MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN, CULTURA, CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA

INSTITUTO DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR “Juan Mantovani”

PROVINCIA DEL CHACO

Language and Grammar of the Foreign Language I

CLASS: Relative Clauses
TEACHER: Roman, Norma

Relative clauses
Relative clauses are used to give additional information about a noun, such as a person, place or thing.

Relative clauses are introduced by:

relative pronouns:

who for people

that and which for things

whose to show possession

whom object pronoun for people, especially in non-defining relative clauses (in defining relative clauses we
colloquially prefer who)

relative adverbs:
 when (meaning “in/on/ or which”) for time- refers to a time expression
 where (meaning “in/at or which”) for places
 why (meaning “for which”) refers to a reason

Relative clauses belong to one of two categories: defining relative clauses and non-defining relative
clauses.

1. Defining relative clauses add essential information to a sentence.

E.g.:

The woman who found my wallet handed it in to reception.

The student whose dog has run away, has gone to look for it.

I remember the day when we first met.

These are the earrings that my mother gave me.

 MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN, CULTURA, CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA
INSTITUTO DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR “Juan Mantovani”
PROVINCIA DEL CHACO

These clauses give essential information about the subject of the sentence. They
define the person, time or thing that we are talking about. If we remove the clause, the sentence does
not make sense.

Form
Defining relative clauses are made with noun + relative pronoun + rest of the clause.

E.g.:
A kangaroo is an animal which lives in Australia.
Noun Relative pronoun

The man who came for lunch was my uncle.

Noun Relative pronoun

Winter is a time when it sometimes snows.

Noun Relative pronoun

2. Non-defining relative clauses add extra information to a noun or noun phrase.

E.g.:

My friend’s birthday, which was last weekend, was great fun.

which was last weekend: this information is not essential for the understanding of the sentence: if we
remove this information from the sentence this makes sense as it is shown in the example below:

 My friend’s birthday, which was last weekend, was great fun. (we add information we don’t
need to understand the sentence)
 My friend’s birthday was great fun. (we remove the extra information and the sentence makes
sense)

 My current girlfriend, who I love very much, calls me every night.

 My current girlfriend calls me every night.

**This type of clause is more common in written English.

 MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN, CULTURA, CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA
INSTITUTO DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR “Juan Mantovani”
PROVINCIA DEL CHACO

** Non-defining relative clauses are made in the same way. An important

difference, however, between both types of clause is the use of punctuation.

**With non-defining relative clauses, we separate the clause with commas. We cannot use THAT in
this type of clause.

E.g.:

My favorite food, which used to be Italian, is now Japanese.

Rachel, who we met yesterday, lives in this neighborhood.

My car, which I bought seven years ago, needs replacing

Note: replacing the relative pronoun

In informal communication, relative pronouns, such as who and when, commonly replaced
with that in defining relative clauses.

The woman that called last night was very polite. (we use THAT instead of WHO)

Do you remember the time that you first met? (we use THAT instead of WHEN)

Note: leaving out the relative pronoun

When using defining relative clauses in informal speech and writing, the relative pronoun can be left
out completely if it refers to the object of the relative clause.

E.g.:

This is the shirt that I bought.

This is the shirt I bought.

The girl who I like isn’t here yet.

The girl I like isn’t here yet.

In non-defining relative clauses, the relative pronoun cannot be left out.

 MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN, CULTURA, CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA
INSTITUTO DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR “Juan Mantovani”
PROVINCIA DEL CHACO

Note: spoken English

The relative pronoun who is used when referring to people. However, in formal written and spoken
English, if the pronoun refers to the object of the clause, we use whom instead.

My German teacher, whom I really admired, retired last year.

The woman whom I called this morning was my secretary.

Subject Pronoun or Object Pronoun?

Subject and object pronouns cannot be distinguished by their forms - who, which, that are used
for subject and object pronouns. You can, however, distinguish them as follows:

If the relative pronoun is followed by a verb, the relative pronoun is a subject pronoun.
Subject pronouns must always be used.
E.g.:
The apple which is lying on the table
Relative pronoun VERB

the relative pronoun is not followed by a verb (but by a noun or pronoun), the relative
pronoun is an object pronoun. Object pronouns can be dropped in defining relative clauses,
which are then called Contact Clauses.
E.g.:

The apple (which) George lay on the table

RELATIVE PRONOUN NOUN

Activities:

a) Make one sentence from the two short ones. The sentence in italics should become the
relative clause. The relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause.

