RELATIVE CLAUSES – ref.

Unit 5
WHAT ARE RELATIVE CLAUSES?

Five basic things about relative clauses:

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We use them to add information about a previous
item.
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They can’t appear on their own – they’re subordinate.
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They are linked by means of a relative pronoun.
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They may take commas.
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They can be condensed and reduced.
CATALOGUE OF RELATIVE
PRONOUNS.
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WHO – people, pets
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WHOM – people, pets, variation of the previous after with
prepositions or functioning as object
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WHOSE – to indicate possession or ownership
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WHICH – objects, events, animals
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THAT – can alternate with WHO and WHICH
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WHERE – places
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WHEN – time
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WHY - reasons
WHAT DO THEY REFER TO?

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The choice of relative pronoun depends on the so called
ANTECEDENT: a word or phrase to which a pronoun
refers. In the sentence "People who live in glass houses
shouldn't throw stones," people is the antecedent of who
(Collins dictionary).
●
Thus:
– We need to contact somebody who is able to fix this in
the next few hours.
– The book which I recommended is n.1 on the best-
selling lists.
WHAT DO THEY REFER TO?

– We had lunch at the tavern where we had the Xmas

office party.
– I will always remember the day when we got married.
– The reason why I decided to quit is none of your
business.
– The person to whom we referred is CEO in one big
Japanese corporation./The person whom we referred to
is …
– That is the man whose dog bit my little brother.
TYPES OF RELATIVE CLAUSE –
defining
●
Defining
– Essential for the understanding of the sentence
– Their antecedent is normally a non-specific
comprehensive term (person, book, café…)
– It is possible to use the relative pronoun THAT
– It will be possible to omit the relative pronouns WHO,
THAT or WHICH as long as they are followed by a
noun-phrase (pronoun, noun, name)
DEFINING CLAUSES - examples

●
He told me that he had met a young woman who/that was
going to work in my shift.
●
He adopted the stray dog (that/which) he had seen on the
shelter website.
●
The restaurant where we held the birthday party is closed
for redecoration.
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I don’t know the reason why you act like a jerk.
●
This is the kind of winter day when one does not know
what to wear.
TYPES OF RELATIVE CLAUSE -
non-defining
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They add anecdotal or supplementary information
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They theoretically can be deleted without the meaning of
the core sentence
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They never take THAT
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They go between commas
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It is not possible to omit the relative pronoun
NON-DEFINING RELATIVE
CLAUSES - examples
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London, which is one of the most expensive cities in the world, is
the capital of the United Kingdom.
●
Steven Spielberg has directed a remake of West Side Story,
which was however a box office flop.
●
I’ve never bought anything at Savile Row, where the best taylor
shops are located.
●
December, when Xmas is celebrated, is not the coldest month of
the year.
●
You must meet Ms Richards, who is the owner of the company.
●
You must meet Ms Richards, whose AI project is going to be
launched next month.
OMMISSION OF THE RELATIVE
PRONOUN
●
Rules:
– Only in defining relative clauses
– Only applicable to WHO – THAT - WHICH
– When the pronoun is followed by a noun phrase
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I bought the laptop which Maria told me about.
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We must meet the specialist who/whom our family
doctor recommended.
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Marcia wants to buy the model that she read about
in Wired magazine.
REDUCED RELATIVE CLAUSES
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They are only possible if the relative clause modifies the
subject of a sentence
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The verb BE or similar (SEEM) should be part of the verb
phrase
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The reduced relative clause ends up as
– An adjective
– An adjective phrase
– A prepositional phrase
– A past participle
– A present participle (-ing form)
HOW DO THEY WORK?

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Remove the relative pronoun
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Remove the verb
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Place the adjective BEFORE THE NOUN
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Place the PAST PARTICIPLE, PRESENT
PARTICIPLE, ADJECTIVE PHRASE or
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE AFTER THE
NOUN
EXAMPLES

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The man who was happy – the happy man (adjective)
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The man who was responsble for – the man responsible
for (adjective phrase)
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The books which were under the table – the books under
the table (prepositional phrase)
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The people who were chosen – the people chosen (past
participle)
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The people who participated in the event – the people
participating in the event (present participle)
RELATIVE CLAUSES AND
PREPOSITIONS
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2 possible instances:
– informal/colloquial – end of clause
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Is this the man who she arrived with?
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The person who I am talking to is not my boss.
– formal – right before the relative pronoun
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Is this the man with who/whom she arrived?
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The person to who/whom I am talking is not my
boss.