TOPIC 6 GRAMMAR

RELATIVE CLAUSES

Relative Clause

A Relative clause is used to give extra information about the nouns in the
main clause, without starting another sentence. This is a clause that generally
modifies a noun or a noun phrase and is often introduced by a relative
pronoun (which, that, who, whom, whose). A relative clause connects ideas
by using pronouns that relate to something previously mentioned and allows
the writer to combine two independent clauses into one sentence. There are
two types of relative clauses: defining and non-defining.

Defining relative clauses

We use defining relative clauses to give essential information about someone

or something – information that we need in order to understand what or who
is being referred to. A defining relative clause usually comes immediately
after the noun it describes. Examples:
● They’re the people who want to buy our house.

● Here are some cells which have been affected.

Non-defining relative clauses

We use non-defining relative clauses to give extra information about the

person or thing. It is not necessary information, we don’t need it to
understand who or what is being referred to. Examples:

● Clare, who I work with, is doing the London marathon this year.

● Alice, who has worked in Brussels and London ever since leaving
Edinburgh, will be starting a teaching course in the autumn.
Relative Pronouns

Referring to a Referring to Possessive

human something other
than a human

Defining who, whom, that which, that whose

Non-defining who, whom which whose

(with commas)

This chart is very useful to clearly understand what a Relative clause is.

Relative pronoun Used for Example

who /whom / Subject or object pronoun That's the woman who

that* for people. bought my house.

which / that Subject or object pronoun The horse which Mary was
for animals or things. riding was very friendly and
beautiful.

where Refers to a place. We found the wood where

I used to go.

when Refers to a time expression. I will never forget the day

when I graduated.

whose Possession for people, The mother whose child is

animals and things. missing is very sad.

Warning:
We can use that instead of who, whom or which in defining relative clauses,
but not in non-defining relative clauses.
We don’t use that to introduce a non-defining relative clause.

I think anyone who* speaks in public is nervous beforehand.

I think anyone that speaks in public is nervous beforehand.

Her car, which was very old, broke down after just five miles.

Not: Her car, that was very old, broke down after just five miles.
Who has two other forms, the object form whom and the possessive form
whose.
● Who and whom are used mainly for people.
○ The musician who wrote this song is Canadian.
○ The witnesses whom I interviewed gave conflicting evidence.
● Whose can be used for people, animals or things:
○ The man whose daughter won the tournament is a tennis coach.
○ A dog whose owner lets it run loose may cause an accident.
○ The tree whose branches shade my kitchen window is an oak.

Which is used for animals in general or things.

● Bridget visited the park with her dog, which likes to chase squirrels.
● Jason bought the top hybrid car, which will help him save on gas.

That can be used for people*, animals or things.

● The car that Jason bought runs on electricity and gas.

● The dog that is chasing the squirrels belongs to Bridget.

In Defining relative clauses , you can omit the relative pronoun only if after it
we found a new Subject. For example:
The witnesses whom I interviewed gave conflicting evidence.
The witnesses whom I interviewed gave conflicting evidence.

In Non-defining relative clauses , you can’t omit the relative pronoun. For
example:
Clare, who I work with, is doing the London marathon this year.

Use of commas:
When the information that follows the relative pronouns is essential to the
sentence, you do not use a comma.
When the information is extra and the sentence is clear without it, you put a
comma before the relative pronoun.
Examples:

● I want to eat at a restaurant where they serve sushi.

● My dog, who loves to play fetch, is a Scottish terrier.
● My dog is a Scottish terrier, which is a friendly breed.