Question

Replace the underlined clause with a phrase equivalent in meaning:
She wore a dress that was made of the finest silk to the ball. [Advanced]

• A. made of the finest silk
• B. silken
• C. in the evening
• D. none of the above

Answer 1

The correct option is A made of the finest silk

An adjective clause is a group of words that contain a subject and a verb, and it functions as an adjective that modifies a noun or a pronoun. Adjective clauses usually begin with relative pronouns such as who, whom, whose or a relative adverb like when, where and so on.
An adjective phrase is a group of words (lacking a subject and a verb) that performs the function of an adjective, i.e., it modifies a noun.
When an adjective clause is reduced to a phrase, the relative pronoun is removed, because it functions as the subject; and the verb is changed to a present participle (verb + ing). When the sentence is in passive voice, the verb is changed to past participle (verb + ed - generally).
Option A is correct as it is an adjective phrase. The relative pronoun 'that' is removed and the verb form of 'to be', "was" is also removed ('made' is already a past participle).
Option B is incorrect because it is only an adjective, not a clause.
Option C is incorrect because it is an adverb phrase of time, it is not an adjective phrase.
Option D is incorrect because the answer lies in A.