Relative Clauses

A relative clause is a type of clause that describes a noun.

↓ relative clause

This is the book that I bought last week.

My son, who is tall, lives abroad.

Relative clauses are "relative" because they "relate" to the noun that they modify.

A relative clause typically begins with a relative pronoun, which connects the clause to the
noun it describes. The most common relative pronouns are:

 who
 which
 that
 whose
 whom

Types of relative clause

There are two types of relative clause:

1. defining relative clause

2. non-defining relative clause
1. Defining relative clauses

A defining relative clause gives essential information about the noun. It defines the noun
exactly. If we remove a defining relative clause, the sentence becomes meaningless or
even untrue. Look at this example:

 The book that you lent me is amazing.

o In this sentence, the clause "that you lent me" defines which book is being
talked about. Without it, we don't know which book is meant:
The book is amazing. ❌ What book?

2. Non-defining relative clauses

A non-defining relative clause gives non-essential information about the noun. If we

remove a non-defining relative clause, the sentence still makes sense.

Look at this example:

 My sister, who lives in Paris, is visiting us next week.

o The clause "who lives in Paris" adds extra information about my sister, but the
information is not necessary to understand the main idea of the sentence:
My sister is visiting us next week. ✅

Defining vs non-defining relative clauses

Notice that we separate non-defining relative clauses with commas.

Compare defining and non-defining relative clauses in the table below:
Here are two more examples:

 The Class A students who study every day are doing well in their exams.
This sentence has a defining relative clause. There are no commas. The sentence tells
us that only some Class A students are doing well — those who study every day.
 The Class A students, who study every day, are doing well in their exams.
This sentence has a non-defining relative clause, separated by commas. The
sentence suggests that all Class A students are doing well.

Relative pronouns

Relative pronouns link the relative clause to the noun. Here's how we use them:

1. who: for people

o The woman who helped me was very kind.
2. which: for things, animals or ideas
o The car which is parked outside is mine.
3. that: for people or things in defining relative clauses only
o The person that came was helpful.
o The movie that we watched was fantastic.
Note: that is often interchangeable with "who" or "which", but cannot be used in
non-defining relative clauses.
4. whose: shows possession
o The student whose book was lost found it later.
5. whom: for people as object (mainly in formal language), often after a preposition
o The man whom I met yesterday is my teacher.
o The woman to whom I was speaking is my doctor.
Omitting the relative pronoun

In informal English, we often omit (leave out) the relative pronoun when it is the object of
the relative clause. (However, we cannot omit the relative pronoun if it is the subject). See
these examples:

1. Omitting the relative pronoun (when it is the object):

o example (with relative pronoun): The book which/that I’m reading is
interesting. ✅
o example (without relative pronoun): The book I’m reading is interesting. ✅
2. Not omitting the relative pronoun (when it is the subject):
o example: The woman who lives next door is friendly. ✅

Relative clauses with prepositions

In formal language, prepositions (with, by, about, to etc.) often appear at the beginning of
a relative clause. In spoken English, however, the preposition is typically placed at the end
of the relative clause.

 formal: The person to whom I spoke was very helpful.

 informal: The person who I spoke to was very helpful.

Both versions are "correct", but the informal version is more common in spoken, everyday
conversation.

Examples of relative clauses

1. Defining relative clause:
The students who study hard usually get good grades.
o Here, "who study hard" tells us more about the students, specifying which
students we are talking about.
2. Non-defining relative clause:
The Eiffel Tower, which is in Paris, is a famous landmark.
o Here, "which is in Paris" adds extra information about the Eiffel Tower, but it’s
not needed to identify the Eiffel Tower. It is set off with commas.
Below are 20 example sentences that mix relative pronouns (who, which, that, whose,
whom) and include both defining and non-defining relative clauses.

Defining relative clauses (no parenthesis)

1. The woman who works at the cafe is very friendly.
2. The book that you lent me was amazing.
3. The car that is parked outside belongs to my brother.
4. The students who study every day get high marks.
5. The house that they bought is in the countryside.
6. The teacher who teaches maths is very strict.
7. The movie that we watched last night was scary.
8. The athlete who won the race is Thai.
9. The dog that is barking loudly belongs to my neighbour.
10. The restaurant that serves Italian food is very popular.

Non-defining relative clauses (with parenthesis)

Note that these examples display three types of parenthesis: commas , xxx, / dashes —
xxx— / brackets (xxx).

11. My grandmother — who lives in New York — is visiting us next week.

12. The Eiffel Tower, which is in Paris, attracts millions of tourists every year.
13. Mark, who is my best friend, is moving to Canada next month.
14. Sarah, whose brother is a famous musician, loves singing.
15. The computer (which I bought last week) is already broken.
16. My car, which is quite old, still runs perfectly.
17. The film — which was directed by Steven Spielberg — won several awards.
18. Our neighbor, who is a doctor, helped me when I was sick.
19. This painting, which was created in the 19th century, is very valuable.
20. The hotel (which is near the beach) has great reviews.
You can use relative clauses in different formats, including statements with a phrase like
"Here are the..." and in questions. Let's explore both these formats with examples that
incorporate relative clauses:

1. Sentences starting with "Here are..." (or similar structures)

These types of structures often introduce or present something, followed by

a defining relative clause that specifies the "thing".

