2. Relative clauses
A camel is an animal which/that lives in hot countries.
A computer is something which/that we use for storing
information.
A firefighter is someone who/that puts out fires and whose
job is very risky.
A gym is a place where we do sports.
3. Relative clauses are introduced with a) relative pronouns (who(m),
which, whose, that) and b) relative adverbs (when, where, why)
We use:
Who/that to refer to people.
ex: I met a woman. She was from Japan.
I met a woman who/that was from Japan. (who/that is the
subject, therefore it can not be omitted.)
Which/that to refer to objects or animals.
ex : I bought a car. It was made in Korea.
The car which /that I bought was made in Korea.
Who/which/that can be omitted when it is the object of the relative
clause:
ex: I saw a friend. I hadn’t seen him for years.
I saw a friend (who/that) I hadn’t seen for years. (who/that is the
object, therefore it can be omitted.)
4. Whose instead of possessive adjectives (my, your, his
,etc.) with people, objects and animals in order to
show possession.
ex: That is the boy-his bicycle was stolen yesterday.
That is the boy whose bicycle was stolen yesterday.
That is the building-its windows were smashed.
That’s the building whose windows were smashed.
That is never used after a comma or preposition.
ex: The Chinese vase, which is on the coffee table, is
very expensive. ( not that on the table.)
5. Relative adverbs
We use:
Where to refer to place, usually after nouns such as place,
house, street, town, country, etc.
ex: The house where he was born has been demolished.
When to refer to time, usually after nouns such as time,
period, moment, day, year, summer, etc.
ex: that was the year when she graduated.
Why to give reason, usually after the word reason.
ex: the reason why she left her job was that she didn’t get
on with her boss.
6. There are two types of relative clause: identifying relative
clauses and non-identifying relative clauses.
An identifying relative clause gives necessary information
and is essential to the meaning of the main sentence. It is not
put in commas.
ex: The papers are missing. (Which papers? We don’t know.
The meaning of the sentence is clear.)
The papers (which/ that) you gave me to check are missing.
A non-identifying relative clause gives extra information and
is not essential to the meaning of the main sentence. It is put in
commas.
Jenny Ladd is my favorite author. (the meaning of the sentence
is clear.)
Jenny Ladd, who has written a lot of successful books, is my
favorite author. (The relative clause gives extra information.)
7. -Fill in the relative pronoun or adverb. Put commas where
necessary. Write I for identifying, NI for non-identifying.
a. Paul ……….. Birthday is on Friday, is having a party tonight.
b. Martin ……… works in the library writes poetry in his spare time.
c. That’s the woman ………..house was burgled last week.
d. The day ……….I left school was hot and sunny.
e. Sarah Jones ………… I knew at university is a doctor now.
f. The cafe ………… we had lunch served delicious food.
g. This is the reason ………… I haven’t finished.
h. This CD ………….I bought yesterday is awful.
i. My boss ………….office is next to mine is on holiday at the moment.
j. London ………….the Houses of Parliament are is the capital of England.
k. My favorite time of the year is summer………… the weather is hot.
l. The woman …………won the lottery gave an interview to the newspaper.
m. People …………play musical instruments are called musicians.
8. -Join the sentences, as in the example.
a. Sam has gone to a party. The party is at his friend’s house.
Sam has gone to a party which is at his friend’s house.
a. I lent my jacket to Pam. The jacket is made of leather.
b. I took a picture of rainbow. It appeared in the sky after the shower.
c. The woman’s purse was stolen outside the supermarket. The police
came to question her.
d. She is the woman. She sits next to me in class.
e. The bench was wet. I sat on it.
f. We couldn’t find the person. His car was blocking our driveway.
g. A café is a small restaurant. People can get a light meal there.
h. Summer is the time of year. The weather is the hottest .
i. Our office needs a secretary . He/ She knows how to use various
word processing programs.
