Using
the relative clause
in English
► See also:
Pronouns
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:
Examples
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.
Examples
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:
Examples
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 pronoun is the
direct object of the
clause, and
refers
to a
human, the pronoun used 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.
Examples:
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.
Examples
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 relative 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:
preposition+which
for inanimates or things,
preposition + whom for people.
Examples
The
man with whom
I was talking was angry.
The chair on which
I sat down collapsed.
5.
More complex structures:
Examples
5.1 Preposition + possession:
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 relative clauses.
6.1. A "
Defining"
relative clause is one which is essential for the understanding of a
statement.
Example
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.
6.2. In a
non-defining
relative clause, the relative clause is
not
essential for an
understanding of the sentence:
Examples
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:
Examples
6.1. People who eat too much tend to have poorer
health.
6.2. 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.
Examples
He
drank too much, which
is why he was sick.
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.)
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