1. She worked for a man. The man used to be an athlete.

_______________________________________________________________
2. They called a lawyer. The lawyer lived nearby.
_______________________________________________________________
3. I sent an email to my brother. My brother lives in Australia.
_______________________________________________________________
4. The customer liked the waitress. The waitress was very friendly.
_______________________________________________________________
5. We broke the computer. The computer belonged to my father.
_______________________________________________________________
6. I dropped a glass. The glass was new.
 MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN, CULTURA, CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA
INSTITUTO DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR “Juan Mantovani”
PROVINCIA DEL CHACO

_______________________________________________________________
7. She loves books. The books have happy endings.
_______________________________________________________________
8. They live in a city. The city is in the north of England.
_______________________________________________________________
9. The man is in the garden. The man is wearing a blue jumper.
_______________________________________________________________
10. The girl works in a bank. The girl is from India.
_______________________________________________________________
11. My sister has three children. My sister lives in Australia.
_______________________________________________________________
12. The waiter was rude. The waiter was wearing a blue shirt.
_______________________________________________________________
13. The money is in the kitchen. The money belongs to John.
_______________________________________________________________
14. The table got broken. The table was my grandmother’s.
_______________________________________________________________
15. The television was stolen. The television was bought 20 years ago.
_______________________________________________________________
16. The fruit is on the table. The fruit isn’t fresh.
_______________________________________________________________

b) Make a new sentence by joining the two short sentences. The sentence in italics should
become the relative clause, and the relative pronoun is the object.

1. We ate the fruit. I bought the fruit.

_______________________________________________________________
2. She bought the computer. Her brother had recommended the computer.
_______________________________________________________________
3. He lost the money. I had given him the money.
_______________________________________________________________
4. We called the taxi company. Julie often uses the taxi company.
_______________________________________________________________
5. John met a girl. I used to employ the girl.
_______________________________________________________________
6. Lucy called the doctor. My mother knows the doctor.
_______________________________________________________________
7. He brought a woman. I used to often meet the woman .
_______________________________________________________________
8. We employed the lawyer. Julie recommended the lawyer.
_______________________________________________________________
9. The fruit is on the table. I bought the fruit.
_______________________________________________________________
10. The wallet belongs to John. Lucy found the wallet in the garden.
 MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN, CULTURA, CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA
INSTITUTO DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR “Juan Mantovani”
PROVINCIA DEL CHACO

_______________________________________________________________
11. The food was delicious. David cooked the food.
_______________________________________________________________
12. The car was stolen. My father gave me the car.
_______________________________________________________________
13. The man was arrested. I reported the man to the police.
_______________________________________________________________
14. The doctor was right. Lucy asked the doctor about her problem.
_______________________________________________________________
15. The waitress was very pretty. My brother dated the waitress.
_______________________________________________________________
16. The secretary is in the office. The boss likes the secretary.
_______________________________________________________________

c) Make one sentence by changing the sentence in italics into a defining relative clause. The
relative pronoun can be the subject or the object of the relative clause.

1. They found the money. I dropped the money.

_______________________________________________________________
2. I broke the plate. The plate was a wedding present.
_______________________________________________________________
3. The police arrested the man. I saw the man steal a handbag.
_______________________________________________________________
4. The Queen fired the chef. We had met the chef.
_______________________________________________________________
5. She wrote to her friend. Her friend lives in Vietnam.
_______________________________________________________________
6. Jill ate the sandwich. The sandwich had tomato and cheese inside.
_______________________________________________________________
7. His friend lives in Scotland. His friend is a lawyer.
_______________________________________________________________
8. We called the secretary. I went to school with the secretary.
_______________________________________________________________
9. The CD is in my bag. The CD has Spanish music.
_______________________________________________________________
10. The book is very interesting. The book is about Japanese culture.
_______________________________________________________________
11. The bag was stolen. I bought the bag yesterday.
_______________________________________________________________
12. He likes films. The films come from Asia.
_______________________________________________________________
13. My nephew broke the plate. I received the plate as a present.
_______________________________________________________________
14. The chocolate was very old. We bought the chocolate last week.
_______________________________________________________________
 MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN, CULTURA, CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA
INSTITUTO DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR “Juan Mantovani”
PROVINCIA DEL CHACO

