Category: Grammar Expansion
Relative Clauses
Relative Clauses
Relative clauses are clauses that give more information about a noun. They are introduced by relative pronouns (who, which, that, whose, whom, where, when).
The man who lives next door is a doctor. ("who lives next door" = relative clause)
Relative Pronouns
| Pronoun | Used For | Example |
|---|---|---|
| who | people (subject) | The girl who is singing is my sister. |
| whom | people (object, formal) | The man whom I met is a doctor. |
| which | things/animals | The book which I read was good. |
| that | people/things | The car that I bought is red. |
| whose | possession | The boy whose bag was stolen is crying. |
| where | places | The house where I live is old. |
| when | time | The day when we met was special. |
Types of Relative Clauses
1. Defining Relative Clauses
Give essential information to identify the noun. No commas used.
- The woman who answered the phone was rude. (Which woman? The one who answered)
- The book that you gave me was interesting.
- Students who work hard succeed.
2. Non-Defining Relative Clauses
Give extra, non-essential information. Commas required. Cannot use "that".
- My mother, who is 60, still works. (We know who - extra info)
- New York, which is in the USA, is a big city.
- My brother, who lives in London, is visiting us.
When Can We Omit Relative Pronouns?
We can omit who/which/that when it's the object of the clause (in defining clauses).
- The book (which/that) I read was good. ✓ (can omit - "I" is subject)
- The man who called is my friend. ✗ (cannot omit - "who" is subject)
More Examples
- The teacher who teaches us is kind.
- The movie which we watched was boring.
- That's the restaurant where we had dinner.
- Do you remember the day when we first met?
- The girl whose father is a doctor is my friend.
- Everything that she said was true.