If you're learning English, you've probably come across relative clauses. They're a common feature of English grammar, and they can be tricky to master. But don't worry – with a little practice, you'll soon be using them with ease. In this reference, we'll explore what relative clauses are, the different types of relative clauses, and how to form them. We'll also look at some common mistakes and give you some tips to help you avoid them.

What is a Relative Clause?

First things first – what exactly is a relative clause? A relative clause is a kind of dependent clause that helps modify a noun or pronoun in your main clause. In other words, it provides additional information about the noun or pronoun. For example:

The book that I'm reading is really good.

In this sentence, "that I'm reading" is a relative clause that modifies the noun "book." It tells us which book we're talking about.

Types of Relative Clauses - Defining and Non-defining

Let's take a closer look at the two types of relative clauses.

Defining Relative Clauses

These clauses are essential to the meaning of the sentence. They provide crucial information that identifies the noun or pronoun in question. For example:

The woman who lives in that room is a doctor.

In this sentence, "who lives in that room" is a defining relative clause that tells us which woman we're talking about. Without this information, the sentence would be incomplete.

Defining relative clauses can be introduced by a range of words, including "who," "whom," "whose," "which," and "that." We'll cover these in more detail later.

Non-defining Relative Clauses

Non-defining relative clauses offer additional information about a noun or pronoun, but they are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. For example:

My mother, who is a teacher, loves to read.

In this sentence, "who is a teacher" is a non-defining relative clause that tells us something about the speaker's mother. However, if we removed this information, the sentence would still make sense.

Non-defining relative clauses are usually set off by commas, and they can be introduced by the same words as defining relative clauses.

Relative Clause Examples

Let's look at some more examples of relative clauses in action.

• The car that I bought last week is already in the shop.
• The movie, which was directed by Steven Spielberg, won several awards.
• The man who is wearing the blue shirt is my brother.
• The book, whose cover is torn, is still a great read.
• The restaurant that we went to last night was really busy.
• The dog, which was barking loudly, woke up the whole neighborhood.

The relative clause provides information about the noun or pronoun in the main clause.

Relative Clause Words - Who, Whom, Whose, Which, That

We mentioned earlier that relative clauses can be introduced by a range of words. Let's take a closer look at these words and how they are used.

Who/Whom

"Who" and "whom" help refer to people. "Who" is used as the subject of the relative clause, while "whom" is used as the object.

• The elderly woman who lives next door is an engineer. (subject)
• The doctor whom I saw was very friendly. (object)

In everyday speech, "whom" is becoming less common, and many people use "who" instead.

Whose

"Whose" is used to indicate possession. It refers to the person or thing that something belongs to.

• The book, whose cover is torn, is still a great read.
• The man, whose car was stolen, reported it to the police.

Which

"Which" is used to refer to things, not people.

• The car that I bought last week is already in the shop.
• The movie, which was directed by Steven Spielberg, won several awards.

That

"That" can be used to refer to both people and things. It is less formal than "who" and "which," and it is often used in spoken English.

• The restaurant that we went to last night was really busy.
• The dog that was barking loudly woke up the whole neighborhood.

How to Form a Relative Clause

Now that we know what relative clauses are and how they are introduced, let's look at how to form them.

To form a relative clause, we need to follow these steps:

1. Identify the noun or pronoun that the relative clause will modify.
2. Choose the appropriate relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, which, or that).
3. Insert the relative pronoun at the start of the relative clause.
4. Add the verb and any other necessary words to complete the clause.

Let's look at an example:

• The elderly woman __ lives next door is a doctor. (we are trying to add a relative clause to modify "woman")
• The noun we want to modify is "woman."
• We need to use "who" because we're talking about a person.
• We insert "who" at the beginning of the relative clause: "who lives next door."
• We add the verb "lives" and any other necessary words to complete the clause: "The woman who lives next door is a doctor."

Relative Clause Word Order

In English, the word order in a relative clause is different from the word order in a simple sentence. In a simple sentence, the subject comes before the verb, but in a relative clause, the relative pronoun comes before the verb.

Let's look at an example:

• Simple sentence: The man is a teacher.
• Relative clause: The man who lives in that house is a teacher.

In the simple sentence, the subject ("man") comes before the verb ("is"). In the relative clause, the relative pronoun ("who") comes before the verb ("lives").

Relative pronouns and adverbs

In addition to relative pronouns, we can also use relative adverbs to introduce relative clauses. The most common relative adverbs are "where," "when," and "why."

Let's look at some examples:

• The room where we stayed was very nice.
• The day when I met my best friend was unforgettable.
• The reason why I'm late is because of traffic.

In each of these examples, the relative adverb introduces a relative clause that provides additional information about the noun or pronoun in the main clause.

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Common Mistakes

Now that we've covered the basics of relative clauses, let's look at some common mistakes to avoid.

Using "that" instead of "who" or "which"

As we mentioned earlier, "that" can be used to refer to both people and things. However, it's important to use the correct relative pronoun to avoid confusion.

For example:

• The woman that is a doctor. (incorrect)
• The woman who is a doctor. (correct)

In this example, we should use "who" instead of "that" because we are talking about a person.

Using a non-defining relative clause instead of a defining relative clause

It's important to use the correct type of relative clause to avoid changing the meaning of the sentence.

For example:

• My sister, who is a doctor, lives in New York. (non-defining)
• My sister who is a doctor lives in New York. (defining)

In the first example, the relative clause is non-defining, which means it provides additional information but is not essential. In the other example, the relative clause is defining, which means it is essential to the meaning of the sentence.

Misusing relative pronouns

It's important to choose the correct relative pronoun based on the noun or pronoun being modified.

For example:

• The car who I bought last week is already in the shop. (incorrect)
• The car that I bought last week is already in the shop. (correct)

In this example, we should use "that" instead of "who" because we are talking about a thing, not a person.

Summary

Relative clauses are a common feature of English grammar, and they can be tricky to master. But with practice, you'll soon be using them with ease. Remember:

• Relative clauses are dependent clauses that modify a noun or pronoun in our main clause.
• There are two kinds of these clauses: defining and non-defining.
• Relative clauses can be introduced by relative pronouns (who, whom, whose, which, that) or relative adverbs (where, when, why).
• Choose the correct relative pronoun and type of relative clause to avoid confusion.

Now you should be well on your way to mastering relative clauses in English!