Relative Clauses
Relative clauses are used to give more information about a noun (person, place, thing). They are introduced by relative pronouns such as who, which, that, where, whose, whom.
1. Defining Relative Clauses
- Give essential information to identify the noun.
- Without them, the sentence may lose meaning.
- No commas are used.
Examples:
• The man who is standing at the door is my uncle.
• This is the book that I borrowed yesterday.
2. Non-defining Relative Clauses
- Give extra, non-essential information.
- Sentence is still complete if removed.
- Commas are used before and after.
- Cannot use 'that'.
- Cannot omit the pronoun.
Examples:
• My brother, who lives in Canada, is visiting us soon.
• Petra, which is in Jordan, is a world-famous site.
Relative Pronouns
|
Relative Pronoun |
Use |
Example |
|
who |
People (subject) |
The teacher who taught me is retiring. |
|
whom |
People (object, formal) |
The person whom you met is my boss. |
|
which |
Things/animals |
The phone which I bought is new. |
|
that |
Alternative to who/which (defining only) |
The car that I drive is fast. |
|
where |
Places |
This is the city where I was born. |
|
whose |
Possession |
The boy whose father is a doctor is my friend. |
When Can We Omit the Pronoun? حذف
- We can omit who/which/that if they are the object (not the subject).
Example (object): The book (which) I bought is interesting. → 'which' can be omitted.
Example (subject): The man who lives next door is friendly. → 'who' cannot be omitted.
Important Notes
- Non-defining clauses always need commas.
2. We cannot use 'that' in non-defining clauses.
3. In non-defining clauses, the pronoun cannot be omitted.
