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Relative Clauses Explanation

We use relative clauses to provide additional information about a person, place, or thing without starting a new sentence. Relative clauses contain a relative pronoun such as who, which, that or a relative adverb like when, where, why to join two related clauses. Relative pronouns can function as subject pronouns if followed by a verb or object pronouns if followed by a noun. Defining relative clauses identify a specific person or thing, while non-defining clauses provide extra context but are not essential to the meaning.

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108 views

Relative Clauses Explanation

We use relative clauses to provide additional information about a person, place, or thing without starting a new sentence. Relative clauses contain a relative pronoun such as who, which, that or a relative adverb like when, where, why to join two related clauses. Relative pronouns can function as subject pronouns if followed by a verb or object pronouns if followed by a noun. Defining relative clauses identify a specific person or thing, while non-defining clauses provide extra context but are not essential to the meaning.

Uploaded by

Miguel Steven
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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RELATIVE CLAUSES

We use relative clauses to give additional information about something


without starting another sentence. By combining sentences with a relative
clause, your text becomes more fluent and you can avoid repeating certain
words.

How to Form Relative Clauses


Imagine, a girl is talking to Tom. You want to know who she is and ask a
friend whether he knows her. You could say:

A girl is talking to Tom. Do you know the girl?

That sounds rather complicated, doesn't it? It would be easier with a relative
clause: you put both pieces of information into one sentence. Start with the
most important thing  – you want to know who the girl is.

Do you know the girl …

As your friend cannot know which girl you are talking about, you need to put
in the additional information  – the girl is talking to Tom. Use „the girl“ only in
the first part of the sentence, in the second part replace it with the relative
pronoun (for people, use the relative pronoun „who“). So the final sentence is:

Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom?

Relative Pronouns

relative
use example
pronoun

who subject or object pronoun for people I told you about the woman who
lives next door.

which subject or object pronoun for animals and Do you see the cat which is lying
things on the roof?
which referring to a whole sentence He couldn’t read which surprised
me.

whose possession for people animals and things Do you know the boy whose
mother is a nurse?

whom object pronoun for people, especially in non- I was invited by the professor
defining relative clauses (in defining relative whom I met at the conference.
clauses we colloquially prefer who)

that subject or object pronoun for people, I don’t like the table that stands
animals and things in defining relative in the kitchen.
clauses (who or which are also possible)

Subject Pronoun or Object Pronoun?


Subject and object pronouns cannot be distinguished by their forms - who,
which, that are used for subject and object pronouns. You can, however,
distinguish them as follows:

If the relative pronoun is followed by a verb, the relative pronoun is a subject


pronoun. Subject pronouns must always be used.

the apple which is lying on the table

If the relative pronoun is not followed by a verb (but by a noun or pronoun),


the relative pronoun is an object pronoun. Object pronouns can be dropped in
defining relative clauses, which are then called Contact Clauses.

the apple (which) George lay on the table

Relative Adverbs
A relative adverb can be used instead of a relative pronoun plus preposition.
This often makes the sentence easier to understand.
This is the shop in which I bought my bike.
→ This is the shop where I bought my bike.

relative
meaning use example
adverb

when in/on which refers to a time expression the day when we met him

where in/at which refers to a place the place where we met


him

why for which refers to a reason the reason why we met


him

Defining Relative Clauses


Defining relative clauses (also called identifying relative clauses or restrictive
relative clauses) give detailed information defining a general term or
expression. Defining relative clauses are not put in commas.

Imagine, Tom is in a room with five girls. One girl is talking to Tom and you
ask somebody whether he knows this girl. Here the relative clause defines
which of the five girls you mean.

Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom?

Defining relative clauses are often used in definitions.

A seaman is someone who works on a ship.

Object pronouns in defining relative clauses can be dropped. (Sentences with


a relative clause without the relative pronoun are called Contact Clauses.)

The boy (who/whom) we met yesterday is very nice.

Non-Defining Relative Clauses


Non-defining relative clauses (also called non-identifying relative clauses or
non-restrictive relative clauses) give additional information on something, but
do not define it. Non-defining relative clauses are put in commas.

Imagine, Tom is in a room with only one girl. The two are talking to each
other and you ask somebody whether he knows this girl. Here the relative
clause is non-defining because in this situation it is obvious which girl you
mean.

Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom?

Note: In non-defining relative clauses, who/which may not be replaced with


that.

Object pronouns in non-defining relative clauses must be used.

Jim, who/whom we met yesterday, is very nice.

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