📘1. What is a Relative Clause?
A relative clause is a part of a sentence that gives more information about a noun.
👉 It usually comes after the noun it describes.
Example:
The boy who is playing football is my brother.
👉 “who is playing football” = relative clause
👉 It tells us more about “the boy”
2. What is a Relative Pronoun?
A relative pronoun connects the relative clause to the noun.
Common Relative Pronouns:
Pronoun Used for Example
who people (subject) The girl who sings is happy.
whom people (object) The man whom I met is kind.
whose possession The boy whose book is lost is crying.
which things/animals The car which is red is fast.
that people & things The book that I read is interesting.
3. Types of Relative Clauses
3.1 Defining Relative Clause (Important information)
👉 Gives essential information
👉 Without it, the sentence is unclear
👉 No commas (,)
Examples:
The student who studies hard will pass.
The book that you gave me is useful.
3.2 Non-defining Relative Clause (Extra information)
👉 Gives extra (not necessary) information
👉 Uses commas (,)
Examples:
My father, who is a teacher, is very kind.
Addis Ababa, which is the capital of Ethiopia, is large.
Clearing difference between Defining and non- defining relative clauses
Let’s make it very clear using one idea step-by-step.
🧠 Step 1: Start with the BASIC difference
👉 Sentence 1 (Defining)
The book that I borrowed is interesting.
👉 Ask yourself:
Which book?
Answer:
➡️The one I borrowed
✅ So the clause “that I borrowed” helps us identify the book
➡️Without it, we don’t know which book
👉 Sentence 2 (Non-defining)
This book, which I borrowed, is interesting.
👉 Ask yourself:
Which book?
Answer:
➡️Already known → “This book”
✅ So “which I borrowed” is just extra information.
🔍 Step 2: Remove the clause (this is the easiest trick)
Defining:
The book that I borrowed is interesting.
👉 Remove it → “The book is interesting”
❌ Problem: Which book? Not clear!
➡️So the clause is necessary
Non-defining:
This book, which I borrowed, is interesting.
👉 Remove it → “This book is interesting”
✅ Still clear!
➡️So the clause is extra
🎯 Step 3: Think of REAL SITUATIONS
📚 Situation A (Defining)
You are in a library with many books.
You say:
“The book that I borrowed is interesting.”
👉 You are choosing one specific book from many
📚 Situation B (Non-defining)
You are holding one book in your hand.
You say:
“This book, which I borrowed, is interesting.”
👉 Everyone already sees the book
➡️You just add extra detail
⚖️Step 4: Side-by-side comparison
Defining Non-defining
The book that I borrowed is interesting. This book, which I borrowed, is interesting.
We don’t know the book We already know the book
Clause = important Clause = extra
No commas Uses commas
💡 Simple Memory Trick
👉 If the listener asks: “Which one?” → Defining
👉 If the listener already knows → Non-defining
🔥 Final Simple Explanation
Defining clause = helps you identify the noun
Non-defining clause = just adds extra information
4. How to Use Each Relative Pronoun
🔹 4.1 WHO (for people – subject)
The girl who is reading is my sister.
The teacher who teaches us is friendly.
🔹 4.2 WHOM (for people – object)
The boy whom I helped is happy.
The woman whom we met is a doctor.
👉 In spoken English, “whom” is often replaced by “who”
The boy who I helped is happy. ✔
🔹 4.3 WHOSE (possession)
The boy whose bag is lost is crying.
The girl whose father is a doctor is my friend.
🔹 4.4 WHICH (things/animals)
The dog which is barking is mine.
The house which we built is big.
🔹 4.5 THAT (people & things)
The boy that is running is fast.
The pen that I bought is blue.
👉 “That” is very common in everyday English.
5. Omitting the Relative Pronoun
👉 Sometimes we can remove the pronoun (especially with objects)
Examples:
The book that I read → The book I read
The boy whom I saw → The boy I saw
❌ Cannot omit when it is the subject:
The boy who is running ❌ (cannot remove “who”)
6. Important Differences
WHO vs WHICH vs THAT
Use Example
WHO (people) The man who is talking
WHICH (things) The car which is broken
THAT (both) The car that is broken
7. Common Mistakes
❌ The boy which is playing
✔ The boy who is playing
❌ The book who I read
✔ The book that/which I read
❌ The man which car is red
✔ The man whose car is red
8. Practice Examples
Fill in the blanks:
1. The girl ___ is singing is my sister.
2. The book ___ I bought is interesting.
3. The boy ___ father is a teacher is smart.
4. The car ___ is parked outside is mine.