1. RELATIVE CLAUSES
Use
They are subordinate sentences which are introduced by a relative pronoun or adverb
Types
Defining: they contain essential information to understand the sentence
Non-defining: they add extra information and go between commas
Relative pronoun/adverb Examples
Who/ that: refer to people D: This is the man who/that I told you about
ND: Charles, who is that man, owns the company
Which/ that: refer to objects D: The house which/that he built is really expensive
ND: Koalas, which are lovely animals, come from
Aussie
When: refers to a moment D: April is the month when I was born
ND: March, when spring begins, is my favourite
month
Where: refers to a place D: That’s the city where I was born
ND: London, where my cousins live, is the capital
city of the UK
Whose: implies possession D: Alex is the student whose exam you checked
ND: Chaucer, whose masterpiece was The
Canterbury Tales, has no equal as a storyteller in
verse
The relative pronoun can be omitted if:
-it appears in a defining relative clause
-its function is not that of a subject
That’s the film which I watched yesterday
That’s the film I watched yesterday
If we have a preposition, the relative pronoun is omitted and the preposition is placed
after the verb
The film which I told you about has won three awards
The film I told you about has won three awards
Carmen Pérez Rodríguez