RELATIVE CLAUSES

They relate to (they qualify) a noun in the principal clause, and are introduced by a relative pronoun which may be sometimes left out.

DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

They describe the noun and are necessary to the understanding of the sentence. They are not essential to the definition of the antecedent and so, commas are
always used.
The relative pronoun is never left out.
FUNCTION RELATIVE EXAMPLE RELATIVE EXAMPLE
PRONOUN PRONOUN
a) People as subject THAT/WHO She is the teacher that/who teaches us English WHO My uncle, who is eighty, is very well
b) People as object THAT/WHO/no pronoun She is the teacher that/who/--- I like WHOM My uncle, whom you have never met, is eighty
c) Things as subject THAT/WHICH These are the glasses that/which were on the table WHICH My book, which is new, cost eight pounds
d) Things as object THAT/WHICH/no pronoun Those are the glasses that/which/--- I bought WHICH My book, which you borrowed, cost eight pounds.
e) People as subject THAT/WHO (rare)/no The person that/who/--- I got this letter from lives in The prep. Comes Clinton, about whom everybody talks so much, is very
before the relative:
of a preposition pronoun (preposition at the Madrid. well known.
WHOM (people)
end)
f)Things as object THAT/WHICH/no pronoun Is that the knife that/which/--- you cut the cake The prep. Comes The English lesson, of which you are so fed up, is nearly
before the relative:
of a preposition with? finished.
WHICH (things)
g) people WHOSE That is the man whose money I borrowed yesterday WHOSE My uncle, whose wife died very young, lives next door.
Possessive things OF which (very rare) That is the book of which the cover is torn
That is the book with the torn cover is preferred
h) Place WHERE That is the place where I parked my car WHERE He’s off to Paris, where incidentally they are having a heat
wave.
i) Time WHEN/--- That was the first time when/--- Peter came WHEN He promised to come in June, when he would be freer.
k) Reason WHY That is the reason why I’ve come