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Relative Clauses

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What is a clause?

A subject is a noun or noun phrase.

A predicate tells what the subject is or does. It must have a verb.

A clause is a part of a sentence that contains a subject and a predicate:

That woman is a doctor.

He asked

My father

subjects predicates

knew the time.if I

went to the shops but they were closed.

(one clause)

(two clauses)

(two clauses)

What is a clause?

What is a relative clause?

There are many kinds of clauses.

A relative clause is a clause which gives more information about a noun in a sentence.

There is the who won the race.boy

I remember a when we weren’t so busy.time

What is a relative clause?Because it is a clause, a relative clause contains…

a subject a predicate.and

There is the who won the race.boy

who won the race“who” = boy

What is a relative clause?

A relative clause begins with a relative pronoun*, relative adjective or relative adverb:

that whichwho whom

relative pronouns

where when why

relative adverbs

* Although sometimes a relative pronoun is preceded by a preposition.

relative adjectivewhose

What is a relative clause?Copy the sentences. Underline the relative clauses.

1 I am always frustrated by people who talk while watching a movie.

2 The store no longer sold the computer that I wanted.

3 We walked past the church where I was baptised.4 The man whose restaurant burned down was

very sad.

What is a relative clause?

1 I am always frustrated by people who talk while watching a movie.

2 The store no longer sold the computer that I wanted.

3 We walked past the church where I was baptised.4 The man whose restaurant burned down was

very sad.

Relative Pronouns

A relative pronoun is a noun. It takes the place of the subject or an object of a relative clause.

Let’s talk again about subjects. We’ll use a simple sentence (not a sentence with a relative clause) as our example…

A relative clause can begin with a relative pronoun, or a relative adverb. Let’s first look at relative pronouns…

Subjects and ObjectsRemember that a subject is a noun or noun phrase. It does the action in a sentence or clause.

I threw the ball my brother.to

Who or what did the throwing?

“I” – So, “I” is the subject of the sentence.

Now let’s talk about objects…

Subjects and ObjectsAn object is also a noun or noun phrase. It receives the action in a sentence or clause.

I threw the ball my brother.to

Who or what was thrown?

“the ball” – “the ball” is a direct object

To whom or what was it thrown?

“my brother” – “my brother” is an indirect object

Now let’s look at relative clauses again…

Relative PronounsRelative pronouns are nouns. So, they can act as the subject of a relative clause.

Look again at our first example :

There is the who won the race.boy

who won the race

Who or what did the winning?

“who” – “who” is the subject

“who” = the boy

Relative pronouns can also act as the object of a relative clause.

Let’s look at a new example…

Relative Pronouns

Relative Pronouns

There is the to whom I gave the trophy.boy

whom gaveI the trophy

Who or what does the giving? This is the subject.

Who or what is given? This is the direct object.

Who or what it is given to? This is the indirect object.

So, “whom” is an object. Let’s look at another example…

“whom” = the boy

to

Relative Pronouns

This is the that she showed me.book

that showedshe me

Who or what does the showing? This is the subject.

Who or what is shown? This is the direct object.

Who or what it is shown to? This is the indirect object.

So, “that” is an object.

“that” = the book

Relative Pronouns

Copy the relative clauses. Underline the verb. Circle the relative pronoun. Write S for subject or O for object.

1 Last summer they traveled to Rome, which is in Italy.

2 The bicycle that I ride to school is quite old.3 The lady who lives next door needs a babysitter.4 The book that I got from the library is due

tomorrow.

Relative Pronouns

Copy the relative clauses. Verbs are underlined. Relative pronouns are circled. S is for subject pronoun and O for object pronoun.

1 which is in Italy S

2 that I ride to school O

3 who lives next door S

4 that I got from the library O

Relative PronounsSo, why do we care if the pronoun is acting as a subject or an object?

One reason is, that if it is acting as an object we can (and often do!) leave the pronoun out:

The bicycle that I ride to school is quite old.

The book that I got from the library is due tomorrow.

The bicycle I ride to school is quite old.

The book I got from the library is due tomorrow.

Relative PronounsNote, however, that if the preposition is before the relative pronoun or adjective, it has to be moved to the end of the clause.

The manager is the person to whom you should send the information.

The manager is the person to whom you should send the information.

The manager is the person you should send the information to.

1 original sentence

2 take out preposition + object pronoun

3 add pronoun to end of

clause

Relative Pronouns

This is the store which I bought those horrible grapes at.

A kangaroo is an animal that has a pouch.

They are the people that I was telling you about.

This is the school that I went to when I was a boy.

Write the sentences. Cross out the unnecessary relative pronouns.

Relative PronounsWe can also leave out the relative pronoun and the verb BE when the pronoun is a subject pronoun and it is followed by BE.

The person who on the phone is a student.is

The person on the phone is a student.

The man who sitting next to me offered mewasa piece of gum.

The man sitting next to me offered me a piece of gum.

Relative Pronouns

I want to watch the news that is on channel 11.

It belongs to the person who is wearing the red shirt.

That is a tool that is used to peel off paint.

My sister is the one who likes spinach--not me.

They are the people who are able to help you.

Write the sentences. Cross out the unnecessary relative pronouns and verbs.

