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RelativeClauses
Weuserelativeclausestogiveadditionalinformationaboutsomethingwithoutstartinganother
sentence.Bycombiningsentenceswitharelativeclause,yourtextbecomesmorefluentand
youcanavoidrepeatingcertainwords.
HowtoFormRelativeClauses
Imagine,agirlistalkingtoTom.Youwanttoknowwhosheisandaskafriendwhetherhe
knowsher.Youcouldsay:
AgirlistalkingtoTom.Doyouknowthegirl?
Thatsoundsrathercomplicated,doesn'tit?Itwouldbeeasierwitharelativeclause:youput
bothpiecesofinformationintoonesentence.Startwiththemostimportantthingyouwantto
knowwhothegirlis.
Doyouknowthegirl
Asyourfriendcannotknowwhichgirlyouaretalkingabout,youneedtoputintheadditional
informationthegirlistalkingtoTom.Usethegirlonlyinthefirstpartofthesentence,in
thesecondpartreplaceitwiththerelativepronoun(forpeople,usetherelativepronoun
who).Sothefinalsentenceis:
DoyouknowthegirlwhoistalkingtoTom?
RelativePronouns
relative
use
pronoun
who
subjectorobjectpronounforpeople
example
Itoldyouaboutthe
womanwholivesnextdoor.
which
subjectorobjectpronounforanimalsandthings
Doyouseethecatwhichis
lyingontheroof?
which
referringtoawholesentence
Hecouldnt
readwhichsurprisedme.
whose
possessionforpeopleanimalsandthings
Doyouknowthe
boywhosemotherisanurse?
whom
objectpronounforpeople,especiallyinnondefiningrelative
Iwasinvitedbythe
clauses(indefiningrelativeclauseswecolloquially
professorwhomImetatthe
preferwho)
conference.
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that
RelativeClauses
subjectorobjectpronounforpeople,animalsandthingsin
Idontlikethe
definingrelativeclauses(whoorwhicharealsopossible)
tablethatstandsinthe
kitchen.
SubjectPronounorObjectPronoun?
Subjectandobjectpronounscannotbedistinguishedbytheirformswho,which,thatare
usedforsubjectandobjectpronouns.Youcan,however,distinguishthemasfollows:
Iftherelativepronounisfollowedbyaverb,therelativepronounisasubjectpronoun.Subject
pronounsmustalwaysbeused.
theapplewhichislyingonthetable
Iftherelativepronounisnotfollowedbyaverb(butbyanounorpronoun),therelative
pronounisanobjectpronoun.Objectpronounscanbedroppedindefiningrelativeclauses,
whicharethencalledContactClauses.
theapple(which)Georgelayonthetable
RelativeAdverbs
Arelativeadverbcanbeusedinsteadofarelativepronounpluspreposition.Thisoftenmakes
thesentenceeasiertounderstand.
ThisistheshopinwhichIboughtmybike.
ThisistheshopwhereIboughtmybike.
relative
adverb
meaning
use
example
when
in/onwhich referstoatimeexpression
thedaywhenwemethim
where
in/atwhich
referstoaplace
theplacewherewemethim
why
forwhich
referstoareason
thereasonwhywemethim
DefiningRelativeClauses
Definingrelativeclauses(alsocalledidentifyingrelativeclausesorrestrictiverelativeclauses)
givedetailedinformationdefiningageneraltermorexpression.Definingrelativeclausesare
notputincommas.
Imagine,Tomisinaroomwithfivegirls.OnegirlistalkingtoTomandyouasksomebody
whetherheknowsthisgirl.Heretherelativeclausedefineswhichofthefivegirlsyoumean.
DoyouknowthegirlwhoistalkingtoTom?
Definingrelativeclausesareoftenusedindefinitions.
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RelativeClauses
Aseamanissomeonewhoworksonaship.
Objectpronounsindefiningrelativeclausescanbedropped.(Sentenceswitharelativeclause
withouttherelativepronounarecalledContactClauses.)
Theboy(who/whom)wemetyesterdayisverynice.
NonDefiningRelativeClauses
Nondefiningrelativeclauses(alsocallednonidentifyingrelativeclausesornonrestrictive
relativeclauses)giveadditionalinformationonsomething,butdonotdefineit.Nondefining
relativeclausesareputincommas.
Imagine,Tomisinaroomwithonlyonegirl.Thetwoaretalkingtoeachotherandyouask
somebodywhetherheknowsthisgirl.Heretherelativeclauseisnondefiningbecauseinthis
situationitisobviouswhichgirlyoumean.
Doyouknowthegirl,whoistalkingtoTom?
Note:Innondefiningrelativeclauses,who/whichmaynotbereplacedwiththat.
Objectpronounsinnondefiningrelativeclausesmustbeused.
Jim,who/whomwemetyesterday,isverynice.
HowtoShortenRelativeClauses?
Relativeclauseswithwho,which,thatassubjectpronouncanbereplacedwithaparticiple.
Thismakesthesentenceshorterandeasiertounderstand.
Itoldyouaboutthewomanwholivesnextdoor.Itoldyouaboutthewomanlivingnextdoor.
Doyouseethecatwhichislyingontheroof?Doyouseethecatlyingontheroof?
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