RELATIVE CLAUSES

A relative clause is a subordinate clause introduced by a relative pronoun or adverb, which gives us information about a noun
( person , thing animal , a place) , which is the antecedent of the relative pronoun.

RELATIVE PRONOUNS: WHO /WHOSE / WHOM / WHICH /THAT

subject of the verb object of the verb possession

(can't be omitted) (can be omitted) (can't be omitted)
PEOPLE WHO / THAT (WHO / WHOM /THAT) WHOSE
She is the teacher who/that came This is the man (who / whom That's the boy whose brother
to our school last week. /that) we saw last Monday. won the prize.
THINGS WHICH / THAT (WHICH / THAT) WHOSE
ANIMALS This is the house which / that Here's the bag (which / that ) That's the bag whose handle is
belongs to my friend. you left on my desk. broken.

RELATIVE ADVERBS : W H E N / W H E R E / W H Y ( c a n ’ t be o m i t t e d )

TIME WHEN (= in/on which) T h a t w a s t h e s u m m er w h e n i t r a i n e d e v er y da y .

PLACE WHERE (= in which) T h a t ' s t h e h o t el w h e r e w e s t a y e d.
RE A S O N WHY (= for which) C a n y o u t el l m e t h e r e a s o n w h y h e l i e d t o m e?

A – DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

A Defining Relative Clause gives necessary information and is essential to the meaning of the main sentence. The clause is not
put in commas.
Ex : The man who came to the party in a black suit is from Britain.
I read the article about teenagers' part-time jobs which was published in the Guardian

 The relative pronouns ( who, which ,that) can be omitted when it is the object of the verb of the relative clause:
Ex: The man (who / whom) you spoke to is my boss.
This is the factory (which) he left last week.
However, if the relative pronoun is the subject of the verb of the relative clause cannot be omitted.
Ex: The girl who was dancing with me is Tom’s girlfriend.

B – NON -DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

 A non- defining Relative Clause gives extra information and is not essential to the meaning of the main sentence. It just adds
some more information. It can be removed from the sentence without altering the main meaning.
 The relative clause is put in commas.
Ex: David Beckan, who played for Real Madrid, is from Britain.
The Buckingham Palace, where the queen Elisabeth II lives, is next to Hyde Park
 In non-defining relative clauses, the relative pronouns cannot be omitted.
 “THAT” cannot be used instead of WHO or WHICH.

C-PREPOSITIONS WITH RELATIVES ( WHOM / WHICH)

We usually avoid using prepositions before relative pronouns. They are only used in very formal English.
Ex: The man to whom we talked at the party is a famous Greek actor (formal English)
The man (who) we talked to at the party is a famous Greek actor.

D- “WHICH” WHEN IT REFERS TO A WHOLE CLAUSE

It is used after a comma, when the antecedent is not a noun but a whole clause.
Ex :He lent me some money , which was very generous of him.

E- “WHAT” INSTEAD OF THAT

What is used with the meaning : the thing(s) which /that.... It has no antecedent.
Ex : I didn’t understand what he said ( the things which/ that he said)

PRACTICE
1. Put in a relative pronoun or adverb and add commas where necessary.

1. John ..................... speaks French and Italian works as a tourist guide.

2. The office ................... I’m using at the moment is very small.
3. We didn’t understand .....................he said at the meeting.
4. The woman with ....................he fell in love left him after a few weeks
5 This morning I met Diane .......................I hadn’t seen for ages.
6. The hotel ...................... Ann recommended to us is a four star hotel.
7. Sidney ............ has a population of more than three million is Australia’s largest city.
8. The woman ..................... dog bit ours lives in front of you.
9. The bag ....................... Julia bought yesterday was not expensive.
10. That is the city ....................... a new shopping centre is being built.
11. John’s flat ......................... is in the same block as mine is much larger.
12, That’s the girl ....................... brother sits next to me at school.
13. My office ....................... is on the second floor of the building is very small.
14. The winner .....................bike was an unusual design won a medal.
15. The waiter by ....................... we were served expected a large tip.
16. This school is only for children ........................first language is not English.
17. The second bus ..........................was full of people didn’t stop either.
18. Mrs Bond is going to spend a few weeks in Sweden ........................ her daughter lives.
19. Sheila couldn’t come to the party ...................... was a pity.
20. The man to....................... I spoke on the phone last night is very interested in our plan.
21. Peter .....................sister works with me has a red sports car.
22. There are some words ......................are very difficult to translate.
23. The person ......................fingerprints are on the gun was the person ...................killed Dr Martin.
24. Joe will never forget the day ....................... he first got his driving licence.
25. The reason ...........................I’m phoning you is to invite you to a party

2. Join the following sentences with a relative pronoun or adverb. Put the relative in brackets if it can be omitted.

1. We often visit our company headquarters. They are only 15 miles away.

2. Ann is one of my closest friends. I have known her for years.

3. They didn't thank us for the help we gave them at work. This was very rude of them.

4. Ann's father works for an international company. It does business with African countries.

5. Our History teacher was late this morning. He comes always on time.

6. Mrs Elliot has gone to see the doctor. Mrs Elliot hasn't been feeling well lately.

7. The boy is paying no attention at all. The teacher is looking at him.

8. The new disco in Main Street is very popular among young people. Everyone is talking about it.

9. The strike at the shipyard is now over. It last 4 days.

10. Our Secretary speaks both English and German fluently. Her mother is German

11. The course gave us a lot of information on time management. I think most of it will be useless.

12. I met a nice girl. Her father is an English teacher.

13. Ted Elliot is telling David about his problems. Ted's wife has left him.

14. Where is the cheese? It was in the fridge.

15. A bus goes to the airport. It runs every half hour.

16. These are the people. I invited them for my party.

17. Foyles is a big bookshop. It sells all kinds of books.

18. Worsworth was a famous English poet. His house was by Windermere Lake.

19. That high yellow building on the corner was recently built. There's a solar panel on its roof.

20. Asturias is the most beautiful region in Spain. I live there

21. We spent our holiday in Scotland last year. Scotland is in the north of Great Britain.

22. I remember the day. I was afraid to use my new computer then.

23. The tornado struck with a great force. It lifted the houses off the ground.

24. The children are playing soccer in the stadium. Do you know them?