École normale supérieure de Laghouat Par : Behitila.
Rania
Département de Français
Module : Anglais
Niveau : Troisième année
Relative Pronouns
1. What Are Relative Pronouns?
Relative pronouns are words that introduce relative clauses and connect them to the
main clause of a sentence. They provide more information about a noun mentioned in
the sentence.
Relative Pronouns:
Who (for people)
Whom (formal, for people)
Whose (to show possession)
Which (for things and animals)
That (for people, things, and animals in defining clauses)
Examples:
"The teacher who taught us is very nice."
"The book that I’m reading is interesting."
"I met a girl whose brother is in my class."
2. Defining Relative Clauses
A defining relative clause gives essential information about the noun it modifies.
This information is necessary to identify the noun.
No commas are used in defining relative clauses.
Relative pronouns like who, which, that can be used in defining clauses.
Examples:
"The student who won the prize is my friend."
"I have a book that I want to lend you."
3. Non-defining Relative Clauses
A non-defining relative clause adds extra, non-essential information to a sentence. It
doesn't change the basic meaning of the sentence if removed.
Commas are used to separate non-defining clauses.
Relative pronouns like who, whom, whose, which are used in non-defining
clauses, but that is not used.
Examples:
"My brother, who lives in Paris, is visiting me next week."
"The car, which is very old, still runs perfectly."
4. Relative Pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, that
Who: Refers to people (subject of the relative clause).
Example: "The man who helped me was kind."
Whom: Refers to people (object of the relative clause, formal).
Example: "The person whom I called is not available."
Whose: Shows possession (for people or things).
Example: "The author whose book I read is famous."
Which: Refers to things or animals (subject or object).
Example: "The book which you recommended is great."
That: Can refer to people, things, or animals in defining clauses.
Example: "The movie that we watched was exciting."
5. Omitting the Relative Pronoun (when possible)
In some cases, the relative pronoun can be omitted, especially when it is the object of
the relative clause. However, it cannot be omitted if it's the subject of the clause.
Examples:
"The man (who) I saw was friendly." (Omitting who as the object.)
"The book (that) I borrowed is on the table." (Omitting that as the object.)
Incorrect: "The man (who) went to the store was my friend." (Cannot omit who
here because it is the subject.)
6. Punctuation Rules in Relative Clauses
Defining Relative Clauses: Do not use commas.
Example: "The student who answered the question correctly is very smart."
Non-defining Relative Clauses: Use commas to separate the clause.
Example: "The book, which was published last year, became a bestseller."
7. Combining Sentences with Relative Clauses
You can combine two sentences using relative clauses to make your writing more
concise.
Example 1:
Separate sentences: "I met a teacher. The teacher was very friendly."
Combined with relative clause: "I met a teacher who was very friendly."
Example 2:
Separate sentences: "I read a book. The book was about history."
Combined with relative clause: "I read a book that was about history."
Practice Exercise:
Combine the following pairs of sentences using appropriate relative pronouns:
The woman is my aunt. She is wearing a red dress.
….………………………………………………………………………………………
I met a man. He is from Spain.
….………………………………………………………………………………………
The car is parked outside. It belongs to my friend.
….………………………………………………………………………………………
The teacher is very nice. She teaches English.
….………………………………………………………………………………………
I have a friend. His father works in a hospital.
….………………………………………………………………………………………