COMMUNICATIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS II

UNIT FIVE GRAMMAR NOTE

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

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

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Prepared by:Tamene Degu
Lecturer (MA)
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…

Possessive

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.

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  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:

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. Possessive

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

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Lecturer (MA)
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.

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:

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Lecturer (MA)
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. Possessive: 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. Possessive: whose or of which

Whose is generally used both for animals and things.

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Lecturer (MA)
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.

EXERCISES

1. Write sentences to describe people in box A using the information in box B.

A B
a thief takes photographs
a dentist is very intelligent
a butcher sells meat
a fool plays a musical instrument
a musician is ill in hospital
a patient doesn’t tell the truth
a liar steal things
a genius 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

c. A musician is a person
______________________________________________________________

d. A patient
_________________________________________________________________________

e.
_____________________________________________________________________________

f.____________________________________________________________________________

g.____________________________________________________________________________

h.____________________________________________________________________________

Write who/that/which in the blanks.

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Lecturer (MA)
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?

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?

II. 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 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!

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Prepared by:Tamene Degu
Lecturer (MA)
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Lecturer (MA)