Relative Clauses

We use relative clauses to give additional information about something without starting another
sentence.
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 e easier with a relati!e clause: you put oth
pieces of information into one sentence. "tart 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 aout, you need to put in the additional
information # the girl is talking to Tom. %se &the girl' only in the first part of the sentence, in the second
part replace it with the relati!e pronoun (for people, use the relati!e pronoun &who'). "o the final
sentence is:
Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom?
Relative Pronouns
relati!e
pronoun
use e*ample
who su+ect or o+ect pronoun for people I told you aout the woman who li!es
ne*t door.
which su+ect or o+ect pronoun for animals and things Do you see the cat which is lying on
the roof?
which referring to a whole sentence ,e couldn-t read which surprised me.
whose possession for people animals and things Do you know the oy whose mother
is a nurse?
whom o+ect pronoun for people, especially in non.defining
relati!e clauses (in defining relati!e clauses we
collo/uially prefer who)
I was in!ited y the professor whom I
met at the conference.
that su+ect or o+ect pronoun for people, animals and
things in defining relati!e clauses (who or which are
also possile)
I don-t like the tale that stands in the
kitchen.
Subject Pronoun or Object Pronoun?
"u+ect and o+ect pronouns cannot e distinguished y their forms . who, which, that are used for
su+ect and o+ect pronouns. You can, howe!er, distinguish them as follows:
If the relati!e pronoun is followed y a !er, the relati!e pronoun is a su+ect pronoun. "u+ect
pronouns must always e used.
the apple which is lying on the tale
If the relati!e pronoun is not followed y a !er (ut y a noun or pronoun), the relati!e pronoun is
an o+ect pronoun. 0+ect pronouns can e dropped in defining relati!e clauses, which are then
called 1ontact 1lauses.
the apple which! 2eorge lay on the tale
Relative "dverbs
A relati!e ad!er can e used instead of a relati!e pronoun plus preposition. This often makes the
sentence easier to understand.
This is the shop in which I ought my ike.
3 This is the shop where I ought my ike.
relati!e
ad!er
meaning use e*ample
when in4on which refers to a time e*pression the day when we met him
where in4at which refers to a place the place where we met him
why for which refers to a reason the reason why we met him
#efining Relative Clauses
Defining relati!e clauses (also called identifying relati!e clauses or restricti!e relati!e clauses) gi!e
detailed information defining a general term or e*pression. Defining relati!e clauses are not put
in commas.
Imagine, Tom is in a room with fi!e girls. 0ne girl is talking to Tom and you ask someody whether he
knows this girl. ,ere the relati!e clause defines which of the fi!e girls you mean.
Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom?
Defining relati!e clauses are often used in definitions.
A seaman is someone who works on a ship.
0+ect pronouns in defining relati!e clauses can e dropped. ("entences with a relati!e clause without
the relati!e pronoun are called 1ontact 1lauses.)
The oy who$whom! we met yesterday is !ery nice.
%on&#efining Relative Clauses
5on.defining relati!e clauses (also called non.identifying relati!e clauses or non.restricti!e relati!e
clauses) gi!e additional information on something, ut do not define it. 5on.defining relati!e 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 someody
whether he knows this girl. ,ere the relati!e clause is non.defining ecause in this situation it is o!ious
which girl you mean.
Do you know the girl, who is talking to Tom?
5ote: In non.defining relati!e clauses, who4which may not e replaced with that.
0+ect pronouns in non.defining relati!e clauses must e used.
6im, who4whom we met yesterday, is !ery nice.
How to Shorten Relative Clauses?
7elati!e clauses with who, which, that as su+ect pronoun can e replaced with a participle. This makes
the sentence shorter and easier to understand.
I told you aout the woman who li!es ne*t door. # I told you aout the woman li!ing ne*t door.
Do you see the cat which is lying on the roof? # Do you see the cat lying on the roof?