RELATIVE CLAUSES

DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSE

We use defining relative clauses to add
essential information to a sentence. The
clause goes immediately after the noun it
describes.
“This is the man who sold me the car.”
 We use relative pronouns:
 who, that – for people
 which, that – for objects
 where – for places
 whose – to talk about possession
 when, that – for a time
 why, that – for a reason
 whom – for object pronouns (people)
 He is the man who / that owns this car.
 This is the house where I was born.
 The girl whose party I went to phoned me.
 We can leave out who, which, that, whose,
when the clause is the object of a sentence.

“The doctor I spoke to told me not to worry.”

“The man I saw was very rude.”
“Mr Smith is the teacher my son likes best.”
 We can’t leave out the relative pronoun in a
defining relative clause that refers to the
subject.

“The doctor who treated me told me not to

worry.”
“That’s the dog that attacked my children”
 In defining relative clauses why and when,
unlike where can be omitted

 I'd like to know the reason (why) he decided

not to come

 BUT! She always had wanted to go to a place

where she could speak her native tongue
NON-DEFINING RELATIVE
CLAUSE
 We use non-defining relative clauses to
add non-essential information to a sentence.
The clause goes immediately after the noun it
describes. If we removed the relative clause,
the sentence would still make sense of its
own.

“Pedro, who is my brother, lives in Astillero.”

 We use commas to separate a no-defining
clause from the rest of the sentence.
 We use relative pronouns:
 who – for people
 which – for things
 where – for places
 when – for time
 whose – for possession

“Santander, where I live, is a beautiful city.”

“My father, who is sixty four, is going to retire soon.”
 We can’t leave out the relative pronoun in
non-defining relative clauses.

“John, who is English, helped me write the essay.”

Complete the sentences with a suitable
relative pronoun if necessary.
 Is that the book _________ you read last month?
 Is this the film _________ won three Oscars?
 This is the shop ________ they sell Mexican food.
 Last summer I met a girl _________ father is a
famous lawyer.
 An engineer is a person ________ plans, makes
or repairs things like machines, roads or bridges.
 My neighbour works for a company _______
builds roads.
 This is the town _________ my mother grew up.
Complete the sentences with a suitable
relative pronoun if necessary.
 A tin opener is a thing ____ you open things with.
 Palencia is the city _______ my mother was born.
 This the company ________ my brother works
for.
 The stage on ________ the new play was
performed was very small.
 I didn’t enjoy the film ________ we saw last
night.
 The sofa on _______ we were sitting collapsed.
 An air hostess is woman ________ job is to look
after people on a plane.
 Here is the book _____ you have been looking for.