C1.1 - Relative clauses - theory

RELATIVECLAUSES

DEFINING relative claues

NON-DEFININGrelative clauses

They provide ESSENTIAL information

No commas needed

Examples

As SUBJECT of the clause they CANNOT be ommited

As OBJECT of the clause they CAN be omitted

Other pronouns

As SUBJECT of the clause they CANNOT be ommitted

As OBJECT of the caluse theyCANNOT be omitted

They provide NON-ESSESNTIAL information

Commas are needed

Examples

Main pronouns

Main pronouns

- My brother Jim is a doctor. - My brother lives in London (it is not essential information). My brother Jim, who lives in London, is a doctor. (I have already specified which of my possible brothers I'm referring to by using his name. The fact that he lives in London is extra, non-essential information).

- The woman is a doctor. - The woman lives next door (essential information). - The woman who lives next door is a doctor (the relative clause specifies which woman I am talking about).

*WHOSE: in place of his, her, their, etc. Possessive. Used for people and things. - Susan is the woman whose husband is an actor. - Susan, whose husband is an actor, was in a very bad mood. *WHERE: places - Paris is the place where they met. - Paris, where they met, is the capital of France. *WHEN: time - It was the day when we met him. *WHY: reason - Do you know the reason why the shop is closed today? *WHAT: 'the thing' or 'things which' - She told me what she had seen. - What I like best about London is the parks.

* When who or which are the object of the verb in the relative clause, you can leave them out. E.g. She's the girl (who) I met on the train. That's the shop (which) I told you about.

The girl won. I talked to the girl. I talked to the girl who/that won.

WHO, WHICH, THAT, WHOSE, WHAT For people: who or that E.g. Harper Lee is the woman who/that wrote To Kill a Mockingbird For things and animals: which or that E.g. I'm looking for a book which/that teaches you how to relax. To mean 'of who' or 'of which: whose E.g. It Frank the man whose brother plays for Manchester United? To mean 'the thing' or 'things which': what E.g. She told me what she had seen. What I like best about London is the parks. *In formal English, after a preposition, use whom for a person and which for a thing. In informal English, it is more common to leave out the relative pronoun and put the preposition after the verb. E.g. My sister's the only person to whom I can talk. My sister's the only person (who) I can talk to. This is the room in which I was born. This is the room (that) I was born in.

We ran into Sara at the supermarket this morning. She used to work for me. Sara, who we met at the supermarket this morning, used to work for me.

Ann retired two years ago. Ann won many races. Ann, who retired two years ago, won many races.

WHO, WHICH (THAT is not possible) For people: who For things and animals: which * which can be used to refer to the whole of the preceding clause E.g. Adriana hasn't come to class for two weeks, which is a bit worrying. * We sometimes use of which / of whom / of whose after some, any, none, all, both, either, neither, several, enough, many and few. E.g.They've got three children, all of whom are good at sport. * We can also use of which / of whom /of whose after expressions of quantity and superlatives. E.g. My favourite foods are bread, biscuits and cakes, none of which are good for me.

Join the sentences using a relative pronoun and the correct punctuation.

1. They gave us a present. This was a complete surprise.2. My girlfriend is very intelligent. She's an architect.3. It's too hot in my flat. This makes it impossible to sleep.4. I spoke to a police officer. She was working on the reception desk.5. The houses are still in very good condition. Many of them were built in 1870.

Join the sentences using a relative pronoun and the correct punctuation.

1. They gave us a present. This was a complete surprise.2. My girlfriend is very intelligent. She's an architect.3. It's too hot in my flat. This makes it impossible to sleep.4. I spoke to a police officer. She was working on the reception desk.5. The houses are still in very good condition. Many of them were built in 1870.

They gave us a present, which was a complete surprise. My girlfriend, who is an architect, is very intelligent / My girlfriend, who is very intelligent, is an architect. It's too hot in my flat, which makes it impossible to sleep.The police officer to whom I spoke was working at the reception desk.The police officer (who/that) I spoke to was working at the reception desk. The houses, many of which were built in 1870, are still in good condition.Many of the houses, which are still in good condition, were built in 1870.