Grammar
Important
What is a relative clause?
A relative clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a noun. Since they always refer to antecedents that are nouns, it is important to remember that relative clauses are placed immediately after the noun they modify. E.g.:
1. That is the building which Paco wished to visit in Sidney.
2. Arthur Phillip, who was a commodore, arrived in Sidney in 1788.
In sentence 1 above, "which Paco wished to visit in Sidney" is a relative clause that modifies the noun "building". In sentence 2, the relative clause is "who was a commodore", and it modifies the proper noun "Arthur Phillip".
Relative Clauses
Relative clauses are used to provide information about something or someone the speaker is talking about. By combining sentences with a relative clause, your expression becomes more fluent and you can avoid repeating certain words.
For example, in the sentences: "The man is a policeman". "He was running in the park". We need the second sentence to understand who we are talking about: The man (but what man?) = he was running in the park. That man is a policeman.
You need the sentence: "he was running in the park" to define the noun or to restrict the reference of the noun (the man). This is the antecedent of the relative clause (that is, the noun that is modified by it)
- How to Form Relative Clauses
Relative clauses come after nouns and modify them. They tell the listener or reader more about the person or thing that the noun refers to. To combine these two sentences we usually need a relative pronoun ( that, which, who, whom, whose, where, when) For example:
I know a woman who can speak several languaes
The book which was on the shelf is very interesting.
That's the place where we went on our honeymoon.
Sara is the girl whose brother lives in India
The teacher arrived late, which made the students angry
Sally is the girl to whom they offered that job
It was the time when I was working in London
Identify the headword
Read these relative clauses and identify the headword(s)
1. You can go back to your hotel where you can relax a little
2. The job which he refused wasn't very interesting
3. Do you remember the day when we got married?
4. Martha, who was at the concert, can tell us what happened
5. I saw a film last Saturday which has a terrible ending
6. He couldn't read, which surprised me
7. He wore a mask which made him look like Mickey Mouse
8. My father, whom I helped to install his computer, always forgets his password
Types of relative clauses
They can be divided into two types: defining and non-defining
- Defining relative clauses are those giving detailed information, defining a general term or expression. They identify the person, thing or place that the speaker is talking about. Defining relative clauses are not put in commas.
The man who wants to buy my house is coming to see me
We threw out the computer which never worked properly
The film is about a spy whose wife kills him
We visited the town where I was born
PRONOUNS AND ADVERBS USED IN DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
| Person | Thing | Place | Time | Reason | |
| Subject | who/that | which/that | |||
| Object | who/whom/that/ø | which/that/ø | where* |
when* |
why* |
| Possessive | whose | whose |
Who / whom / that are used for people: What was the name of the man who lent you the money?
Which / that are used for things: The car that/which won the race is now for sale.
Whose is used to identify possession: A widow is a woman whose husband has died.
Where, when and why are relative adverbs.They replace the more formal structure of preposition + which in a relative clause:
This is the place where we used to eat / which we used to eat
in. (where = at/in which)
I remember the day when we first met. (when = on which)
Tell me (the reason) why you were late home.
(why = for which, but could replace the whole phrase 'the reason for which')
IMPORTANT
- Who, whom and which can be replaced by that. This is very common in spoken English.
- Whom is the object pronoun for people but we colloquially prefer who, or we can omit the pronoun completely :
The doctor whom/who/that/ø I was hoping to see wasn't on duty.
It is very formal and is only used in written English.
Omission of the relative pronoun
In defining relative clauses the relative pronoun can be omitted (ø) when it is the object of the clause:
The boy [that/who I met last night] was very attractive → That is the relative pronoun but it is not the subject of the relative clause (which is I), so it can be dropped:
The boy I met last night was very attractive
Both of these sentences are correct, though the second one is more common in spoken English. Let's see more examples:
Have you found the keys that you lost? → Have you found the keys you lost?
The man that the police arrested has been accused of murder → The man the police arrested has been accused of murder
2. The computer I bought yesterday has got a fault.
3. That's the woman I was telling you about
4. That's the new group singer is a millionaire.
5. That's the bus I saw in an accident yesterday.
6. We didn't like the new secretary the agency sent.
7. I remember those days we were so happy.
8. Which is the book I gave you for your birthday?
9. Here
is the pen
you lost yesterday.
10. They've sold the bakery I used to go shopping.
11. The person you saw must be the secretary.
12. I bought a flat was advertised in the local newspaper.