Relative Clauses

People: who, whom, that

That’s the man [who is starting = clause (subject + verb)] work tomorrow.

That’s the man [whom/who I met = object + subject + verb] yesterday.

Things: which, that

Places: where, which, that (with prepositions)

This is the town where I was born.

= This is the town in which I was born.

= This is the town that I was born in.

Melbourne is a city which is pretty quiet.

- This is the place which people want to visit.  This is the place. People want to visit the place (direct object)
- This is the place where we went recently.  This is the place. We went to the place recently. (indirect
object)
- I went to a café. I had coffee in the café.
o I went to a café, where I had coffee.
o …, in which I had a coffee.
- I take the bus on Swanston Street. There are usually many people there = on Swanston Street.
o I take the bus on Swanston Street, where there are usually many people.
o …, on which there are…
- I took a trip to Paris. Paris has a lot of cheese. You can find the cheese in the countryside.
o I took a trip to Paris, which has a lot of cheese, which you can find in the countryside.
o …, where there is a lot of cheese, …

People’s possessions: whose

There’s the man whose dog (possession = object) this is (subject + verb).  the dog belongs to the man (his dog)

That’s the woman whose husband (possession = subject) is my boss.  the husband belongs to the woman (her
husband)

There is a person. Their car is black. = There is a person whose car is black.

A. We use defining relative clauses to give essential information about a noun in the main clause of a sentence.
The meaning of the main clause is clear/unclear without the relative clause.

This is the team (main clause) who filmed beneath the ice (relative clause).

This is the forest where the new species was discovered.

a. Examples:
i. He’s an explorer. He (only) likes travelling to remote places.  He’s an explorer who (= he) likes
travelling to remote places.
ii. This is the desert. The fossils were discovered here.  This is the desert where (= here) the
fossils were discovered.
iii. That is the biologist. Her papers were lost in the storm.  That’s the biologist whose papers
were lost in the storm.
iv. Yoshie is a polyglot/multilinguist who can speak Japanese, Mandarin and English.
v. SMEAG is a school where students study English.
vi. Australia is a country (in the southern hemisphere) which has kangaroos.
 B. We use non-defining relative clauses to give extra information about a noun. The meaning of the main
clause is clear without the relative clause. We use commas to separate the relative clause from the main
clause.

Stefano Calabrio, who is eighty-five, still works as a mountain guide.

The ship Arctic Kestrel, which was built in Glasgow, is registered in Russia.

a. Examples:
i. We stopped at the museum. We had never visited there before.  We stopped at the museum,
which we had never visited before (this is one museum we haven’t visited = non-defining). VS
We stopped at the museum where we had never visited before (this is the only museum we
haven’t visited = defining)
ii. Lake Titicaca is very large. It is on the border of Bolivia and Peru.  Lake Titicaca, which (must
come after noun) is on the border of Bolivia and Peru, is very large (main clause = most
important).
iii. GreenSpace created the prototype. The prototype was copied by a rival company. 
GreenSpace created the prototype, which was copied by a rival company.
iv. I took the bus that (defining, which bus?) goes to the CBD, where my office is (non-defining, not
necessary to my story).
v. I saw many sights in London, which is famous for terrible weather.
vi. Michael Jackson, who is well-known as the king of pop, invented many new dance moves.
vii. Steve Jobs, whose (= and his) company pushed the boundaries of computer technology, is my
idol.

Difference between defining and non-defining

i. I like Japanese people, who are polite and gentle.  I like all Japanese, they are ALL polite and gentle
ii. I like Japanese people who are polite and gentle.  I ONLY like polite and gentle Japanese people (I don’t
think all Japanese people are polite and gentle)

iii. I like apples, which are yellow, green and red.  “yellow, green and red” is not important, I am describing
all apples; I like ALL apples
iv. I like apples that are yellow, green and red.  I ONLY like yellow, green and red apples, I don’t like other
apples

We often shorten relative clauses in speech and in writing.

D. That or Zero Pronoun

That’s the explorer whom I (subject) met in Cambodia.

a. We can remove the relative pronoun when it is the object of a defining relative clause.
i. The dish which (object) I (subject) ordered was delicious.  can we use “that”? Can we
delete the relative pronoun?
1. The dish that I ordered was delicious.
2. The dish I ordered was delicious.
ii. The man who (subject) came with her has already left.  can we use “that”? Can we delete
the relative pronoun?
 1. No.
iii. The doctor whom I was hoping to see wasn't on duty.
1. The doctor I was hoping to see…

iv. It was the best film that I've ever seen.

1. It was the best film I’ve ever seen.
v. Do you have anything that will help my throat?
1. No.
vi. There’s the woman whose (object) cat I (subject) stole.  cannot delete “whose”
vii. This is the restaurant where we had lunch.
1. This is the restaurant that we had lunch at.  needs a preposition
2. This is the restaurant we had lunch at.
viii. This is the empty bottle which I brought to school.
ix. These glasses, which I bought in Australia, are already broken.  can’t delete, because it’s
non-defining
x. The(se) glasses that I bought in Australia (specifically these glasses, not my other ones) are
already broken.  can delete, it’s defining

E. Reducing relative clauses

People who visit visiting the area have complained about the traffic.

a. We use a present participle (-ing) to reduce active verbs when the relative pronoun is the subject of
the relative clause.
i. Who was the man that (subject) was waving (active) at us?  Who was the man waving at
us?
ii. Most of those who are trying to get tickets were unsuccessful.  Most of those trying to get
tickets were unsuccessful.
iii. The woman whom I (subject) talked to was Latvian.  No.
iv. The expedition, which I (subject) am leading, is in June.  No.
v. That money that she (subject) stole was returned.  No.
vi. There are people who talk on the phone on public transport. I think it’s annoying.  The
people talking on the phone on public transport are annoying.
vii. I have neighbours. They live in the house on my left. They have 3 children.  I have
neighbours who have 3 children living in the house on my left. // The neighbours [(who are)
living in the house on my left] have 3 children. // The neighbours having with 3 children live
in the house on my left.  have is a possession
viii. I saw some teenagers on the road and they / who were really rude to an old lady.  I saw
some teenagers (on the road) being really rude to an old lady.
ix. The people having lunch in the café…  have = eat

It is a subject which is studied studied by many people.

b. We use a past participle to reduce passive verbs when the relative pronoun is the subject of the
relative clause.
i. The man who is being taken away by the police is our neighbour.  The man being taken
away by the police is our neighbour.
ii. The job that I (subject) have been told about is in Brunswick.  No.
iii. The student who was chosen as the winner will get a prize.  The student chosen as the
winner will get a prize.
iv. The progress which was made yesterday will give us a head start.  The progress made
yesterday…
v. The hotel that we (subject) were recommended didn’t have any available rooms.  No
 vi. None of the cakes that have been tasted so far have passed the test.  None of the cakes
tasted so far…
vii. Puddings are usually eaten at Christmas. Puddings are made of dried fruit and brandy. 
Puddings, which are made of dried fruit and brandy, are usually eaten at Christmas. 
Puddings, made of dried fruit and brandy, are usually eaten at Christmas.
viii. Planes are flown for international travel. Planes use a lot of fuel.  Planes, which use a lot
of fuel, are flown for international travel. // Planes which are flown for international travel
use a lot of fuel  Planes flown for international travel use a lot of fuel. (The participle must
come after the noun)