Relative PronounsThere is another reason to care if the pronoun is acting as a subject or an object:

In the case of who and whom, it affects which pronoun we use. Who is a subject pronoun, and whom is an object pronoun.

Compare:

My sister is the one who sent the letter.

My sister is the one to whom I sent the letter.

“who” = my sister “My sister” sent the letter. We use who.

“whom” = my sister“My sister” received the letter. We use whom.

Relative PronounsWrite who or whom.

1 A man ________ I recognised, entered the theatre.

2 We don’t know ________ you are talking about.

3 James is a person ________ likes to help.

4 I don’t know ________ is coming to the party.

whom

whom

who

who

Relative Adjective: whoseWhose is a possessive adjective (like his, her, and its):

He is the man

Here, “whose” shows that the phone belongs to “the man.”

whose phone

Note that whose + noun act together as a noun phrase. This phrase can be a subject or an object. Which is it in the example above?

I borrowed.

Relative Adjective: whoseDo not confuse who’s with whose!

Who’s means who + is or who + has. It is not possessive.

Compare:

The man who’s sitting next to you is wearing purple socks.

That is the lady whose dog ate my flowers.

“who’s” = who is

“whose” shows that the “dog” belongs to “the lady”

Pronouns and AdjectivesWrite who or whose.

1 He is a famous architect. His designs won an international award last year.

2 This is Mary. She is taking over my job when I leave.

He is a famous architect ________ designs won an international award last year.

This is Mary, ________ is taking over my job when I leave.

whose

who

4 He is a consultant. I rely on his advice.

3 The President of the company is visiting us next week. He is a friend of the Manager.

Pronouns and AdjectivesWrite who or whose.

The President of the company, ________ is a friend of the manager, is visiting us next

week.

He is the consultant ________ advice I rely on.

whose

who

Relative Adverbs

Now let’s look at relative adverbs…

Relative Adverbs

Relative adverbs are adverbs, of course! They introduce a relative clause but can never act as a subject or object.

Look at the following example…

However, the rest of the clause still has a subject and a predicate. Remember, a predicate must contain a verb. It might also have an object or objects.

Relative Adverbs

we neverwhen

I remember when we never used a computer.a time

Who or what does the using? This is the subject.

Who or what is used? This is the direct object.

So, “when” is neither a subject or an object. It is an adverb used to introduce the clause. It tells us how things were done in “a time”.

used a computer

Pronouns and AdverbsHere is the list of pronouns and adverbs again…

that whichwho whom

relative pronouns

where when why

relative adverbs

Relative Pronouns

Earlier you saw that (in formal English) we often have to use a preposition before a relative object pronoun:

This is the book in which guests can write their names.

This is the time by which we must stop.

This is the reason for which we must follow the rules.

This can be awkward, so we often replace the preposition + object pronoun with an adverb…

Pronouns and AdverbsRelative adverbs can be used in place of relative object pronouns. This allows us to leave out the preposition.

This is the book in which guests can write their names.

This is the time by which we must stop.

This is the reason for which we must follow the rules.

This is the book where guests can write their names.

This is the time when we must stop.

This is the reason why we must follow the rules.

Pronouns and Adverbs

relative adverb meaning refers to a example

when in/on which time expression

the day when we met him

where in/at/to which placethe place where we met him

why for which reasonthe reason why we met him

Here is a handy table from English 4U to help you out:

Pronouns and Adverbs

This is the store at which I bought those horrible grapes.

It began the year in which we met.

It is the reason for which they have not come.

Rewrite the sentences. Leave out the preposition + object pronoun pairs and replace them with a relative adverb.

This is the store at which where I bought those horrible grapes.

It began the year in which when we met.

It is the reason for which why they have not come.

Defining and Non-Defining ClausesRelative clauses can be defining or non-defining.

A defining clause contains necessary information:

The woman has been arrested. What woman?

Oh, I see!The woman who lives next door has been arrested.

Defining and Non-Defining Clauses

The purpose of a defining relative clause is to tell us who or what we are talking about.

They’ve sold the house. What house?

Oh! Why didn’t you say so?

They’ve sold the house that is on the corner.

Defining and Non-Defining Clauses

A non-defining clause gives interesting information that is not necessary.

Mrs. Jackson is very nice.Oh yes. I think,

so too.

How lovely that you’ve seen her

twice.

Mrs. Jackson, who I’ve seen twice this week, is very nice.

Use whoor that!

Avoid using

which.

Defining and Non-Defining Clauses

Use who/m or that with defining clauses.

The person who called left a message.

The book that was missing was found.

Use whoor which!

Don’t use

that.

Defining and Non-Defining Clauses

Use who/m or which with non-defining clauses.

Richard, whom I’ve known for years, works for a charity.

English, which is my favourite subject, is during the 5th lesson.

Defining and Non-Defining Clauses

Use commas with non-defining relative clauses.

Richard, whom I have known for years, works for a charity.

English, which is my favourite subject, is during the 5th lesson.

Defining and Non-Defining Clauses

My friend, who is usually so quiet, won the karaoke competition!

I told the secret to my brother, who will probably tell my parents.

I like the skirt that has a picture on it.

People who volunteer say that it makes them happy.

Write defining or non-defining.

defining

defining

non-defining

non-defining

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