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Relative clauses
• Relative clauses describe and provide
information about something or someone that
we have usually already specified.
– I like working with students who appreciate
what I do.
• We use relative clauses in order to identify
things or people and to distinguish them from
other similar things.
– Mancunians aren’t people who live in Manchester,
they’re people who were born there.
• Defining relative clauses give important
information to identify the person or thing
we are talking about. We don’t use a
comma.
– People who live in glass houses shouldn’t
throw stones.
• Non-defining relative clauses give
additional information about the person or
thing we are talking about. We use a
comma
– Prof. Johnson, who I have long admired, is
coming to visit us next week.
RELATIVE PRONOUNS
in defining relative clauses
subject
people
things
object
RELATIVE PRONOUNS
in defining relative clauses
subject
people
things
who / that
object
whom / that /
no relative pronoun
which / that which / that /
no relative pronoun
RELATIVE PRONOUNS
in non-defining relative clauses
subject
object
people
who
whom
things
which
which
Relative pronouns
The following relative pronouns are used in defining
relative clauses:
Person
Thing
Subject
who/that
which/that
Object
who/whom/
that/ø
which/that/ø
whose
whose
Possessive
Place
Time
Reason
where
when
why
1. The relative pronoun stands in place of a noun.
This noun usually appears earlier in the sentence:
The woman
who/that
Noun,
subject of
main clause
relative
pronoun
referring to
'the
woman',
subject of
'spoke'
spoke at the meeting
verb + rest of
relative clause
was very knowledgeable.
verb + rest of main clause
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
There are various ways of supplying more information about a noun in English.
Frequently we use adjectives (e.g: a helpful teacher) and often other nouns
(e.g: a university teacher). Relative clauses are another very common way of
supplying more specific information about a noun referring to a person, thing
or group, e.g:
The teacher who looked after our class today doesn’t normally work here.
The flowers that I bought yesterday have already died.
The book which she is referring to is no longer published.
In the examples the relative clauses are underlined. As the examples show,
relative clauses are most commonly positioned immediately after the noun
that they refer to, and often begin with a relative pronoun such as who, that
or which. Who is used to refer to people, which is used to refer to things, and
that is used to refer to people or things. Relative pronouns do not have
masculine, feminine or plural forms. A relative pronoun like who or that can
be used to refer to a man, a woman or a group of people, e.g:
I met a woman/man who lives near your sister.
Do you know the young boy/girl that offered you a seat?
They were the builders who fitted our kitchen.
Relative clauses can also be used after some pronouns. They are quite common
after indefinite pronouns such as something, someone, anything, anyone,
everything and everyone, e.g:
Anna is someone that I really admire.
Is there anyone who knows how this machine works?
Everyone who has worked with her will miss her very much.
Relative clauses are also sometimes used after words like some, many, much,
all, or those which can function as pronouns, e.g:
Like many who were taking the exam, I felt very nervous.
A small bar of chocolate was all that we had to eat.
2. Who, whom and which can be replaced by that. This is
very common in spoken English.
• 3. The relative pronoun can be omitted (ø)
when it is the object of the clause:
• The mouse that the elephant loved was very
beautiful.
OR
• The mouse the elephant loved was very
beautiful.
• Both of these sentences are correct, though the
second one is more common in spoken English.
• Ex. WHO
whose
Whose is used for things as well as for people.
Examples:
The man whose car was stolen.
A tree whose leaves have fallen.
whom
Whom is very formal and is only used in written
English. You can use who/that, or omit the
pronoun completely :
The doctor whom/who/that/ø I was hoping to
see wasn't on duty.
that
• That normally follows words like something, anything, everything,
nothing, all, and superlatives.
• Examples:
• There's something that you should know.
• It was the best film that I've ever seen.
• Examples:
• A clown is someone who makes you laugh.
• An elephant is an animal that lives in hot countries.
• The plums that were in the fridge were delicious. I have eaten
them.
