ENGLISH GRAMMAR Relative Clauses

RELATIVE CLAUSES

INTRODUCTION
There are two types of relative clauses:
1. Defining relative clauses
2. Non-defining relative clauses

DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

These describe the preceding noun in such a way to distinguish it from other nouns of the same class. A
clause of this kind is essential to clear understanding of the noun.
The boy who was playing is my brother.
Defining Relative Pronouns

SUBJECT OBJECT POSSESSIVE

For people Who Whom/Who Whose
That That
For things Which Which Whose
That That Of which

Defining Relative Clauses: people

A. Subject: who or that
Who is normally used:
The man who robbed you has been arrested.
The girls who serve in the shop are the owner’s daughters.
But that is a possible alternative after all, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody and those:
Everyone who/that knew him liked him.
Nobody who/that watched the match will ever forget it.
B. Object of a verb: whom, who or that
The object form is whom, but it is considered very formal. In spoken English we normally use who
or that (that being more usual than who), and it is still more common to omit the object pronoun
altogether:
The man whom I saw told me to come back today.
The man who I saw told me to come back today.
The man that I saw told me to come back today.
The man I saw told me to come back today.
C. With a preposition: whom or that
In formal English the preposition is placed before the relative pronoun, which must then be put
into the form whom:
The man to whom I spoke…
In informal speech, however, it is more usual to move the preposition to the end of the clause.
Whom then is often replaced by that, but it is still more common to omit the relative altogether:
The man who/whom I spoke to…
The man that I spoke to…
The man I spoke to…
 D. Possesssive
Whose is the only possible form:
People whose rents have been raised can appeal.
The film is about a spy whose wife betrays him.

Short answers
To make short answers:
 we use the verb to be (am/is/are/was/were) for Present Simple, Past Simple, Present
Continuous, Past Continuous and Going To questions.
 we use the verb have (have/has/had) for Present Perfect and Past Perfect questions.
 we use will for Future Simple questions.

Defining Relative Clauses: things

A. Subject
Either which or that. Which is more formal.
This is the picture which/that caused such a sensation.
The stairs which/that lead to the cellar are rather slippery.
B. Object of a verb
Which or that or no relative at all.
The car which/that I hired broke down.
The car I hired broke down.
Which is hardly ever used after all, everything, little, much, none, no and compounds of no, or
after superlatives. Instead we use that, or omit the relative altogether, if it is the object of a verb:
2 All the apples that fall are eaten by the pigs.
This is the best hotel (that) I know.
C. Object of a preposition
The formal construction is preposition + which, but it is more usual to move the preposition to
the end of the clause, using which or that or omitting the relative altogether:
The ladder on which I was standing began to slip.
The ladder which/that I was standing on began to slip.
The ladder I was standing on began to slip.
D. Possesssive
Whose + a clause is possible but with + a phrase is more usual:
a house whose walls were made of glass
a house with glass walls
E. Relative adverbs: when, where, why
Note that when can replace in/on which (used of time):
the year when (= in which) he was born
the day when (= in which) they arrived
Where can replace in/at which (used of place):
the hotel where (= in/at which) they were staying
Why can replace for which:
the reason why he refused is…
When, where and why used in this way are called relative adverbs.

NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

Non-defining relative clauses are placed after nouns which are definite already. They do not therefore
define the noun. But merely add something to it by giving some more information about it. They are not
essential in the sentence and can be omitted without causing confusion. They are separated from their
noun by commas. The pronoun can never be omitted in a non-defining relative clause.
 ENGLISH GRAMMAR Relative Clauses

The boy who was playing is my brother.

