Relative pronouns

and
Relative clauses
 Relative pronouns
Relative pronouns are:

Subject Object Possessive

who who/whom whose
which which whose
that that -
Relative pronouns are used to introduce relative clauses
 Use of relative pronouns

A relative pronoun is used to connect a clause or

phrase to a noun or pronoun referred to as the
antecedent. The most common relative pronouns
are who, whom, whose, which, and that.

We use:
•who and whom for people
•which for things
•that for people or things.
•whose for possession (of people or things)
 Examples of relative pronouns

They are placed directly after the noun or pronoun

they modify:
1. The soldier who shot the innocent civilian was
punished.
2. Our wives, whom we love dearly, need much
attention.
3. Never go to a gynecologist whose windows are
always closed.
4. I have a friend whose cat is very annoying.
5. The book, which we bought yesterday, has all the
information you need on military tactics.
6. This is the book (that) everyone is talking about.
 When & Where as relative pronouns
The relative adverbs "when" and "where" are
occasionally used as relative pronouns
For example:
1. Do you remember the days when an entire quarter
used to converge in one home to watch TV.
2. I’m nostalgic of the era when women were angels
3. Can you take me to a restaurant where food is free?
4. This is a country where criminals are free and
innocent people are in prisons
Here, "when" and "where" introduce clauses that
describe nouns referring to a time or place. This makes
them work as relative pronouns in these sentences.
 Relative clauses
Relative clauses tell us more about
people and things.

1. The thief who broke into our home has been caught.
2. This lady, whom you admire, works in the red light
district.
3. These are people whose homes have been destroyed
by the military.
 Relative clauses are used for two
purposes

1. To specify which person or thing we are talking about.

This is the lady who joined the military in the 70s.
This is the house which Aziz built.
 In this kind of relative clause, we can use that instead
of who or which:
This is the lady that joined the army in the 70s..
This is the house that Aziz built.
 We can leave out the pronoun if it is the object of the
relative clause:
This is the house that Aziz built.
 2. Relative clauses are also used to give more
information about a person, thing or situation:

1. Colonel Bayang, who commands the training

department, is a very hardworking gentleman.

2. The kitchen department has cooked rice and

groundnut sauce, which cadet officers enjoy eating.
3. You don’t mess up with people like Narcisse who
can jail you at any time.

4. How can an officer, who is supposed to be a model,

fight in a bar?
Types of Relative clauses

There are two types of relative

clauses:

Defining Relative Clauses

&
Non-Defining Relative Clauses
 Defining Relative Clauses
1. A defining clause, also known as a restrictive
clause, gives essential information about the noun
in question.

2. It is so important that it cannot be cut out of the

sentence without altering the intended meaning.
For example:
1. I’m talking about the thief who broke into our home.
2. Where are the people whose homes have been
destroyed by the military.
In both cases, the clauses in blue contain critical information.
You can tell because if you cut out the clause, the meaning
of the sentence will be fundamentally different.
 Non-defining Relative Clauses
1. A non-defining clause adds information that is nice to
have but isn't essential to the overall meaning of the
sentence.
2. It could be deleted and the sentence would still convey
basically the same information.
For example:
1.This ring, which I offer you now, is proof of my love for you
2. Some people, whose homes have been destroyed, will be
compensated
In both cases, the non-defining clause can be cut off without
altering the main information in the sentence.
Non-defining clauses are set apart from the main sentence by
commas, which indicates its less important status in the sentence