NB2 Blog

How to Form 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.

> Imagine, a girl is talking to Tom. You

want to know who she is, and ask a friend if
he knows her. You could say:

A girl is talking to Tom. Do you know the girl?

That sounds rather complicated- 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:

Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom?

Relative Pronouns

RELATIVE
USE EXAMPLE
PRONOUN
I told you about the woman
who subject or object pronoun for people
who lives next door.
subject or object pronoun for animals and Do you see the cat which is
which things lying on the roof?
He couldn’t read which
which referring to a whole sentence
surprised me.
Do you know the boy whose
whose possession for people animals and things
mother is a nurse?
object pronoun for people, especially in non- I was invited by the professor
whom defining relative clauses (in defining relative whom I met at the
clauses we colloquially prefer who) conference.
subject or object pronoun for people, animals
I don’t like the table that
that and things in defining relative clauses (who or
stands in the kitchen.
which are also possible)
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Defining Relative Clauses

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.

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
the day when we met
when in/on which refers to a time expression
him
the place where we met
where in/at which refers to a place
him
the reason why we met
why for which refers to a reason
him

SOURCE: http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/relative-
clauses#h02
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PRACTICE*
1. COMPLETE with WHO, WHICH, WHOSE or WHERE

1. That’s the house __________ we live.

2. The man ________is wearing a hat is my uncle
3. The bag _________contains the money is broken
4. The students _________read a lot know more vocabulary than
those _______don’t.
5. The police officer _______ car is outside the park is sleeping
6. I hate beaches________are full of people.
7. The restaurant _________ Lidia works is closed today
8. A poet is a person _________writes poetry
9. Rosie, ___________sister is in my class is 16 years old.
10. I can’t find the book ________ you lent me.

2. Complete these definitions with an appropriate word.

a. A _______ is a person ______cooks food.
b. A ________is a thing _______ we use to cut things.
c. Boring is an adjective _____ means the _____of interesting.
d. A hotel is a place _______people stay ________they are on holiday.
e. It’s a ________of fruit ________they grow in the Canaries.
f. Mean is an adjective ______ is _______to selfish.

*ANSWERS IN COMMENTS