Non-Defining Relative Pronouns

SUBJECT OBJECT POSSESSIVE

For people Who Whom/Who Whose
For things Which Which Whose
Of which

Non-Defining Relative Clauses: people

A. Subject: who
No other pronoun is possible. Note the commas:
My neighbor, who is very pessimistic, says there will be no apples this year.
Peter, who had been driving all day, suggested stopping at the next town.
B. Object: whom, who
The pronoun cannot be omitted. Whom is the correct form, though who is sometimes used in
conversation:
Peter, whom everyone suspected, turned out to be innocent..
C. Object of a preposition: whom
The pronoun cannot be omitted. The preposition is normally placed before whom:
Mr Jones, for whom I was working, was very generous about overtime payments.
It is however possible to move the preposition to the end of the clause. This is commonly done in
conversation, and who then usually takes the place of whom:
Mr Jones, who I was working for,was very generous about overtime payments.
If the clause contains an expression of time or place, this will remain at the end:
Peter, with whom I played tennis on Sundays, was fitter than me.
could become:
Peter, who/whom I played tennis with on Sundays, was fitter than me.
D. Possesssive: whose
Ann, whose children are at school all day, is trying to get a job.
This is George, whose class you will be taking.

Non-Defining Relative Clauses: things

A. Subject: which
That is not used here:
That block, which cost £5 million to build, has been empty for years.
The 8.15 train, which is usually very punctual, was late today.
B. Object: which
That is not used here, and the which can never be omitted.
She gave me this jumper, which she had knitted herself.
These books, which you can get at any bookshop, will give you all the information you
need.
C. Object of a preposition
The preposition comes before which, or (more informally) at the end of the clause:
Ashdown Forest, through which we’ll be driving, isn’t a forest any longer.
Ashdown Forest, which we’ll be driving through, isn’t a forest any longer.
His house, for which he paid £10,000, is now worth £50,000.
His house, which he paid £10,000 for, is now worth £50,000.
D. Possesssive: whose or of which
 Whose is generally used both for animals and things. Of which is possible for things, but it is
unusual except in very formal English.
His house, whose windows are all broken, was a depressing sight.
The car, whose handbrake wasn’t very reliable, began to slide backwards.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
- A. J. Thomson and A.V. Martinet, A Practical English Grammar, Oxford University Press, 1986
- R. Fernández Carmona, English Grammar… with exercises, Longman, 2000
- R. Murphy, Essential Grammar in Use, Cambridge University Press 1994
- M. Harrison, Grammar Spectrum 2, Oxford University Press, 1996
- N. Coe, Grammar Spectrum 3, Oxford University Press, 1996

EXERCISES
1. Write sentences to describe people in box A using the information in box B.
A B
a thief a dentist takes photographs is very intelligent
a butcher a fool sells meat plays a musical instrument
a musician a genius is ill in hospital doesn’t tell the truth
a patient a liar steal things looks after your teeth
a photographer is very stupid

a. A thief is a person who steals things.

b. A butcher is a person who ___________________________________________________________
4 c. A musician is a person ______________________________________________________________
d. A patient _________________________________________________________________________
e. _________________________________________________________________________________
f. _________________________________________________________________________________
g. _________________________________________________________________________________
h. _________________________________________________________________________________
i. _________________________________________________________________________________

2. Join the sentences to write a longer one.

a. A man phoned. He didn’t say his name. The man who phoned didn’t say his name.
b. A woman opened the door. She was wearing a yellow dress. The woman
_____________________________________________________________________ a yellow dress.
c. Some people live next door to us. They are very nice. The people
_________________________________________________________________________________
d. A policeman stopped our car. He wasn’t very friendly. The policeman ______________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
e. A boy broke the window. He ran away. The boy _______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

3. Write who/that/which in the blanks.

a. I met a woman who can speak six languages.
b. What’s the name of the man _____________ lives next door?
c. What’s the name of the river _____________ goes through the town?
d. Everybody _____________ went to the party enjoyed it very much.
e. Do you know anybody _____________ wants to buy a car?
f. Where is the picture _____________ was on the wall?
 ENGLISH GRAMMAR Relative Clauses

g. She always asks me questions _____________ are difficult to answer.

h. I have a friend _____________ is very good at repairing cars.
i. A coffee-maker is a machine _____________ makes coffee.
j. I don’t like people _____________ never stop talking.
k. Have you seen the money _____________ was on the table?
l. Why does he always wear clothes _____________ are too small for him?