• Where are the plums (that) I put in the fridge?
• Has anyone seen the book I was reading?
• Nothing that anyone does can replace my lost bag.
• Let's go to a country where the sun always shines.
• They live in the house whose roof is full of holes.
Where do they come in sentences?
• They usually come immediately after what
they qualify
– People who know different foreign
languages make better language teachers.
• When the relative pronoun is the subject of the
relative clause the word order is
subject+verb+object
– He showed me the rocks which he had
collected.
• When the relative pronoun is the object the word
order is object+subject+verb
– The bus came at last, which was an
enormous relief.
SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME Michael Bublè
You can dance-every dance with the guy
Who gives you the eye,let him hold you tight
You can smile-every smile for the man
Who held your hand neath the pale moon light
But don't forget who's takin' you home
And in whose arms you're gonna be
So darlin' save the last dance for me
Oh I know that the music's fine
Like sparklin' wine,go and have your fun
Laugh and sing,but while we're apart
Don't give your heart to anyone
But don't forget who's takin' you home
And in whose arms you're gonna be
So darlin' save the last dance for me
Baby don't you know I love you so
Can't you feel it when we touch
I will never never let you go
I love you oh so much
You can dance,go and carry on
Till the night is gone
And it's time to go
If he asks if you're all alone
Can he walk you home,you must tell him no
'Cause don't forget who's taking you home
And in whose arms you're gonna be
So darling,save the last dance for me
'Cause don't forget who's taking you home
And in whose arms you're gonna be
So darling,save the last dance for me
Save the last dance for me
Save the last dance for me.
Only one of the two sentences should have
commas round the relative clause. Where should
the comma go?
a) Arthur Grimes who is thirty painted ‘The
Cherry Tree’
b) The woman who lived next door was
arrested last week.
WHY??
Identify the relative clauses in the following
sentences
a) That man who is sitting over there is an
old friend of my father’s.
b) The cars which are in front of the
entrance must be removed immediately
please.
c) The person who gave you that information
is an idiot.
d) The other train that was cancelled was
going to London.
e) Mrs Stanley, whose parents had once
lived in the village, Looked quickly at the
pretty houses and decided she liked it
there.
f) Seven-year-old Roy, who had never been
polite, rudely shouted .Be quiet’ as the old
man was finishing the story.
Activity
Transform the two sentences
into one.
• I tried to help a child. The child was crying her
eyes out.
…………………………………………………
• I had to translate the whole text. Translating the
whole text was difficult for me.
………………………………………………….
Activity
Transform the following noun phrases
using relative pronouns.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Career information service
A motor car repair kit
A crime prevention officer
A computer virus protection program
A car insurance certificate
Key to Activity 1
a) A service which provides information
about careers.
b) A kit which is used for repairing motor
cars.
c) An officer who is responsible for
preventing crime.
d) A program which protects computers
from viruses.
e) A certificate which shows that your car is
insured.
Whose + noun
• Michael, whose situation (the situation
of which) I remember very well, didn’t
come to the party.
– it stands in place of a possessive form and
can’t be omitted.
– usually combines with the words that follow it.
• Relative clauses are similar in function to
adjectives
– I like working with students who appreciate
what I do / with appreciative students.
Who, which and that replaced by
–ing and –ed forms.
• The woman who is sitting on that bench
looks ill.
• The woman who was injured in the
accident was going to work.
• Can you transform these sentences
replacing the relative pronouns?
• The woman sitting on the bench looks ill.
– Use the –ing form when you want to describe
someone’s actions.
• The woman injured in the accident was
going to work.
– The –ed forms are passive.
Prepositions + relative pronouns
• In formal style we usually put a preposition
before the relative pronoun and we use
whom instead of who.
– The office to which Graham took us was filled
with books
• In less formal style we usually put the
preposition at the end of the relative clause.
– The office that Graham took us to was fille dwith
books