1 PA3- RELATIVE CLAUSES

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?

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:
2
Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom?
 Relative Clauses

How to Form Relative Clauses

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
things lying 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 I was invited by the
non-defining relative clauses (in defining professor whom I met at the
relative clauses we colloquially conference.
prefer who)
that subject or object pronoun for people, I don’t like the
animals and things in defining relative table that stands in the
clauses (who or which are also possible) kitchen.

3
 Relative Clauses

How to Form Relative Clauses

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

4
 Relative Clauses

How to Form Relative Clauses: Defining and Non 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.

5
 Relative Clauses

How to Form 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.
6
Jim, who/whom we met yesterday, is very nice.
Relative Clauses

Complete the sentences with relative clauses in simple present.

Use who or which.
This is the man_____works at the station.
The tree ______ grows in the garden is an apple tree.
The man ______ goes jogging every Friday is my neighbour.
The elephants______live in Africa have big ears.
Turn left at the yellow house ______is opposite the petrol station.

7
 Relative Clauses

Combine the sentences with relative clauses. (Decide whether to use

commas or not.)

1. A monk is a man. The man has devoted his life to God.

2. I have one black cat. His name is Blacky.

3. A herbivore is an animal. The animal feeds upon vegetation.

4. Carol plays the piano brilliantly. She is only 9 years old.

5. Sydney is the largest Australian city. It is not the capital of Australia.

8
 Relative Clauses

Exercises on Relative Clauses

The woman _____ is sitting at the desk is Mr Winter's secretary.

I cannot remember the reason ______ he wanted us to leave.
Jane, ______mother is a physician, is very good at biology.
She didn’t see the snake ________was lying on the ground.
Do you know the shop _______Andrew picked me up?

9
Relative Clauses

10
Relative Clauses

11
 Relative Clauses

Exercises on Relative Clauses. Join the two sentences by using a

relative pronoun.

1. John Grisham’s new novel is brilliant. It was published last week.

2. This is the hospital. Agatha Christie worked here.

3. Have you got the book? I lent it to you last week.

4. Nicole Kidman is a famous actress. Her exhusband was Tom Cruise.

5. The headmaster of your school is an old friend of mine. I am writing a letter to him.

6. The car runs quite well. Bill sold it to us.

7. That is the song. I heard it on the radio this morning.

12
Relative Clauses

Further Practice:

https://agendaweb.org/grammar/relative-clauses-english-exercises.html

13