Relative clause

1. The relative pronouns:

The relative pronouns are:

Subject Object Possessive

who whom, who whose

which which whose

that that

We use who and whom for people, and which for things.
We use that for people or things.
We use relative pronouns to introduce relative clauses, which tell us more about
people and things.

2. Relative clauses to postmodify a noun

We use relative clauses to postmodify a noun - to make clear which person

or thing we are talking about. In these clauses we can have the relative
pronoun who, which, whose or that

 as subject (see Clauses Sentences and Phrases)

Isn’t that the woman who lives across the road from you?
The police said the accident that happened last night was
unavoidable
The newspaper reported that the tiger which killed its keeper has
been put down.
 WARNING:
The relative pronoun is the subject of the clause.
We do not repeat the subject:
*The woman who [she] lives across the road…
*The tiger which [it] killed its keeper …

 as object of a clause (see Clauses, Sentences and Phrases)

Have you seen those people who we met on holiday?
You shouldn’t believe everything that you read in the newspaper.
The house that we rented in London was fully furnished.
The food was definitely the thing which I enjoyed most about our
holiday.
- Sometimes we use whom instead of who when the relative pronoun
is the object:
Have you seen those people whom we met on holiday?
- When the relative pronoun is object of its clause we sometimes leave
it out:
Have you seen those people we met on holiday?
You shouldn’t believe everything you read in the newspaper.
The house we rented in London was fully furnished.
The food was definitely the thing I enjoyed most about our holiday.
WARNING:
The relative pronoun is the object of the clause.
We do not repeat the object:
Have you seen those people who we met [them] on holiday?
The house that we rented [it] in London was fully furnished.
The food was definitely the thing I enjoyed [it] most about our holiday.

 as object of a preposition. When the relative pronoun is the object of

a preposition we usually put the preposition after the verb.:
You were talking to a woman >>> Who was the woman who you
were talking to?
My parents live in that house >>> That’s the house that my parents
live in.
You were talking about a book. I haven’t read it. >>> I haven’t read
the book which you were talking about.
- When the relative pronoun is the object of a preposition we usually
leave it out:
 Who was the woman you were talking to?
That’s the house my parents live in.
- Sometimes we use whom instead of who:
Who was that woman whom you were talking about.
- When we use whom, which or whose the preposition sometimes
comes at the beginning of the clause:
I haven’t read the book about which you were talking.
- We can use the possessive form, whose, in a relative clause:
I always forget that woman’s name >>> That’s the woman whose
name I always forget.
I met a man whose brother works in Moscow.

3. Times and places

We also use when with times and where with places to make it
clear which time or place we are talking about:
England won the world cup in 1996. It was the year when we got
married.
I remember my twentieth birthday. It was the day when the tsunami
happened.
Do you remember the place where we caught the train?
Stratford-upon-Avon is the town where Shakespeare was born.
... but we can leave out the word when:
England won the world cup in 1996. It was the year we got married.
I remember my twentieth birthday. It was the day the
tsunami happened.

4. Giving additional information

We use who, whom, whose, and which (but not that) in relative clauses
to tell us more about a person or thing.

 as subject (see Clauses, Sentences and Phrases)

My uncle, who was born in Hong Kong, lived most of his life
overseas.
I have just read Orwell’s 1984, which is one of the most frightening
books ever written.
 WARNING:
The relative pronoun is the subject of the clause.
We do not repeat the subject:

My uncle, who [he] was born in Hong Kong, lived most of his life
overseas.
I have just read Orwell’s 1984, which [it] is one of the most frightening
books ever written.

 as object (see Clauses, Sentences and Phrases)

We saw the latest Harry Potter film, which we really enjoyed.
My favourite actor is Marlon Brando, who I saw in “On the
Waterfront”.
- we can use whom instead of who as object:
My favourite actor was Marlon Brando, whom I saw in “On the
Waterfront”.
WARNING:
The relative pronoun is the object of the clause.
We do not repeat the object:
We saw the latest Harry Potter film, which we really enjoyed [it].
My favourite actor is Marlon Brando, who I saw [him] in “On the
Waterfront”.

 as object of a clause :
He finally met Paul McCartney, whom he had always admired.
We are going back to Venice, which we first visited thirty years
ago.
We can also use who as the object.
He finally met Paul McCartney, who he had always admired.
WARNING:
The relative pronoun is the object of the clause.
We do not repeat the object:
He finally met Paul McCartney, whom he had always admired [him].
We are going back to Venice, which we first visited [it] thirty years
ago.

 as object of a preposition:
 He decided to telephone Mrs. Jackson, who he had read about in the
newspaper.
That’s the programme which we listened to last night.
- We sometimes use whom instead of who:
He decided to telephone Mrs. Jackson, whom he had read about in the
newspaper.
- The preposition sometimes comes in front of the relative
pronoun whom or which:
He decided to telephone Mrs. Jackson, about whom he had read in the
newspaper.
That’s the programme to which we listened last night.

