RELATIVE CLAUSES (Adjective Clauses) 📘SIFAT CÜMLECİKLERİ –
ÖNÜNDEKİ İSMİ TANIMLAR
Objective:
To describe a noun using who, which, that, whose, where, and when.
1. What is a Relative Clause? 🤔
A relative clause gives extra information about a noun.
Example:
I saw a man. He was crying. → I saw a man who was crying.
“who was crying” gives more information about “a man”.
2. Relative Pronouns & Relative Words 🧩
WHO → for people 👤
WHICH → for things, objects, animals in general 📘
THAT → for people & things (so “that” can also be used as for “who” and “that”)
WHOSE → for possession (sahiplik bildirir –boşluktan sonrasına bakılmalıdır)
WHERE → for places 📍
WHEN → for time ⏰
3. WHO (for people) 👤
She is the teacher who helped me. (She is the teacher. She helped me.)
The boy who lives next door is friendly. (The boy is friendly. He lives next door.)
“who” replaces a person.
4. WHICH (for things) 📘
This is the book which changed my life.
The car which is outside is mine.
5. THAT (for people and things)
The movie that/which we watched was interesting.
The girl that/who won the prize is very smart.
“That” is very common in daily English.
6. WHOSE (for possession) 👜 boşluktan sonra sahiplik bildiren bir isim var mı, bakılmalı
The girl whose phone was stolen is crying.
I met a man whose brother is a pilot.
“whose” shows possession (like his/her).
7. WHERE (for places) 📍
We use “where” to describe a place.
This is the school where I studied.
That is the restaurant where we had dinner.
“where” = in/at which
Example: This is the school where I studied. (informal – daily English)
= This is the school at which I studied. (formal)
8. WHEN (for time) ⏰
We use “when” to describe time.
I remember the day when we first met.
That was the year when I moved to Van.
“when” = in which
Example:
I remember the day when we met.
= I remember the day on which we met. (formal)
9. Subject and Object Relative Clauses
Subject relative clause:
The woman who lives here is a doctor.
Object relative clause:
The book (that) I bought is interesting.
In object clauses, we can remove “that” or “which”.
The book I bought is interesting.
10. Defining Relative Clauses
They give important information.
No commas are used.
Students who study hard succeed.
11. Non-Defining Relative Clauses
They give extra information.
Commas are used.
My brother, who lives in London, is a doctor.
Important:
We do NOT use “that” in non-defining clauses.
More Examples ✨
I have a friend who speaks Spanish.
That is the house where I grew up.
I remember the day when we met.
The student whose project won the prize is very happy.
The company that makes smartphones is very successful.
Quick Practice 📝
Combine the sentences:
1. I visited a city. It is very beautiful.
→ I visited a city which is very beautiful.
2. This is the café. We met there.
→ This is the café where we met.
3. I remember the day. We first talked then.
→ I remember the day when we first talked.
4. I know a man. His son is a doctor.
→ I know a man whose son is a doctor.
Summary 🧠
Who → people 👤
Which → things 📘
That → people & things
Whose → possession 👜
Where → places 📍
When → time ⏰
Relative clauses help us combine sentences and make our English clearer and more natural.
📘 WORKSHEET
RELATIVE CLAUSES
Name: Beren Derya ODABAŞ
Date: 25/02/2026
Part A – Fill in the Blanks
Choose the correct relative pronoun: who, whom, which, that, whose
1. The woman ______ lives next door is very kind.
2. The book ______ I bought yesterday is fascinating.
3. The boy ______ father is a doctor won the prize.
4. The movie ______ we watched last night was terrible.
5. The teacher ______ helped me pass the exam is amazing.
6. The company ______ produces electric cars is expanding rapidly.
7. The girl ______ I met at the party is from Spain.
8. The house ______ roof was damaged needs repair.
Part B – Multiple Choice
Choose the correct answer.
1. The man _____ car was stolen called the police.
a) who
b) which
c) whose
d) whom
2. The restaurant _____ we had dinner was very expensive.
a) who
b) that
c) whose
d) whom
3. My sister, _____ lives in Paris, is coming to visit us.
a) that
b) who
c) whose
d) which
4. The students _____ study regularly usually succeed.
a) whom
b) whose
c) who
d) which
5. The laptop _____ I bought is already broken.
a) who
b) which
c) whose
d) whom
Part C – Combine the Sentences
Join the sentences using a relative clause.
1. I met a woman. She can speak five languages.
→ ___________________________________________
2. That is the house. It was built in 1850.
→ ___________________________________________
3. I have a friend. His brother is an engineer.
→ ___________________________________________
4. We watched a film. It was very inspiring.
→ ___________________________________________
5. She works for a company. The company makes smartphones.
→ ___________________________________________
Part D – Defining or Non-Defining?
Add commas where necessary.
1. My uncle who lives in Canada is visiting us.
2. The car which I bought last year is very reliable.
3. Mr. Brown who teaches mathematics is very strict.
4. My best friend who moved to London last year is studying medicine.
Part E – Advanced (Reduction)
Rewrite the sentences using reduced relative clauses.
1. The students who study hard will succeed.
→ ___________________________________________
2. The car which was stolen yesterday was very expensive.
→ ___________________________________________
3. The people who are waiting outside are getting impatient.
→ ___________________________________________
Optional Challenge (YDT Style)
Choose the best option.
1. The theory, _____ was first proposed in the 19th century, remains influential today.
a) that
b) who
c) which
d) whose
2. The scientist _____ research changed modern medicine won the award.
a) who
b) whose
c) which
d) whom