Unit 7 – Relative clauses

Relative clauses provide us with more

information – essential or just extra. Here’s
an example: Mary lives in the house that has
a red door.
Now let’s look at:
1. The use of defining and non-defining relative clauses, and the different
pronouns.
2. Form: defining relative clauses.
3. Form: non-defining relative clauses.
4. Reduced relative clauses using present and past participles.
The use of defining and
non-defining relative
clauses.

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Use: defining/non-defining relative clauses
Relative clauses give more information about a noun and can sometimes be called
adjective clauses for this reason.
There are two types of relative
$100 $150 $200 clauses: defining and non-defining.
Defining relative clauses give
essential information – if we
remove the information, we can’t
understand the sentence. Non-
defining relative clauses give extra,
non-essential information which is
placed between or after a comma.
I bought this one!

$100 $150 $200 Look at these examples. In one, the

relative clause in necessary (it’s
defining) and in the other, it is not
(non-defining). Match them to the
correct picture.

I bought the cheapest phone

I bought this one! which had a black case.

I bought the cheapest phone,

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 Use: defining/non-defining relative clauses
Relative clauses give more information about a noun and can sometimes be called
adjective clauses for this reason.
pronoun to describe...
$100 $150 $200
Things
Places
I bought the cheapest phone
which had a black case. Reasons
In these examples, the
Times
relative pronoun which is
I bought this one! People used because a phone is a
thing. Now look at these
Possessions relative pronouns and
$100 $150 $200 match them to the type of
nouns they describe.
I bought the cheapest phone,
which had a black case.
Why
Who/whom
Where
When
Whose
Which/that

I bought this one!

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Use: defining/non-defining relative clauses
defining relative clauses non-defining relative clauses

The relative Used to give essential information about a Used to give extra, non-essential information
clause in this noun, necessary to fully understand the between or after commas.
example is sentence.
necessary. $100 $150 $200 $100 $150 $200
The girl Relative clauses,
didn’t buy for example
the cheapest She’s the girl
phone who I work
(because I bought this one! I bought this one! with, give more
that one had information
a white case), about a noun in
but she I bought the cheapest phone which had a I bought the cheapest phone, which had a a sentence.
bought the There are two
black case. black case.
cheapest of types: defining
the two with pronoun to describe... and non-
black cases. defining.
Which/that Things
The relative clause here gives Relative clauses have Where Places
extra information – it’s not different relative
necessary to understand which pronouns depending Why Reasons
phone the girl bought (simply, on the noun being When Times
the cheapest one). described. Look…
Who/whom People Form: Defining
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Whose Possessions
Form: defining relative clauses
Who is the man you He’s my old teacher that is a
were talking to? good friend of my parents.

Oh yes! I remember. He’s the friend

your father went to university Exactly. That’s him.
with.

These two examples also have

Read the conversation
and look at the three
example defining relative
clauses in bold. They give
essential information
about the underlined
nouns. Now answer the
questions.
We usually use the relative
pronoun who when
describing a person. In this
that
conversation, which
pronoun is used instead?
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verbs with dependent
prepositions. Where in the
sentence do these
prepositions go?
In these examples, are the At the
underlined nouns the end.
subject or object of the
relative clause?
There are two examples
1. The man (who/that) The
here in which the relative
you were talking to. object
pronoun has been omitted.
Which examples?
2. The friend (who/that)
your father went….
Form: defining relative clauses
1. The pronouns who, which, why, and when can be replaced with that.

He’s my old teacher who/that is a good friend of my

parents. The relative
pronoun refers to
2. In a relative clause, the pronoun can refer to the subject or object of the clause. Look at the examples:
the OBJECT:
Oh yes! I remember. He’s the friend that He’s my old teacher that is a good (Your father went to
your father went to university with. friend of my parents. university with the
friend)
3. When the relative pronoun refers to the object of the relative clause, it can be omitted.
The relative
He’s my old teacher (that) my father pronoun refers to
went to university with. the SUBJECT:
(My old teacher is a
4. When the verb is followed by a preposition, we usually put the preposition at the end of the relative
good friend of my
clause.
Who is the man that you were parents)
talking to?

5. In formal situations, we can put the preposition before the relative pronoun. If the relative pronoun refers
to a person, however, we must use whom, not who.
Oh yes! I remember. He’s the friend that Who is the man to whom you
your father went to university with. were talking?
Form: Non-defining
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Form: non-defining relative clauses
1. Non-defining relative clauses come between or after a comma.

Stratford upon Avon, which

I went to Mary’s wedding,
is famous because of
which took place in her
Shakespeare, is Mary’s
home town.
home town.

2. You cannot use the relative pronoun that in non-defining relative clauses nor can you omit the pronouns.

3. The pronoun which can be used to refer to a whole sentence.

The meal was at the local

The wedding lasted all day,
community centre, which
which was very tiring.
was really good fun.

With non-defining
relative clauses, it’s
important to consider
the following... Reduced relative
clauses
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reduced relative clauses
The woman working I know. Her new
in the office next to assistant hired last
mine is French. week is from Paris too.

In reduced relative clauses, do

There are two examples of we replace words with the
reduced relative clauses in present or past participle in the
the conversation above. Can active or passive voice?
you find them? Remember,
relative clauses give more
information about a noun.
Active: present
Passive: past
working is a present
1. …working in the hired is a past participle.
participle. Which words
office next to Which words has the
has the participle
mine… participle replaced?
replaced?
2. …hired last week…
who was
who works hired

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reduced relative clauses
Reduced relative clauses have the same meaning as a full relative clause, but are more concise.
Present participle in the active voice
Full relative clause
The woman who works in the office
next to mine is French.
Reduced relative clause
The woman working in the office
next to mine is French.
1. With certain active verbs and in
various tenses (not just the present
simple), we can use a present
participle to reduce a relative clause.
2. In a reduced relative clause, we omit
the relative pronoun (e.g. who,
which) and any auxiliary verb, then
replace the main verb with the
participle.
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Past participle in the passive voice
Full relative clause
Her new assistant who was hired last
week is from Paris too.
Reduced relative clause
I know. Her new assistant hired One way to create a
last week is from Paris too. reduced relative clause is
by omitting words and
replacing them with a
1. Past participles can be used to present or past participle.
reduce relative clauses in many
tenses.
2. We omit the auxiliary verb (which
always includes the verb to be in the
passive voice) to create a reduced
relative clause in the passive voice.
Let’s practise!
 Practice activities
Join the two sentences using relative clauses. When you can, omit the relative pronouns.
Remember to put the non-defining relative clauses between or after a comma.

1. I was invited to Sophie’s engagement meal. It was so lovely of her.

I was invited to Sophie’s engagement meal, which was so lovely of her.
2. That is the boy. He lives in the flat downstairs.
That is the boy who/that lives in the flat downstairs. That is the boy living in the flat downstairs.
3. Here is a photo of my first car. It was green.
Here is a photo of my first car, which was green.
4. I need to talk to the lawyer. You work with her.
I need to talk to the lawyer (who/that) you work with. I need to talk to the lawyer working with you.
5. I want to get a new job. I want to be happy in the job.
I want to get a new job (which/that) I am happy in.
6. That is the dog. Its owner used to be a famous actress. Can you use
reduced relative
That is the dog whose owner used to be a famous actress.
clauses using a
participle in any of
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these examples?
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