Relative Clauses

Form and Use

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

which
which whose whom

subject or object pronoun for animals and things

referring to a whole sentence possession for people animals and things

Do you see the cat which is lying on the roof?

He couldnt read which surprised me. Do you know the boy whose mother is a nurse?

object pronoun for people, I was invited by the especially in non-defining professor whom I met at the relative clauses (in defining conference. relative clauses we colloquially prefer who) subject or object pronoun for people, animals and things in defining relative clauses (who or which are also possible) I dont like the table that stands in the kitchen.

that

Merging
Relative pronouns are used to merge two sentences that have either same subject or object. I took the girl home. The girl got lost = I took home the girl who got lost. The girl is wearing a red hat. The girl is my best friend = The girl who is wearing a red hat is my best friend.

Merging
The car was going fast. The car had an accident. Common word: THE CAR Characteristics: GOING FAST & AN ACCIDENT Replacement: THE CAR with WHICH The car was going fast. The car = which had an accident.

The car which had an accident was going fast

Merging
The town looked terrible. The town was hit by a tornado = ..... I live in the house. The house is painted yellow = .......

Merging

The town that was hit by tornado looked terrible. I live in a house which is painted yellow.

Three types
There are three kinds of relative clauses: defining, non-defining and connective.

Defining relative clauses

These describe the preceding noun in such a way as to distinguish it from other nouns of the same class. A clause of this kind is essential to the clear understanding of the noun. In the sentence: The man who told me this refused to give me his name

'who told me this' is the relative clause. If we omit this, it is not clear what man we are talking about. Notice that there is no comma between a noun and a defining relative clause.

Relative pronouns used in defining relative clauses

Subject For persons who Object whom/who Possessive whose

that
For things which that Situations which

that
which that which whose whose/of which

Defining relative clauses: persons A Subject: who or that

who is normally used:
The man who robbed you has been arrested.

But that is a possible alternative after all, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody and those:
Everyone who/that knew him liked him. Nobody who/that watched the match will ever forget it.

Defining relative clauses: persons A Subject: who or that

The girls serve in the shop. The girls are the owner's daughters. People booked in advance. People were allowed in. Someone saw the accident. Would anyone get in touch with the police?

Defining relative clauses: persons A Subject: who or that

The girls who serve in the shop are the owner's daughters. People who had booked in advance were allowed in. Would anyone who saw the accident please get in touch with the police?

B Object of a verb: whom or who or that

The object form is whom, but this is considered very formal. In spoken English we normally use who or that and it is still more common to omit the object pronoun altogether:
The man whom I saw told me to come back today or The man who I saw ... or The man that I saw , or The man I saw (relative pronoun omitted)

Object of a verb: whom or who or that

The girls are always complaining about their pay. He employs the girls. She saw a man yesterday. He is her husband.

Object of a verb: whom or who or that

The girls whom he employs are always complaining about their pay or The girls who he employs ... or The girls that he employs ... or The girls he employs. . . The man whom she saw yesterday is her husband or The man who she saw yesterday is her... Or The man that she saw yesterday is her... Or The man she saw yesterday is her

C Manner of a sentence With a preposition: whom or that

In formal English the preposition is placed before the relative pronoun, which must then be put into the form whom:
the man to whom I spoke

In informal speech, however, it is more usual to move the preposition to the end of the clause, whom then is often replaced by that, but it is still more common to omit the relative altogether:
the man who/whom I spoke to or the man that I spoke to or the man I spoke to

C Manner of a sentence With a preposition: whom or that

Similarly:
I bought it from a man. The man told me to oil it I was travelling with a friend. The friend spoke French or

C Manner of a sentence With a preposition: whom or that

Similarly:
The man from whom I bought it told me to oil it or The man who/that I bought it from or The man I bought it from The friend with whom I was travelling spoke French or The friend who/that I was travelling with ... or The friend I was travelling with

D Possessive
whose is the only possible form:
People whose rents have been raised can appeal. The film is about a spy whose wife betrays him.

Defining relative clauses: things

A Subject Either which or that, which is the more formal:
This is the picture which/that caused such a sensation. The stairs which/that lead to the cellar are rather slippery. The car which/that I hired broke down or The car I hired

B Object of a verb which or that or no relative at all:

which is hardly ever used after all, everything, little, much, none, no and compounds of no, or after superlatives. Instead we use that, or omit the relative altogether, if it is the object of a verb:
All the apples that fall are eaten by the pigs. This is the best hotel (that) I know.

Defining relative clauses: things

C Object of a preposition The formal construction is preposition + which, but it is more usual to move the preposition to the end of the clause, using which or that or omitting the relative altogether:
The ladder on which I was standing began to slip or The ladder which/that I was standing on began to slip or The ladder I was standing on began to slip.

D Possessive whose + a clause is possible but with + a phrase is more usual:

a house whose walls were made of glass = a house with glass walls

Non-defining relative clauses

A Non-defining relative clauses are placed after nouns, which are definite already. They do not therefore define the noun, but merely add something to it by giving some more information about it. Unlike defining relative clauses, they are not essential in the sentence and can be omitted without causing confusion. Also unlike defining relatives, they are separated from their noun by commas. The pronoun can never 'be omitted in a non-defining relative clause.

B Relative pronouns used in nondefining relative clauses:

Subject For persons who Object whom/who Possessive whose

For things

which

which

whose/of which

Non-defining relative clauses: persons

A Subject: who No other pronoun is possible. Note the commas:
My neighbour, who is very pessimistic, says there will be no apples this year. Peter, who had been driving all day, suggested stopping at the next town.

Clauses such as these, which come immediately after the subject of the main verb, are found mainly in written English. B Object: whom, who The pronoun cannot be omitted, whom is the correct form, though who is sometimes used in conversation:
Peter, whom everyone suspected, turned out to be innocent.

 C Object of a preposition: whom The pronoun cannot be omitted. The preposition is normally placed before whom: It is however possible to move the preposition to the end of the clause. This is commonly done in conversation, and who then usually takes the place of whom:
Mr. Jones, who I was working for, . . . Mr. Jones, for whom I was working, was very generous about overtime payments.

D Possessive: whose

Ann, whose children are at school all day, is trying to get a job. This is George, whose class you will be taking.

Non-defining relative clauses: things

A Subject: which
that is not used here:
That block, which cost 5 million to build, has been empty for years. The 8.15 train, which is usually very punctual, was late today.

B Object: which

that is not used here, and the which can never be omitted:

She gave me this jumper, which she had knitted herself or She gave me this jumper; she had knitted if herself. These books, which you can get at any bookshop, will give you alt the information you need or These books will give you all the information you need. You can get them at any bookshop.

 C Object of a preposition The preposition comes before which, or (more informally) at the end of the clause:
Ashdown Forest, through which we 'II be driving, isn 't a forest any longer or Ashdown Forest, which we 'II be driving through, isn 'I a forest any longer. His house, for which he paid 10,000, is now worth 50,000 or His house, which he paid 10.000 for, is now . . .

 D which with phrasal verbs Combinations such as look after, took forward to, put up with should be treated as a unit, i.e. the preposition/adverb should not be separated from the verb:
This machine, which I have locked after/or twenty years, is still working perfectly. Your inefficiency, which we have Rut up with far too long, is beginning to annoy our customers.

E Possessive: whose or of which

whose is generally used both for animals and things; of which is possible for things, but is unusual except in very formal English.
His house, whose windows were all broken, was a depressing sight. The car, whose handbrake wasn't very reliable, began to slide backwards.