Relative Clauses

Laura Galindo. Adapted from New English File Upper-Intermediate. Oxford.

Relative Clauses
Use: We use relative clauses to give additional information about something without starting another sentence. I told you about a book. Thats the book.

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Thats the book which I told you about.

Relative Clauses
Use: By combining sentences with a relative clause, your text becomes more fluent and you can avoid repeating certain words. To combine sentences we use the relative pronouns: who, which, whose, whom and what.

Relative Clauses
Defining relative clauses: Use who, which, whose, whom and what to introduce a defining relative clause, i.e. a clause which gives essential information about somebody or something. Shes the woman who / that lives next door. Thats the book which / that won a prize.

Relative Clauses
Defining relative clauses: You can use that instead of who / which. Shes the woman who / that lives next door. Thats the book which / that won a prize. When who or which are the object of the verb in the relative clause, you can leave them out. Thats the book which I told you about.

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Thats the book I told you about.

Relative Clauses
Defining relative clauses: After a preposition use whom for a person and which for a thing. My sister is the only person to whom I can talk. In informal English, it is more common to leave out the relative pronoun and the preposition after the verb. My sister is the only person (who) I can talk to.

Relative Clauses
Defining relative clauses: Use whose to mean of who or of which. Thats my neighbour whose dog never stop barking. Use what as a relative pronoun to mean the thing or things which. She told me what she had seen. What I like best about London is the parks.

Relative Clauses
Non-defining relative clauses: A non-defining clause gives extra non-essential information about a person or thing. My aunt, who doesnt like cats, was given a kitten for Christmas. In written English, this kind of clause is separated by commas, or between a comma and a full stop. You cant use that instead of who / which.

Relative Clauses
Non-defining relative clauses: Which can be used to refer to the whole of the preceding clause. Adriana hasnt come to class for two weeks, which is a bit worrying.