1. Here are the books that I borrowed from the library.

2. Here is the laptop which I use for work.
3. Here are the flowers that I planted in the garden.
4. These are the students who scored the highest in the test.
5. Here is the painting which you admired yesterday.
6. These are the cookies that I baked for the party.
7. Here are the instructions that you need to follow.
8. These are the tools that I use for gardening.

2. Questions with relative clauses

In questions, relative clauses are typically defining, often using relative pronouns
like who, which or whose:

9. Who was the person who called me earlier?

10. Which book is the one that you recommended to me?
11. Whose car is the one that is parked in front of my house?
12. Who is the author whose book was published last week?
13. What is the movie which you watched last night?
14. Where is the restaurant that serves the best sushi in town?
15. Who is the teacher whose class you missed?
16. Which one of the paintings that we saw at the gallery do you like the most?
17. Why is it the book that you like the most?
18. How did you find the recipe that you used for the cake?
19. What is the phone number that I should call for more information?
20. Where are the keys that I left on the table?
Summary

We can say that:

 a relative clause is always a dependent clause

 a relative clause "relates" to and describes a noun in the independent clause
 a defining relative clause "defines" the noun with precise, essential
information (no commas)
 a non-defining relative clause simply adds non-essential information about the
noun (with commas)
 common relative pronouns include who, which, that, whose and whom
 we can use the relative pronoun that for people OR things, but we don't use it in a
non-defining relative clause
 we can sometimes omit the relative pronoun if it is the object of the relative
clause
 B1 Relative Clauses RC001

Complete the sentences with relative pronouns from the box.

THAT – WHEN - WHERE – WHICH - WHO – WHOM - WHOSE – WHY

1. Is he the person _______________ lives with you?

2. The man, _______________ wife is a famous violinist, can play the piano himself.

3. The Johnson family, _______________ son moved to the U.K., lives in Canada.

4. The man called his wife, _______________ picked up the phone.

5. Can you tell me about the policeman, _______________ you spoke with this morning?

6. The bad weather is the reason _______________ I didn’t come to practice yesterday.

7. Food _______________ is imported from other countries is often more expensive than local
food.

8. I know a great restaurant _______________ we can get good food.

9. The policeman talked to the children _______________ mothers were waiting outside.

10. I helped the old lady _______________ books fell on the floor.

11. Do you know _______________ there are no elephants in South America?

12. My parents remember the time _______________ there was no internet.

13. The cake _______________ my mother made tasted really great.

14. The fireman rescued the girl _______________ was trapped on the third floor.

15. The woman _______________ dog barks all the time lives together with her daughter.

16. I often visit my grandparents, _______________ live a few blocks down the street.

17. Avatar, _______________ we saw a few days ago, won several Oscars.

18. My dad knows a man _______________ brother works in the White House.

19. I visited one of my uncles, _______________ lives on the other side of town.

20. The office is a place _______________ I can do my work without being disturbed.

21. Give this medicine to the parents _______________ child is ill.

22. Most of the people _______________ she met were asylum seekers.

23. My classmate, _______________ studied hard for the test, failed.

24. There is the cafeteria _______________ we can have lunch.

25. The man _______________ sold me the car is my neighbour.

 B1 Relative Clauses RC002

Combine the TWO sentences to ONE, using a relative pronoun.

1. We talked about the party. Sarah wants to organize it for my birthday.

___________________________________________________________________________________________ .

2. Mrs Flowers has paintings in her house. They are worth over $10,000.
_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

3. The couple lives next to us. Their daughter has two charming boys.
_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

4. This is the house. I had my first party here.

_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

5. Jerry received a bad mark on his essay. It was only one page long.
_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

6. Ingrid went to see the doctor yesterday. He is a friend of hers.

_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

7. Mr Reynolds had to do all the work himself. His secretary left a few days ago.
_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

8. The boy took the photograph. He gave it to his mother.

_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

9. That is the man. I met him at Alice’s party.

_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

10. The boy smiled. Elena gave him some money.

_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

11. Steven is an architect. His designs have won many awards.

_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

12. Decorating is a difficult job. I hate it.

_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

13. Christmas is a day. People are happy.

_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

14. We went to the restaurant. We had met there before.

_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

15. The woman called yesterday. She wants to buy the house.
_______________________________________________________________________________________ .
 B1 Relative Clauses RC003

Combine the TWO sentences to ONE, using a relative pronoun.

1. The police arrested the man. He murdered his wife.

___________________________________________________________________________________________ .

2. I can't remember the name of the street. I lost my passport there.

___________________________________________________________________________________________ .

3. Where are the shoes? I bought them yesterday.

___________________________________________________________________________________________ .

4. The book is very interesting. I borrowed it from the library.

___________________________________________________________________________________________ .

5. I'll never forget the day. I got my first bike on that day.
___________________________________________________________________________________________ .

6. This is the man. His dog bit me.

_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

7. The pupils missed the test. They came late.

___________________________________________________________________________________________ .

8. This is my boyfriend. His father works at Macy's.

___________________________________________________________________________________________ .

9. That man is a politician. I forgot his name.

___________________________________________________________________________________________ .

10. I'll show you the church. I got married there.

___________________________________________________________________________________________ .

11. The actor is very famous. I met him a few days ago.
_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

12. I have a new camera. I bought it last week.

_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

13. I passed the entrance test. That is quite difficult to do.

_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

14. My friend invited many people. His house is huge.

_______________________________________________________________________________________ .

15. John belongs to a group of people. They send food packages to Africa.
_______________________________________________________________________________________ .