Relative Clauses

Relative clauses

formal/informal

non-def

Defining

What is a Relative clause?

We can use relative clauses to define the subject of the sentence, join two sentences, or to give more information about something. ''I bought a new car. It is very fast.'' → I bought a new car that is very fast.

Relative Pronouns/adverbs

Who

Which

That

For things/animals/whole sentence

For people

For people/things/animals

-Defining and non-defining RC

-Defining and non-defining RC

-ONLY defining RC

Whose

Where/when/why

Whom

For people (Object)

For possession

For places/time/reason

-Defining and non-defining RC -Formal style

-Defining and non-defining RC -Must be followed by a noun

-Defining and non-defining RC

DEFININGvs NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

Defining relative clauses define the noun and they identify which thing or person we are referring to. I like the woman who lives next door. (If we don't say 'who lives next door', then we don't know which woman we mean). Meaning: De todas las mujeres, me gusta la que vive al lado

In defining relative clauses...

1. When the relative pronoun is the subject of the RC. We can use 'who', 'which' or 'that'. We use 'who' for people and 'which' for things. We can use 'that' for people or things. Remember that we can't drop the relative pronoun in defining RC when the relative pronoun is the subject. So, we can't say '' The girl lives next door is blonde'' by omitting the pronoun. We will say ''The girl who/that lives next door...''

Examples:

I'm looking for a secretary who / that can use a computer well.She has a son who / that is a doctor. I sent a letter which / that arrived three weeks later. We bought a house which / that is 200 years old.

When the relative pronoun is the object...

2. Now, let's consider when the relative pronoun is the object of the clause. We always use who, that and which but, unlike the previous case, we can omit them if the pronoun is the object. ''She loves the chocolate (that-which) I bought.'' "They’re the people (who/that) she met at John’s party"

Examples

-We went to the village (which / that) Lucy recommended -The bike (which / that) I loved was stolen -As we can see, both sentences still make sense even without the relative pronoun.

Now, let's do some practice :)

Complete the sentences using who,that and which, and say when we can omit the relative pronoun and when we can't omit it:The university _____ she likes is famous. The woman _______ my brother loves is from Mexico. The cake ____ she is eating is so tasty. The man _____ is playing the piano is my brother.

Non-defining relative clauses give extra information about the person or thing. It is not necessary information. If we omit the RC, the main sentence still makes sense. -We don't use 'that' in non-defining relative clauses. -We can't drop the relative pronoun in this kind of clause. -We use commas to difference the RC from the main clause. My boss, who is very nice, lives in Manchester. Yesterday I called our friend Julie, who lives in New York. My mother's house, which I love, is very small. I love New York, which has many interesting places.

Differences

Relative Pronouns/adverbs

Who

Which

That

For things/animals/whole sentence

For people

For people/things/animals

-Defining and non-defining RC

-Defining and non-defining RC

-ONLY defining RC

Whose

Where/when/why

Whom

For people (Object)

For possession

For places/time

-Defining and non-defining RC -Formal style

-Defining and non-defining RC -Must be followed by a noun

-Defining and non-defining RC

Formal and informal structures with prepositions