is dead now."
• What is the adjective clause? -- that barfed on my homework.  It cannot stand on its own as a sentence.
• Where are the relative pronoun and the antecedent? -- The dog that barfed on my homework is dead now.

• What is the independent clause? -- John lost the book
• What is the adjective clause? -- (that) he borrowed from me.  The THAT is invisible.  It's an understood THAT.
• Where are the relative pronoun and the antecedent? -- John lost the book (that) he borrowed from me.

Review of Comma Rules
Which comma rules have we covered so far?

• Between items in a series
• After introductory stuff
• Before FANBOYS only when they join two independent clauses
• Around non-essential things that interrupt
• Adjective clauses with commas mean ALL THOSE
• Adjective clauses without commas mean ONLY THOSE or ONLY THAT ONE

• The "Around non-essential things that interrupt" rule applies.  But it does not always apply.  For more information about using commas around adjective clauses, see the notes on Keywords #3.

• Trick #1:
• If the first word after the relative pronoun is a verb, use WHO.

The pattern:  antecedent + pronoun + verb = use WHO.
• example:  The boy who lives next door dates my daughter.
• If the first word after the relative pronoun is an adjective or a noun, use WHOM.

The pattern: antecedent + pronoun + adjective or noun = use WHOM.
• example: The boy whom my daughter dates lives next door.
• Trick #2:
• Who = Subject in the clause / If WHO can be replaced with the word "HE" and the resulting clause sounds OK, then use WHO.
• example:  The boy who lives next door dates my daughter.  (Look at the adjective clause: who lives next door.  Does it sound OK to say, "he lives next door"?  Then use WHO.)
• example:  The boy who my daughter dates lives next door.  (Look at the adjective clause: who my daughter dates.  Does it sound OK to say, "he my daughter dates"?  No?  Then use WHOM.  The boy whom my daughter dates lives next door.