15. The TV programme was very funny. Lucy recommended the TV

programme.
_______________________________________________________________
16. The girl is on TV tonight. I met the girl yesterday.
_______________________________________________________________

d) Make one sentence by changing the sentence in italics into a defining relative clause. The
relative pronoun can be the subject or the object of the relative clause.

1. The man was late. Julie invited the man.

_______________________________________________________________
2. The doctor was sick. I wanted to see the doctor.
_______________________________________________________________
3. The accountant was arrested. The accountant works for my father’s company.
_______________________________________________________________
4. I wrote to the friend. You met the friend last week.
_______________________________________________________________
5. The mobile phone can’t be fixed. The mobile phone is broken.
_______________________________________________________________
6. John made a copy of the photo. I took the photo.
_______________________________________________________________
7. I met a girl. The girl was a doctor.
_______________________________________________________________
8. We called a doctor. The doctor works at a hospital in London.
_______________________________________________________________
9. We like the actor. The actor was in a famous film.
_______________________________________________________________
10. I went to the restaurant. I read about the restaurant in the newspaper.
_______________________________________________________________
11. She bought a car. Her sister liked the car.
_______________________________________________________________
12. I often buy cheese. The cheese is imported from Paris.
_______________________________________________________________
13. The hairdresser was very good. The hairdresser has red hair.
_______________________________________________________________
14. The child is playing in the garden. We see the child often.
_______________________________________________________________

15. The nurse is in the office. The nurse treated my grandmother.

_______________________________________________________________
16. The car is in the garage. The car broke down.
 MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN, CULTURA, CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA
INSTITUTO DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR “Juan Mantovani”
PROVINCIA DEL CHACO

e) Combine the sentences using a relative clause. Use relative pronouns only where
necessary. Note that you have to use commas in some of the sentences.

A holiday in Scotland
1-We spent our holiday in Scotland last year. Scotland is in the north of Great Britain.
Last year _____________________________________________________
2-People live in Scotland. They are called Scots.
The people ____________________________________________________
3- We first went to Edinburgh. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland.
We first ____________________________________________________
4- Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh. He wrote the Sherlock Holmes stories.
Arthur Conan Doyle_______________________________________________
5- Then we visited a lake. It is in the Highlands.
The lake ____________________________________________________
6- Loch Ness is 37 km long. People know it for its friendly monster.
Loch Ness ____________________________________________________
7- There we met an old man. He told us that he had seen Nessie.
An old man ____________________________________________________
8- We then travelled to a mountain. The mountain is near the town of Fort William.
We then ____________________________________________________
9- The mountain is the highest mountain in Great Britain. It is called Ben Nevis.
The mountain____________________________________________________
10- I sent you a postcard. It was written on the summit of Ben Nevis.
The postcard ____________________________________________________

Reduced relative clauses

Reduced relative clauses refer to the shortening of a relative clause which modifies the
subject of a sentence. Reduced relative clauses modify the subject and not the object of
a sentence.

Much like adjectives, relative clauses, also known as adjective clauses, modify nouns.

E.g.:

1- The man who works at Costco lives in Seattle.

 MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN, CULTURA, CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA
INSTITUTO DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR “Juan Mantovani”
PROVINCIA DEL CHACO

The phrase "who works at Costco" modifies—or provides information

about—the "man” and who is the subject of the sentence.

Using a reduced relative clause, we can reduce the sentence to:

The man working at Costco lives in Seattle.

2- I gave a book, which was written by Hemingway, to Mary last week.

In this second sentence, "which was written by Hemingway" modifies the object "book."

This sentence cannot be reduced because the relative clause "which was written by
Hemingway" modifies an object of the verb "give."

