People who have poor diets are likely to catch colds. The underlined part in the above sentence is :

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 3: Adjective Clause.

The underlined part, "who have poor diets," is a dependent clause that functions to modify the noun "People" in the main clause ("People are likely to catch colds"). A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb; here, the subject is "who" (which refers back to "People") and the verb is "have." This specific type of dependent clause is introduced by a relative pronoun, in this case, "who." Because its primary function is to describe, identify, or provide more information about a noun, just as an adjective does, it is correctly classified as an Adjective Clause (also known as a Relative Clause). It specifies *which* people are being discussed—the ones with poor diets. In essence, the entire underlined clause acts like a large adjective describing the subject "People."

The incorrect option is 1: Adverb Clause.

An Adverb Clause functions to modify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. It usually tells *when*, *where*, *why*, *how*, *to what extent*, or *under what condition* the action of the main clause occurs. Common subordinating conjunctions introduce Adverb Clauses (e.g., *because, if, although, when*). Since the clause "who have poor diets" modifies the noun "People" and not the verb "are likely to catch," it cannot be an Adverb Clause.

The incorrect option is 2: Noun Clause.

A Noun Clause functions as a noun within a sentence. This means it can serve as the subject, the object of a verb, the object of a preposition, or a complement. If the underlined part were a Noun Clause, the main clause would make sense if it were replaced by a simple noun or pronoun like "it" or "something." Since the clause "who have poor diets" is essential to identifying the subject ("People"), it cannot be removed or replaced without fundamentally changing the sentence's meaning or clarity, and it is not acting as the subject or object of the verb.

The incorrect option is 4: Adverb Phrase.

An Adverb Phrase is a group of words that modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb, just like an adverb clause, but crucially, a phrase lacks a subject and a predicate (finite verb). The underlined portion, "who have poor diets," clearly contains a subject ("who") and a finite verb ("have"), making it a clause. Therefore, it is structurally impossible for it to be an Adverb Phrase, regardless of its function in the sentence. Understanding the basic difference between a clause (must contain a subject and a verb) and a phrase (lacks a subject-verb combination) is key to eliminating this option.