The Relative clause
in English
La
proposition relative en anglais
Relative
pronouns can cause trouble in
English, specially when they are in unusual forms, such as “whom”
or “whose”.
And there’s another problem: when to use which and when to
use that? Here are some clear
guidelines to help you.
- The relative pronoun as subject
- The relative pronoun as object
- The relative pronoun as a possessive
- Relative clauses starting with a
preposition
- More complex structures
- Defining and non-defining
relatives, and punctuation.
- Relative clauses which qualify a
whole sentence, not just a noun.
- (Extra information for
French-speakers)
1. The relative pronoun as subject
1.1. When the
relative pronoun is subject
of a clause and refers to a human,
the relative pronoun who
is generally used. Examples:
The man who lives
next door is 99.
I know someone who eats
red hot chilli peppers.
Sometimes, who is replaced by that,
especially in American
English and in spoken language:
The
boy that
lost
his watch was careless.
However,
The
boy who
lost his
watch was careless.
is also quite possible.
After the antecedent those, who
is almost always
required:
Those
who
can swim
should go first.
1.2. If the relative is the subject of a clause
and refers to an inanimate
antecedent, which
or that must be used.
The book that’s on
the table is mine.
The book which is on
the table is mine.
1.3. IMPORTANT: Omission: As subject
of a
clause, the
relative pronoun can
never be omitted.
However, the relative clause can be completely omitted:
The
book is on the table is mine is
quite impossible, but
The book on the table is
mine is perfectly acceptable.
2. The relative pronoun as object:
When the
relative is the direct object of the clause, and
refers
to a human, the relative pronoun is either whom
or that.
Examples:
The man whom I saw
yesterday is 99.
The man that I saw
yesterday is 99.
Alternatively, the relative can be
omitted,
particularly in spoken language:
The man I saw
yesterday is 99.
Whom is not used very often: that,
or
omission of the relative pronoun, are much more common.
When an inanimate object
is referred to, the same rules
apply, except that whom is never used: it is
replaced by which.
Example:
The
book that I
was reading was very
interesting, or
The
book which
I was reading was very
interesting, or
The
book I was reading was very
interesting
are all possible
Omission: when it is the object of the clause, the relative pronoun can
often be omitted, particularly in written English.
3. The relative pronoun as a possessive
Whose
is required with both animate and inanimate antecedents: it is the only
derivative of who
which can refer to animates and
inanimates:
Examples:
I know someone whose
sister is a nurse.
The man whose
car I borrowed is very rich.
I chose the set whose
price was reduced.
4.
Relative clauses starting with a prepositon:
Note how to
form relative clauses after prepositions:
The
man with whom
I was talking was angry.
The chair on which
I sat down collapsed.
5.
More complex structures:
5.1 Possession + propositon:
The player on
whose
skills the match most depended, was the goalkeeper.
5.2. Selective possession
The café, most of
whose customers had deserted it, had to close.
The writer, the
first of whose books had been a bestseller, was
a coal miner.
6.
Defining and non-defining relatives.
A "Defining"
relative clause is one which is essential for the understanding of a
statement.
Examples:
Protestors
who smash windows will be arrested.
In this example, it is clear that "all
protestors who smash windows" will be arrested. The word
"protestors" in this example is restricted by the relative clause that
defines it
Commas are not required
before and after the relative
clause.
In a non-defining
relative clause, the relative clause is not essential for an
understanding of the sentence:
Protestors,
who are mostly aged under 30, want to express an opinion.
In this example, the question of age is not an essential bit of
information. The relative clause can be omitted without making the
sentence meaningless.
In cases like this, commas are usually
required before and after the relative clause.
Compare these two examples:
People who eat too much tend to have poorer health.
Sportsmen, who pay attention to their
diet, are not usually over-weight.
7: Relative
clauses which qualify a whole
sentence, not
just a noun:
The relative clause is introduced by which,
never that or what.
C1.
He drank too much, which
is why he was sick.
C2. It was raining yesterday, which
was rather a pity.
(8:
for French speakers; click
here for information on expressing the French relative
pronoun "dont" in English.
|
