Position

Relative clauses are most commonly positioned immediately after the noun
that they refer to and often begin with a relative pronoun such
as who, that or which. 
Relative clauses can also be used after some pronouns. They are quite common after
indefinite pronouns such as something, someone, anything, anyone,
everything and everyone, e.g.

Anna is someone that I really admire.

Is there anyone who knows how this machine works?
Everyone who has worked with her will miss her very much.
Relative clauses are also sometimes used after words like some, many, much, all, or
those which can function as pronouns, e.g.

Like many who were taking the exam, I felt very nervous.
A small bar of chocolate was all that we had to eat.

Relative pronouns as subjects and objects

A relative pronoun can act as the subject or object of the verb in a relative clause.
Compare:

She’s the only person who offered to help. (who is subject)

She’s the only person who Janice offered to help. (who is object)
When a relative pronoun is functioning as the subject of the verb in a relative clause and
is referring back to a person or people, the relative pronouns who or that are used, e.g.

I paid the man that delivered the flowers.

I met a woman who knows your sister.

I didn’t trust the builders who fitted our new kitchen.
When the relative pronoun acts as the subject and refers to a person, the relative
pronoun who is used more frequently than the relative pronoun that.

When a relative pronoun is functioning as the subject of the verb in a relative clause and
refers back to a thing or things, the relative pronouns which or that are used, e.g.

I’ve bought a new oven that comes on automatically.

There are systems which are much more reliable.
When a relative pronoun is functioning as the object of the verb in a relative clause and
refers back to a person or people, the relative pronouns who, that or whom are used, or
the relative pronoun is left out altogether (this last case is sometimes technically
referred to as a zero relative pronoun), e.g.

They were a group of college friends who I hadn’t seen for several years.

I’m afraid Annabel is someone that I really dislike.

He was a distant cousin whom she had never met.

Did you know the woman you were chatting to in the park? (zero relative pronoun)

Whom is rather formal and is only used in written English and formal spoken English.
The relative pronoun who is often used instead. However,

if the relative pronoun occurs immediately after a preposition, whom must be used, e.g.

* the man with who she lived

the man with whom she lived
Most people tend to avoid this however by using who and placing the preposition at the
end of the clause, i.e

the man who she lived with

Note that as a general rule, when the relative pronoun refers back to a person and is
functioning as object of the verb in the relative clause, the relative pronoun that and the
zero relative pronoun are more common in informal contexts than the relative
pronoun who. So the following examples are also likely:

the man that she lived with

the man she lived with
When a relative pronoun is functioning as the object of the verb in a relative clause and
refers back to a thing or things, the relative pronouns which or that are used, or the
relative pronoun is left out altogether (zero relative pronoun), e.g.

On the dining room wall was a photograph which my sister had taken.
This is the kind of flour that we usually use.

You could put the stones you’ve collected into that bucket. (zero relative pronoun)
Note that if a relative pronoun occurs immediately after words such as much, all,
little and none functioning as pronouns, that is used and not which, e.g.
There wasn’t much that they could do to help.

These ruins are all that remain.

Defining relative clauses are made with noun + relative pronoun + rest of clause.

A kangaroo is an animal which lives in Australia.

The man who came for lunch was my uncle.

Winter is a time when it sometimes snows.

Non-defining relative clauses are made in the same way. An important difference,

however, between both types of clause is the use of punctuation. With non-
defining relative clauses, we separate the clause with commas. We cannot use that in
this type of clause.

My favourite food, which used to be Italian, is now Japanese.

Rachel, who we met yesterday, lives in this neighbourhood.

My car, which I bought seven years ago, needs replacing.

This shirt, which I bought last weekend, cost £50.

My best friend, who I met at university, is coming for dinner.

 Antecedent: The expression in an upper clause that is modified by the relative clause.
In our example, the noun woman is the antecedent.
 Relativized element: The element inside the relative clause that refers to the
antecedent. If there is a relative pronoun then the relativized element corresponds to the
relative pronoun. We usually characterize the relativized element by its function in the
relative clause.
In our example, the relativized element is the direct object of the verb know.
 Relative pronoun: The wh-word who is the relative pronoun in our example. The
relative pronoun refers to the antecedent.
 Relative phrase: The phrase that contains the relative pronoun is the relative phrase. In
our example this phrase consists only of the relative pronoun, but there are more
complicated cases. In the following examples, the relative phrase is underlined, the
relative pronoun in bold face.
Relative Clauses in Discourse

In addition to their roles inside sentences, relative clauses play an important role in
“discourse.” Discourse refers to a sequence of sentences that make up a message, a story, or
a text. Sentences with relative clauses help to keep information flowing. They introduce a new
topic or set the stage for the development of a topic. They help to compare different kinds of
items. They provide elaboration or background information about a noun phrase. And they can
refer back to earlier information in the discourse.
 Relative pronouns are placed directly after the noun or pronoun they modify. For
example:

 The driver who ran the stop sign was careless.

 The children, whom we love dearly, need better educations.
 Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died. (Erma Bombeck)
 I have a friend whose cat is annoying.
 The book, which is now out of print, has all the information you need.
 This is the book that everyone is talking about.

 In each example above, the subject of the sentence is described by a relative

clause (italicized). As these clauses describe a noun or a pronoun, they are also
known as adjective clauses, because they act like adjectives in the sentence. Each
clause is introduced by a relative pronoun (in bold). Relative pronouns connect the
description to the rest of the sentence in an orderly way

A relative pronoun (or adverb) generally follows and points back to the noun or pronoun it modifies, and
like all clauses, both dependent and independent, relative clauses have a subject and a verb. The
students who were most impressive graduated with honors. In the sentence above, the relative pronoun
“who” introduces the relative clause “who were most impressive.” The relative clause modifies the
plural noun “students.” The word “who” is the subject of the relative clause and “were” is the verb.