RELATIVE CLAUSES

What is a clause? It is a group of words containing a subject and a verb which form a sentence or part of a sentence.
Example:

I can’t cook very well but I make quite good pancakes

Clause 1 Clause 2

In this example, each clause is equally important: they have their own subject and verb

And now, what is a relative clause? It starts with a relative pronoun: who, which, that, whose, where, when.

USE RELATIVE PRONOUN EXAMPLE

People Who The woman who lives next door is a doctor (defining)
My brother, who is a surgeon, lives in London (non-defining)

Things Which Here us the sculpture which the artist designed (defining)
Brian told me about his new job, which he is not enjoying very much (non-defining)

Time When I remember the day [when] I met you (defining)

Next Saturday, when I’m traveling to Dublin, is my birthday (non-defining)

Place Where The castle where the king lives is very old. (defining)
Jane has been to Oxford, where her dad lives (non-defining)

Possession Whose + noun Carmen, whose brother is in your class, is my best friend (non-defining)
We met some people whose car had broken down (defining)

That instead of who or which ONLY in defining clauses, NEVER in non-defining

The picture which hangs on the wall (= the picture that hangs on the wall)
The woman who he married ( = the woman that he married)

Defining relative clauses (oraciones especificativas):

- Give us essential information (that we need to understand what or who is being referred to)
Example: The dentist who treated me is my uncle

- No commas

-Who/which or that can be omitted when they are the object of the clause
The medicine [which / that] the doctor gave me should be taken twice a day

- Omit the object pronoun (him, her, it, etc) in a relative clause.
Example: We know little about the woman. He married her.
We know little about the woman that he married her.

- Usually have any prepositions at the end of the clause. Example: It’s the one which he was responsible for at work.

- Used in writing and speaking

Non-defining relative clauses (oraciones explicativas):

- Give us extra information. Example: My uncle, who plays at the same cricket club as you, is a dentist

- Separated by commas

- Relative pronoun cannot be omitted

- Omit the object pronoun (him, her, it, etc) in a relative clause.
Example: This picture shows Bob’s wife Lucy. He married her in 2019.
This picture shows Bob’s wife Lucy who he married her in 2019.

- Usually have any prepositions at the end of the clause. Example: Sue, who my mother worked with, has become a
teacher

- Used in writing
1. Complete the sentences with relative pronouns from the box.
THAT – WHEN – WHERE - WHICH - WHO – WHOSE

1. The new movie is about a boy _____________ has lost his parents in a car accident.
2. He is the young man, _____________ wife left him for someone else.
3. The DVD recorder _____________ I bought at this store a few days ago is not working.
4. That's the book _____________ I recommended reading in class.
5. Is this the hotel _____________ you are staying for the tournament?
6. My dad, _____________ travels a lot on business, is in Australia at the moment.
7. It was midnight _____________ the first rescue team arrived at the scene of the accident.
8. We stayed at the famous Rockstar hotel, _____________ also had an indoor swimming pool.
9. Did you write back to the person _____________ offered you a job?
10. The story is about a young woman _____________ 5-year old son suddenly disappears.
11. The tennis court _____________ they usually play is currently not available.
12. My sister was born at a time _____________ my dad was out of work.
13. Where is the money _____________ I gave you yesterday?
14. That's the man _____________ I spoke to the other day.
15. Mr. Fields, _____________ sister is one of the leading experts in this country, talked about the dangers of
the virus.
16. The present _____________ I got from my boyfriend was really fantastic.
17. I have to buy a present for my mother, _____________ birthday is next week.
18. The youth hostel _____________ we stayed last week was really big.

1.1 Complete each sentence using who, which, that, when or where and an idea from below:
you can wash clothes - designs buildings - invented the telephone - measures temperature - we celebrate Christmas
a. Alexander Graham Bell was the man_____________________________________________________________
b. A launderette is a place________________________________________________________________________
c. A thermometer is something____________________________________________________________________
d. An architect is someone________________________________________________________________________
e. December is the month_________________________________________________________________________

2. Make one sentence from the two short ones creating defining clauses. Remember that the relative
pronoun is the subject of the relative clause.
1. She worked for a man. The man used to be an athlete.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. The girl works in a bank. The girl is from India.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. I sent an email to my brother. My brother lives in Australia.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. The customer liked the waitress. The waitress was very friendly.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. We broke the computer. The computer belonged to my father.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. I dropped a glass. The glass was new.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. She loves books. The books have happy endings.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. They live in a city. The city is in the north of England.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Combine the sentences using non-defining relative pronouns.

1 Valencia is a great place. Valencia is due east of Madrid.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 Jimbo is living in Thailand now. Jimbo got divorced last year.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
3 Claire is a good teacher. I like her very much.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
4 The Flaca pub rocks. I met my girlfriend in The Flaca.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
5 Samantha is coming to the party. Samantha's mother is mayoress of this town
________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 Almeria is very dry. The beaches of Almeria are wonderful.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 The school was built in 1907. The school has about 800 students.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 The government handled the diplomatic crisis badly. The government is facing corruption charges.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Join the following pairs of sentences. There are defining and non- defining relative sentences.
1. She showed me a photograph of her son. Her son is a policeman.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. The new stadium will be opened next month. The stadium holds 90,000 people.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. John is one of my closest friends. I have known John for eight years
________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. The boy is one of my closest friends. He is waiting for me.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Thank you for your letter. I was very happy to get your letter.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. The letter is in the drawer. Peter has sent the letter to you.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Next weekend I’m going to Glasgow. My sister lives in Glasgow.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. Next summer we are visiting the town. My father was born in this town.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
9. The storm caused a lot of damage. Nobody had been expecting the storm.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
10. That man over there is an artist. I don’t remember his name.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
11. Mr Yates is retiring next month. He has worked for the same company all his life.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
12. My sister is visiting us next week. You once met her.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
13. Mr Carter is very interested in our plan. I spoke to him last night.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
14. I’ve just bought some books about astronomy. I’m very interested in astronomy.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
15. The man is in prison. Janet fell in love with this man.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Identify the mistakes and correct them.

1. Ann, who party we went to last month, has just got a job.

_____________________________________________________

2. I like the course I've chosen it.

_____________________________________________________

3. That's the man who's company was awarded a prize.

_____________________________________________________

4. The job that you want it requires many skills.

_____________________________________________________

5. The chairs who you brought to the office are very comfortable.

_____________________________________________________