There are two types of relative clauses: 1) Defining relative clauses (DR) provide essential information to identify the noun. 2) Non-defining relative clauses (NDR) provide non-essential information about the noun. DR clauses use pronouns like who and that, while NDR clauses can also use which. Relative pronouns like who, which, whose, what, why, when and where are used in both types of clauses to link information back to the noun. Prepositions are typically placed at the end of clauses, though some styles place them before the pronoun.

1. RELATIVE CLAUSES: 1) DEFINING 2) NON-DEFINING

2. DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES (DR) SHE LIKES PEOPLE WHO ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH

3. NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES (NDR) MY FRIEND ANDREW, WHO IS SCOTTISH , PLAYS THE BAGPIPES

4. DR CLAUSES MORE COMMON IN SPOKEN LANGUAGE

5. NDR CLAUSES MORE COMMON IN WRITTEN LANGUAGE

6. DR CLAUSES POSSIBLE PRONOUNS person thing Subject WHO / THAT THAT / WHICH Object ----- / THAT ----- / THAT RELATIVE PRONOUN: OBJECT Did you like the present (that) I gave you? RELATIVE PRONOUN: SUBJECT I met a man who works in marketing

7. NDR CLAUSES POSSIBLE PRONOUNS person thing Subject WHO WHICH Object WHO / WHOM WHICH RELATIVE PRONOUN CANNOT BE LEFT OUT

8. Fill in the gaps with a relative pronoun The new terminal, ______ will be finished by May, has been designed by a famous architect Have you finished the book ______ I lent you? The Prime Minister, ______ the paparazzi follow everywhere, has a new girlfriend I don’t know the man ______ arrived just after you

9. PREPOSITIONS: DR AND NDR Prepositions come at the end in most cases I can always rely on my friend  She’s a friend I can always rely on I went to school with Mary  This is Mary, who I went to school with Prepositions come before the pronoun in a formal written style She is a friend on whom I can rely It is a fact with which you cannot argue

10. OTHER RELATIVE PRONOUNS WHICH WHOSE WHAT WHY WHEN WHERE

11. WHICH Can be used in NDR clauses to refer to the whole of the sentence before She arrived on time, which amazed everybody They had everything ready for us, which was nice

12. WHOSE Can be used in both DR and NDR clauses That’s the woman whose son ran over my dog My parents, whose only interest is gardening, never go away on holiday

13. WHAT Is used in DR clauses to mean the thing that Has she told you what’s worrying her? What you need is love

14. WHY Can be used in DR clauses to mean the reason why I don’t know why we are arguing

15. WHEN, WHERE Can be used in DR and NDR clauses Tell me when you expect to arrive We’ll go on Monday, when I’m free The hotel where we stayed was excellent He works in Oxford, where my sister lives

16. AND FINALLY...

17. REDUCED RELATIVE CLAUSES When a DR clause has a continuous or passive verb form, we can leave out who, that, which and the auxiliary Everyone (who is) living in the area complains about the noise The first novel (that was) written by Doris Lessing is The Grass Is Singing