Grammar Reference
Unit 6
ORACIONES DE RELATIVO
• Las oraciones de relativo (defining relative clauses) se
usan para identificar a la persona, lugar o cosa de la que
estamos hablando.
• Van inmediatamente después del nombre al que se
refieren y están introducidas por un pronombre de
relativo.
The woman who / that answered the phone was nice.
Where is the book which / that was on the table?
This is the boy whose mother works with me.
The boy whose mother phoned is waiting outside.
• La información que aportan es esencial para poder
identificar a la persona o cosa y no se puede omitir.
The man who / that I’m going to marry has been my
friend for thirty years.
The project which / that we started together is a great
success.
Fíjate
‘The man has been my friend for thirty years’ no
da suficiente información; el oyente tendría que
preguntar:
‘What man are you talking about?’
‘The man I’m going to marry’.
PRONOMBRES DE RELATIVO: USO
Y OMISIÓN
WHO / THAT / WHICH
• Who y that se usan para identificar personas.
Peter is the man who / that wrote the book.
Anna and Michael are the people who / that got
married last year.
• Which y that se usan para identificar animales o cosas.
That is the lion which / that attacked its keeper.
This is the book which / that won the Booker Prize
this year.
• En registro informal, los pronombres de relativo who,
which, that, se pueden omitir (ø) cuando funcionan
como objeto de la oración de relativo. Nunca se omiten
si funcionan como sujeto de dicha oración.
- Como sujeto:
That’s the boy who / that lives with her.
She’s not the student who / that failed the exam.
These are the things which / that worry me a lot.
I really like the car which / that has a red roof.
- Como objeto:
She’s the person who / that / ø I met in the library.
She is not the girl who / that / ø I’m looking for.
I like the book which / that / ø you bought for me.
Here are the cats which / that / ø I told you about.
• Si el verbo lleva preposición, esta siempre va al final
de la oración de relativo.
This is the same place which / that / ø we went to
last year.
Here’s the girl who / that / ø I told you about.
The friend who / that / ø I went to the party with is
coming tonight.
• En registro formal, la preposición puede ir delante del
pronombre relativo. Entonces se usa which y whom,
nunca that.
The people with whom he works are all actors.
The people (that) he works with are all actors.
This is the book about which I told you.
This is the book (that) I told you about.
WHOSE
Se usa para expresar posesión.
No se puede omitir ni sustituir por that.
I’ve got a friend, and his mother is a well-known artist.
(I’ve got a friend whose mother is a well-known artist.)
My parents know a man with a very talented son. (My
parents know a man whose son is very talented.)
ADVERBIOS DE RELATIVO
• Los adverbios de relativo son complementos
circunstanciales del verbo.
• Se suelen utilizar en sustitución de los pronombres
relativos con preposición, que es una estructura más
formal.
That’s the day when (on which) we first saw him.
This is the place where (in which) I studied law.
WHERE
• Para referirnos a lugares se usa where.
• No se puede omitir.
This is the hotel where we spent our last holidays.
The university where I work is very old.
That is the lion which / that attacked its keeper.
This is the book which / that won the Booker Prize
this year.
• En registro informal, los pronombres de relativo who,
which, that, se pueden omitir (ø) cuando funcionan
como objeto de la oración de relativo. Nunca se omiten
si funcionan como sujeto de dicha oración.
- Como sujeto:
That’s the boy who / that lives with her.
She’s not the student who / that failed the exam.
These are the things which / that worry me a lot.
I really like the car which / that has a red roof.
- Como objeto:
She’s the person who / that / ø I met in the library.
She is not the girl who / that / ø I’m looking for.
I like the book which / that / ø you bought for me.
Here are the cats which / that / ø I told you about.
• Si el verbo lleva preposición, esta siempre va al final
de la oración de relativo.
B1.1

This is the same place which / that / ø we went to

last year.
Here’s the girl who / that / ø I told you about.
The friend who / that / ø I went to the party with is
coming tonight.
• En
 registro formal, la preposición puede ir delante del
pronombre relativo. Entonces se usa which y whom,
nunca that.
The people with whom he works are all actors.
The people (that) he works with are all actors.
This is the book about which I told you.
This is the book (that) I told you about.
WHOSE
Se usa para expresar posesión.
No se puede omitir ni sustituir por that.
I’ve got a friend, and his mother is a well-known artist.
(I’ve got a friend whose mother is a well-known artist.)
My parents know a man with a very talented son. (My
parents know a man whose son is very talented.)
ADVERBIOS DE RELATIVO
• Los adverbios de relativo son complementos
circunstanciales del verbo.
 XPRESAR EMOCIONES Y OPINIONES:
E
ADJETIVOS TERMINADOS EN -ING Y -ED
• Algunos adjetivos se forman añadiendo los sufijos -ing
o -ed a verbos.
to alarm alarming / alarmed
to shock shocking / shocked
to entertain entertaining / entertained
to interest interesting / interested
• Los adjetivos que terminan en -ing describen nuestra
opinión sobre cosas o personas. En español el adjetivo
se suele usar con el verbo ‘ser’.
Your brother is really amusing. (He makes me feel
amused.)
My English class was very boring. (It made me feel
bored.)
• Cuando terminan en -ed describen cómo nos hacen
sentir las personas o las cosas. En español el adjetivo
se suele usar con el verbo ‘estar’.
My little brother was (felt) amused.
I was (felt) really bored in the meeting.
• Otros adjetivos para expresar opinion son: keen
(interested), brilliant, fabulous, sad, superb...
She is really keen on Henning Mankell novels.
He’s a brilliant writer.

• Se suelen utilizar en sustitución de los pronombres

relativos con preposición, que es una estructura más
formal.
That’s the day when (on which) we first saw him.
This is the place where (in which) I studied law.

WHERE

• Para referirnos a lugares se usa where.

• No se puede omitir.
This is the hotel where we spent our last holidays.
The university where I work is very old.

WHEN
• Para referirse a tiempo se usa when.
• Se puede omitir y sustituir por that cuando no sea sujeto
de la oración de relativo.
I still remember the day when / that / ø I first met him.
The year when / that / ø you were born was very special.