RELATIVE CLAUSES
Defining & Non-Defining
Relative Clause = Relative Pronoun + Clause
pronoun to describe...
who / whom / that People
which / that Things
why / that Reasons
when / that Time
where Places
whose Possessions
DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
1. The pronouns who, which, Relative
Note 1 Note 2
Pronouns
why, and when can be
replaced with that. WHO
can be
can be OMITTED
He’s my old teacher who/that WHICH
replaced (when
is a good friend of my
with there’s
parents. WHY
THAT another
Subject)
WHEN
2. When the relative pronoun
refers to the object of the
relative clause, it can be
omitted.
He’s my old teacher (that) my father went to university with.
O S
DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
3. When the verb is followed by a
Who is the man that you were talking to?
preposition, we usually put the
preposition at the end of the
relative
4. In formal situations, we can put the Who is the man to whom
preposition before the relative you were talking?
×
pronoun. If the relative pronoun
refers to a person, however, we
must use whom, not who. Who is the man to who
you were talking?
NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
1. Non-defining relative clauses
come between or after a Stratford upon Avon, which is
comma. I went to Mary’s wedding, which
famous because of Shakespeare,
took place in her home town.
is Mary’s home town.
2. You CAN NOT use the relative
pronoun that in non-defining Group 3 Group 4
relative clauses nor can you
omit the pronouns.
The meal was at the local
The wedding lasted all day,
community centre, which was really
3. The pronoun which can be used which was very tiring.
good fun.
to refer to a whole sentence.
SUMMARY
Practice makes
progress
Let’s Practice Underline the RC and decide whether they
are Defining / Non-Defining.
1. I made an appointment with a doctor who is an expert on eye disorders. D
2. I made an appointment with [Link], who is an expert on eye disorders. ND
3. Bogota, which is the capital of Colombia, is a cosmopolitan city. ND
4. The city that is the capital of Colombia is a large, cosmopolitan city. D
5. The person who writes the best essay will win a prize.D
6. The first prize was given to Belinda Jones, who wrote a touching essay about
being an adopted child. ND
Underline the RC and decide whether they
Let’s Practice are Defining / Non-Defining.
Add commas where necessary.
, ,
7. Hurricane Katrina which destroyed parts of the New Orleans occured in
2005.
ND
8. Someone who understands physics better than I do is going to help you. D
9. According to the news report, the typhoon that threatened to strike the
Indonesia coast has moved away from land and toward open water. D
,
[Link] 2007 we visited Nairobi which is near several fascinating game reserves. ND
L E T ’ S P RA C T I C E Circle all possible
answers.
L E T ’ S P RA C T I C E Circle all possible
answers.
Relative Clause
Join the sentences with RC.
which STEPS:
x
The book was good. I read it. ✓ Underline the 2nd sentence.
✓ Circle what it’s talking about in
the 1st sentence.
✓ Box the pronoun of the word (that
you circle) in the 2nd sentence.
✓ Decide the RP, and cross the box.
✓ Write until:
The book which I read was good.
Circled + RP + 2nd + 1st
STEPS:
Join the sentences with RC. ✓ Underline the 2 nd sentence.
✓ Circle what it’s talking about in
The scientist has won the Nobel Prize. the 1st sentence.
✓ Box the pronoun of the word
who
xHe discovered a new planet.
(that you circle) in the 2nd
sentence.
✓ Decide the RP, and cross the box.
✓ Write until:
Circled + RP + 2nd + 1st
The scientist who discovered a new planet has won the Nobel Prize.
Let’s Practice Join the sentences using Relative Clause.
STEPS:
1. The man has gone to prison. He shot two policemen. ✓ Underline the 2nd sentence.
The man who/that shot two policemen has gone to prison. ✓ Circle what it’s talking about in
2. The painting was valuable. The thieves stole it. the 1st sentence.
The painting which/that the thieves stole was valuable.
✓ Box the pronoun of the word (that
3. Mrs. Cooper is always very patient. She teaches French.
you circle) in the 2nd sentence.
Mrs. Cooper, who teaches French, is always very patient.
✓ Decide the RP, and cross the box.
4. London was amazing. We spent our holidays there.
London, where we spent our holidays, was amazing.
✓ Write until:
5. A bomb caused a lot of damage. It went off this morning.
Circled + RP + 2nd + 1st
The bomb which/that went off this morning caused a lot of damage.