Types of Reduced Relative Clauses

Relative clauses can also be reduced to shorter forms if the relative clause modifies the
subject of a sentence. Relative clause reduction refers to removing a relative pronoun to
reduce:

An adjective

Example: person who was happy= happy person

An adjective phrase

Example: man who was responsible for=man responsible for

A prepositional phrase

Example: boxes that are under the counter= boxes under the counter

A past participle

Example: student that was elected president= student elected president

A present participle

people who are working on the report=people working on the report

 MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN, CULTURA, CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA
INSTITUTO DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR “Juan Mantovani”
PROVINCIA DEL CHACO

Reduce to an Adjective
1. Remove the relative pronoun.
2. Remove the verb (usually "be," but also "seem," "appear," etc.).
3. Place the adjective used in the relative clause before the modified noun.

Examples:

The children who were happy played until nine in the evening.

Relative pronoun Adjective

Verb to be

Reduced relative clause: The happy children played until nine in the
evening.

The house, which was beautiful, was sold for $300,000.

Reduced relative clause: The beautiful house was sold for $300,000.

Reduce to an Adjective Phrase

1. Remove the relative pronoun.
2. Remove the verb (usually "be," but also "seem," "appear," etc.).
3. Place the adjective phrase after the modified noun.

Examples:

The product, which seemed perfect in many ways, failed to succeed in the market.

Relative pronoun adjective phrase

Verb

Reduced relative clause: The product, perfect in many ways, failed to

succeed in the market.
 MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN, CULTURA, CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA
INSTITUTO DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR “Juan Mantovani”
PROVINCIA DEL CHACO

The boy who was pleased by his grades went out with his friends to celebrate.

Reduced relative clause: The boy, pleased by his grades, went out with his friends
to celebrate.

Reduce to a Prepositional Phrase

1. Remove the relative pronoun.
2. Remove the verb "be."
3. Place the prepositional phrase after the modified noun.

Examples:

The box, which was on the table, was made in Italy.

Relative pronoun prepositional phrase

Verb

Reduced relative clause: The box on the table was made in Italy.

The woman who was at the meeting spoke about business in Europe.

Reduced relative clause: The woman at the meeting spoke about business in
Europe.

Reduce to a Past Participle

1. Remove the relative pronoun.
2. Remove the verb "be."
3. Place the past participle before the modified noun.

Examples:
 MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN, CULTURA, CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA
INSTITUTO DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR “Juan Mantovani”
PROVINCIA DEL CHACO

The desk, which was stained, was antique.

Relative pronoun Past participle

Verb be

Reduced relative clause: The stained desk was antique.

The man who was elected was very popular.

Reduced relative clause: The elected man was very popular.

Reduce to a Past Participle Phrase

1. Remove the relative pronoun.
2. Remove the verb "be."
3. Place the past participle phrase after the modified noun.

Examples:

The car, which was purchased in Seattle, was a vintage Mustang.

Relative pronoun Past participle

Verb

Reduced relative clause: The car purchased in Seattle was a vintage Mustang.

The elephant, which was born in captivity, was set free.

Reduced relative clause: The elephant born in captivity was set free.

Reduce to a Present Participle

1. Remove the relative pronoun.
2. Remove the verb "be."
3. Place the present participle phrase after the modified noun.
 MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN, CULTURA, CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA
INSTITUTO DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR “Juan Mantovani”
PROVINCIA DEL CHACO

Examples:

The professor who is teaching mathematics will leave the university.

Relative pronoun Verb be

Reduced relative clause: The professor teaching mathematics will leave the
university.
present participle

The dog that is lying on the floor won't get up.

Reduced relative clause: The dog lying on the floor won't get up.

Some action verbs reduce to the present participle ("-ing" form) especially when the
present tense is used:

1. Remove the relative pronoun.

2. Change the verb to the present participle form.
3. Place the present participle phrase after the modified noun.

Examples:

The man who lives near my home walks to work every day.

Relative pronoun Verb

Reduced relative clause: The man living near my home walks to work every day.

Present participle

The girl who attends my school lives at the end of the street.

Reduced relative clause: The girl attending my school lives at the end of the street.

NOTE: Sometimes it is possible to reduce relative clauses by removing the relative pronoun
and auxiliary verb, and, in a few cases, by removing the relative pronoun and substituting a
present participle for the main verb.