Defining relative clauses
Learn how to specify people, things, places, and times in one sentence!
Table of Contents
1.Relative pronouns
1.1Who and Which
Relative pronoun "who" is used only to describe people, exclusively. Therefore animals and other living beings as well as non-living objects which are not people require relative pronoun "which"
| Correct | Wrong | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| This is the man who stole my purse! | Man - is a person, and therefore require relative pronoun "who" | |
| This is the purse which was stolen | Purse is an object, and not a person, so we need to use "which" | |
| This is the cat which ate all the fish. | A cat, is an animal, and not a person, although it is living. Therefore requires a relative pronoun "which" |
Practice Examples
The woman _____ lives next door is a doctor.
The movie _____ won the Oscar was brilliant.
The guitar _____ I bought last week needs tuning.
1.2That
In defining relative clauses you can use "that" to talk about things or people!
| Example sentence | Explanation |
|---|---|
| I think I told you already about the man that stole my car! | that here is used to talk about a person "man" |
| This is the toy that my kid really likes | here "that is used to talk about a thing "toy" |
| Hence, you can replace "who" and "which" using "that" |
Practice Examples
The doctor _____ treated me was very professional.
The phone _____ I lost was new.
The dog _____ lives next door barks a lot.
1.3Where
Relative pronoun "where" is used to talk about locations and nothing more.
| Wrong sentence | > | Correct sentence |
|---|---|---|
| > | The cat is sitting on a bench where it usually does | |
| > | I am waiting for the time when the train arrives | |
| > | This is the school where I graduated from |
Here, "bench" and "school" are obviously meant not as objects in and of themselves, but rather as places. However, the time cannot be a place and therefore the relative pronoun "where" is not the correct one.
Practice Examples
The restaurant _____ we ate dinner was expensive.
The garden _____ we planted flowers is beautiful.
The bank _____ I opened my account is closed.
1.4When
The relative pronoun "when" is used to talk about time and temporal relationships.
| Wrong sentence | > | Correct sentence |
|---|---|---|
| > | That was the summer when I learned to swim | |
| > | I remember the day when we first met | |
| > | 2020 is the year when everything changed |
Here, "summer," "day," and "year" are clearly referring to points or periods in time. The relative pronoun "when" is the appropriate choice because it connects these temporal references to the events that occurred during them. Using "which," "where," or "that" in these contexts would be grammatically incorrect since they don't properly express temporal relationships.
Practice Examples
Evening is the time _____ we have dinner together.
Autumn is the season _____ leaves change color.
Dawn is the time _____ birds start singing.
1.5Whose
The relative pronoun "whose" is used to show possession or relationship between things/people.
| Wrong sentence | -> | Correct sentence |
|---|---|---|
| -> | I met a woman whose car was stolen | |
| -> | The tree whose branches fell down | |
| -> | That's the author whose book I'm reading |
Here, "whose" establishes a clear relationship of possession or belonging. In these examples, the car belongs to the woman, the branches are part of the tree, and the book was written by the author. Using "which" or "who" alone doesn't properly express this possessive relationship.
It's important to note that "whose" can be used for both:
- People (the woman whose car...)
- Objects/things (the tree whose branches...)
- Animals (the dog whose tail...)
This is different from "who" (used only for people) and "which" (used only for things), making "whose" uniquely versatile in expressing possession regardless of whether the owner is animate or inanimate.
Practice Examples
This is the man _____ podcast I watch.
I know the teacher _____ son won the spelling competition.
That's the woman _____ daughter plays in my football team.
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