What is a relative clause?
A relative clause gives more information about a noun. It starts with a relative pronoun (who, which, that, whose) or a relative adverb (where, when). It lets you combine two short sentences into one longer, more elegant sentence.
The womannoun
who lives next doorrelative clause
is a doctor.main clause
| Word | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| who | people | The man who called is my uncle. |
| which | things / animals | The book which I borrowed is great. |
| that | people or things (defining only) | The film that we saw was long. |
| whose | possession | The girl whose bag was stolen is upset. |
| where | places | That is the café where we met. |
| when | times | I remember the day when we met. |
Defining or non-defining?
Defining (essential, no commas)
- The student who sits next to me is French.
- (It tells us which student.) that is possible.
Non-defining (extra, commas)
- My brother, who lives in Rome, is a chef.
- (Extra information.) that is NOT possible.
Rule
Key rules
- Defining: no commas; that can replace who/which.
- Non-defining: commas on both sides; use who / which (never that); you cannot leave out the pronoun.
- In a defining clause you may omit the pronoun if it is the object: The book (that) I read was good. (You can’t omit it if it is the subject: The man who called…).
- With prepositions: the man (who) I spoke to* (informal) or the man to whom I spoke* (formal).
- Which can refer to a whole clause: He passed the exam, which surprised everyone.
Lots of examples
- The teacher who taught me maths retired last year.who = person (subject).
- The car that he bought is very fast.that = object, could be omitted.
- This is the town where I grew up.where = place.
- Do you remember the summer when we went camping?when = time.
- My sister, who lives in Canada, is visiting us.Non-defining: commas.
- The laptop, which I bought last week, has stopped working.Non-defining with which.
- The writer whose books I love is giving a talk.whose = possession.
- The man (who) I was talking to is my boss.Pronoun can be omitted (object).
- She didn’t reply, which annoyed me.which = the whole situation.
- The film we watched last night was fantastic.Pronoun omitted.
- That’s the reason why I left.why = reason.
- The hotel in which we stayed was spotless.Formal preposition + which.
Don’t say / Say
Don’t sayThe man which called is my uncle.
SayThe man who called is my uncle.Why: Which is for things; who is for people.
Don’t sayMy brother, that lives in Rome, is a chef.
SayMy brother, who lives in Rome, is a chef.Why: That is not used in non-defining clauses.
Don’t sayThe book that I read it was great.
SayThe book that I read was great.Why: Don’t repeat the object (it).
Don’t sayThe girl who her bag was stolen is upset.
SayThe girl whose bag was stolen is upset.Why: Use whose for possession.
Don’t sayThis is the house where I live in.
SayThis is the house where I live. / This is the house (that) I live in.Why: Where already includes the preposition.