4. Join the sentences to write a single sentence.

a. Ann took some photographs. Have you seen them? Have you seen the photographs Ann took?
b. You lost a key. Did you find it? Did you find the __________________________________________
___________________________?
c. Jill is wearing a jacket. I like it. I like the _________________________________________________
d. I gave you some money. Where is it? Where is the _______________________________________
__________________________?
e. She told us a story. I didn’t believe it. I________________________________ the _________
___________________________.
f. You bought some oranges. How much were they? How ___________________________________
__________________________________?

5. Complete the sentences with the information in brackets.

a. (we met some people) The people we met were very nice.
b. (I’m wearing shoes) The shoes __________________________________ are not very comfortable.
c. (you’re reading a book) What’s the name of the ________________________________________?
d. (I wrote a letter to her) She didn’t get the _____________ I _______________________________.
e. (you gave me an umbrella) I’ve lost __________________________________________________.
f. (they invited some people to dinner) The people ______________________________ didn’t come.

6. Complte the sentences with the information in the box.

you went to a party Linda is dancing with a man you stayed at a hotel
we looked at a map you were looking for a book I was sitting on a chair
they live in a house you spoke to a woman

a. What’s the name of the hotel you stayed at?

b. What’s the name of the woman you __________________________________________________?
c. The house ______________________________________________________ is too small for them.
d. Did you enjoy the party _____________________________________________________________?
e. The chair ____________________________________________________ wasn’t very comfortable.
f. The map ___________________________________________________________ wasn’t very clear.
g. Did you find the book ______________________________________________________________?
h. Who is the man ___________________________________________________________________?

7. Complete the sentences with where and the information in the box.
we had dinner in a restaurant John works in a factory
we stayed at a hotel they live in a village
a. What’s the name of the hotel where we stayed?
b. What’s the name of the restaurant____________________________________________________?
c. Have you ever been to the village ____________________________________________________?
d. The factory _____________________________________________________ is the biggest in town.
 8. Join the sentences using who or which.
a. We chose the hotel. It seemed to be the nicest. We chose the hotel which seemed to be the nicest.
b. She spoke to the man. He was standing next to her.
_________________________________________________________________________________
c. I read the letters. They came in the morning post.
_________________________________________________________________________________
d. He likes the other people. They work in his office.
_________________________________________________________________________________
e. She’s that singer. She was on television last night.
_________________________________________________________________________________
f. Next week there is a festival. It happens in the village every summer.
_________________________________________________________________________________
g. I paid the bills. They came yesterday.
_________________________________________________________________________________

9. Complete the conversation by putting who or which into the gaps.

Carol: Did you watch that programme last night?
David: Which one?
Carol: The programme which I mentioned a couple of days ago. It’s a new series __________ started last
night.
David: No, I didn’t see it. Was it good?
Carol: Yes. It was about a group of friends __________ were at school together. Well, Rupert ...
David: Who was Rupert?
Carol: He was an old student of the school __________ had become a doctor. He went to a party
__________ his old teachers organised. He met a lot of people __________ had been at school with him
6
many years before. They talked about the things __________ they did when they were at school. Then
suddenly, Rupert saw an old girl-friend __________ was dancing with John ...
David: Don’t tell me any more. It’s getting too complicated!

10. Join these sentences using who, which or that, as in the example.
a. She chose the books. She wanted to buy them. She chose the books that she wanted to buy.
b. We ate the sandwiches. Jack made them.
_________________________________________________________________________________
c. I’m doing some work. I have to finish it today.
_________________________________________________________________________________
d. She’s an old woman. I often see her when I go to the shop.
_________________________________________________________________________________
e. He’s an actor. A lot of people like him.
_________________________________________________________________________________
f. It’s a magazine. I read it sometimes.
_________________________________________________________________________________
g. She was wearing a red dress. She wears it for parties.
_________________________________________________________________________________

11. Now join these sentences using who or which, as in the example.
a. The person phoned. He didn’t leave a message. The person who phoned didn’t leave a message.
_________________________________________________________________________________
b. The bus goes to the airport. It leaves every 20 minutes.
_________________________________________________________________________________
c. The picture was hanging near the door. It was horrible.
_________________________________________________________________________________