5. Quantifiers and numbers with relative pronouns

We often use quantifiers and numbers with relative pronouns:

many of whom - most of whom - one of which - none of whom
some of which - lots of whom - two of which - etc.
We can use them as subject, object or object of a preposition.
She has three brothers, two of whom are in the army.
I read three books last week, one of which I really enjoyed.
There were some good programmes on the radio, none of which I
listened to.

6. Using "which" to give more information

We often use the relative pronoun which to say something about a

clause:
He was usually late, which always annoyed his father.
We’ve missed our train, which means we may be late.

Adverbial clause
An adverb clause is a group of words that function as an adverb in a sentence. The clause can modify
or describe verbs, adverbs,and adjectives. In general, adverb clauses add information that elaborates
on when, where, why, how, how much or under what condition the action in the sentence takes place.
An adverb clause isn't just any group of words, however. A clause must contain a subject and a verb
to be complete. An adverb clause also begins with a subordinating conjunction, such as "after," "if,"
"because" and "although." If you see a group of words in a sentence that acts like an adverb but does
not have both a subject and a verb, it's an adverb phrase.
Using Adverb Clauses
Using an adverb clause in your sentence is a good way to add important, descriptive detail and
information to your writing. They are flexible and can be placed at the beginning, middle or end of a
sentence, depending on where it sounds best.

Adverb Clause at the Beginning of a Sentence

When placed at the beginning of a sentence, an adverb clause is followed by a comma, as seen in
these examples of adverb clauses:
 Whether you like it or not, you have to go to bed now.
 If you pay your bills on time, you can have a good credit score.
 Unless you run fast, you will miss the bus.
 Because he loved her, he didn't believe she was having an affair.
 Once they saw the car coming, the birds flew away from the road.
 Although she has a business degree, she is working as a retail clerk.
 As we bought the tickets, the overture was beginning.
 Before we go on vacation, we must make reservations
 Since I'll be working late, I'll eat downtown.
 Now that everyone has left the party, we need to start cleaning.
 Unless you put in more hours, I cannot recommend you for the promotion.
 As soon as I saw you, I knew something was wrong.
Adverb Clause in the Middle of a Sentence
When placed in the middle of a sentence, an adverb clause is offset by commas. Note that this is an
unusual placement that indicates an interruption of the main thought:
 My sister, when she is angry, will turn red in the face.
 Elephants, although they are large, are not predators.
 Chocolate, because it has a low melting point, can be difficult to bake with.
 He remembered, after he left the house, that he needed to mail the thank you cards.
Adverb Clause at the End of a Sentence
When placed at the end of the sentence, an adverb clause needs no additional punctuation:
 Marty kept his schedule open in case his wife went into labor.
 You must keep practicing the song until you get it right.
 Give us a call when you get back from your trip.
 We need to find the bar where they asked us to wait.
 The fireworks show will start after the sun goes down.
 The cat made herself at home in the apartment as if she had always lived there.
 Frank ran the race as though his life depended on it.
 We can swim in the pool as soon as you put on sunscreen.
 I never knew how wonderful life could be until I met you.
 You need to remain calm even if everyone else panics.
 The day felt long because we had nothing to do.
 I won't allow you to see that movie even though you are old enough to go.
 We can get some new clothes as long as the store is open late.
Check for a Subject and Verb
Remember, if you're uncertain whether a group of words is an adverb clause, check for a subject and
a verb. If it has both of these parts of a sentence, and answers the question how, why, when or where,
it's an adverb clause. Adverb clauses, when used properly, improve your writing by adding more
detail and making your work as useful and informative as possible.
To understand the difference between an adverb clause and adverb phrase take a look at our adverb
phrase examples.
EXERCISES

1. The jury believed that the man was guilty. (Noun clause)

2. Come when you like. (Adverb clause)

3. I know the girl who won the prize. (Adjective clause)

4. He confessed that he was guilty. (Noun clause)

5. I know you have great regard for him. (Noun clause)

6. Do you think that I am a fool? (Noun clause)

7. Before I die I want to see Venice. (Adverb clause)

8. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. (Adjective clause)

9. I know a boy whose father serves in the army. (Adjective clause)

10. I will not go until he arrives. (Adverb clause)

11. The coffee maker that I bought for my wife is expensive. (Adjective clause)

12. If you give respect, you get respect. (Adverb clause)

relative clause

Yesterday I met a man who works in the circus.

I bought a cell phone that has internet access.

There’s the restaurant where I ate last night.

The bananas that I bought on Monday are rotten.

The bananas, which I bought on Monday, are rotten.

Older bananas that I bought on Monday

Newer bananas that I bought on Wednesday

The new Stephen King book, which I borrowed from the library, is very good.

Adverb clause
Jennifer scrubbed the bathtub until her arms ached. (This adverb clause describes how Jennifer
scrubbed.)

The dogs started chasing my car once they saw it turn the corner. (This adverb clause describes when
the dogs started chasing my car.)

After having my wisdom teeth out, I had a milkshake for dinner because I couldn’t chew anything.
(This adverb clause describes why I had a milkshake for dinner.)

Even when I’m sick

When you have finished working

Whenever you like

Wherever we prefer

Since I returned from vacation

As she was not there

Since you always do well

Before entering high school

After I return

So that he would understand