Relative clauses provide additional information about a person or thing mentioned in the main clause of a sentence. Defining relative clauses are essential for identifying the person or thing, while non-defining relative clauses provide extra context using commas. Relative pronouns like who, which, that, and whose are used to join the two clauses, and the pronoun can sometimes be omitted for objects. The type of relative clause impacts whether it refers to a specific or non-specific person or thing.

1. RELATIVE CLAUSES
By Esther Curiel

2. Relative clauses
are used to tell us
which person or
thing we are
talking about.

3. It makes it
possible to give
more information
about the person
on thing being
spoken about

4. The boy has gone into hospital
• Which boy?
• The boy who lives next door
has gone into hospital.

5. The book is very good.
• Which book?
• The book that I bought
yesterday is very good.

6. This is a photo of the hotel.
• Which hotel?
• This is a photo of the
hotel where we stayed.

7. Defining relative
clauses give
information to
help us identify a
specific person,
animal or thin.

8. Defining Relative Clauses
Relative Examples
pronoun
Who/ That People: The book is about a girl who / that
marries a millionaire.
It can be left out when who/that is the
whom object.
The person (whom) you need to talk to is on
holiday
Which That Objects: Have you found the keys
(which/that/nothing) you lost?
Whose Possession. That’s the woman whose son won
the lottery.
When That Time: I’ll never forget the day when/ that we
first met
Where Places: The hotel where we stayed was right
on the beach.

9. You can leave out the relative pronoun
when it refers to the object of the verb.

10. But be careful:

11. But be careful:

12. Non-defining relative clauses
• Give extra information.
• Are separated from the main clause
by commas.
• Do not use that

13. Non-Defining Relative Clauses
Pronouns Examples. Note the commas. Extra
information.
People: Peter, who had been driving all day,
Who/ suggested stopping at the next town.
Mr Jones, for whom I was working, was very
whom generous.
Which Objects: This machine, which I have looked after for
20 years, is still working perfectly.
Whose Possession. His house, whose windows were all broken,
was a depressing sight.
Where Places: Jill has just been to Sweden, where her
daughter lives.

14. Notice how the meaning of a
sentence changes according to the
type of relative clause.
• The man, who was wearing a lime
green hat, seemed a little strange
(thhere is only 1 man)
• The man who was wearing a lime
green hat seemed a little strange.
• (there is more than one man)