Grammar

RELATIVE CLAUSES
Relative pronouns in
relative clauses
Relative clauses give us extra information about something/someone or identify which
particular thing/person we are talking about. They are often introduced by the
following words.
who
whic
h
who
m
that
whe
n
whe
re
why
who
se
wha
t

USE

EXAMPLE

to refer people (and animals when we

want to give them a personality)
to refer to things and concepts (and
animals when we dont want to give
them a personality)
a formal word for who; as an object;
must be used directly after a preposition.

There are a lot of people who hate having

injections.
This is the prescription which the doctor gave me.

a more informal word for who, which,

when, where, why; only used in defining
relative clauses.
to refer to time; = in/on/etc. which.

This is the prescription that the doctor gave me.

to refer to place or situation; = in/at/etc.

which.

Harley Street, where she was born, is famous for

its clinics.

often after the word reason; = the

reason for which; only used in defining
relative clauses.
the possessive of who and which; can
also come after a preposition.

And thats (the reason) why I wanted to become a

vet.

= the thing(s) which; only used in

defining relative clauses.

What I dont understand is why she didnt take her

pills.

Thats the consultant with whom I spoke.

Ill never forget the day when I broke my finger.

There are several kids in my class whose parents

are doctors.

USE

EXAMPLE

when the relative pronoun is the subject of the

relative clause, you do not need another
subject.

I admire Jude Law, who always works hard on his

films.
I admire Jude Law, who he always works hard on his
films.
This is the medical encyclopaedia to which I
referred. (very formal)
This is the medical encyclopaedia which I referred to.
(less formal)
She announced that she wanted to be a pathologist,
which really shocked us. ( = the announcement
shocked us)

when we use a preposition with a relative

pronoun, it is more formal to put the
preposition before the pronoun.
which can refer to the whole preceding clause,
rather than just the preceding noun.

Defining relative
clauses
These tell us which one of a group of things/people we are talking about. The
sentence doesnt usually make complete sense if we remove the relative clauses.

USE
to tell us which one of a group of things/people
we are talking about
we can use that instead of who/which/etc. This is
more informal.
we dont use a comma or commas.
we can omit the relative pronoun if it is the object
when, where and why can be omitted.

EXAMPLE
Thats the doctor who did Karens operation.
Thats the doctor that did Karens operation.
Thats the doctor who did Karens operation.
Thats the doctor who she saw. (more formal)
Thats the doctor she saw. (less formal)
Ill never forget the day when I broke my arm.
Ill never forget the day I broke my arm.

we cannot put a number or a determiner such as

some, none, much and many before of which or
of whom.

Non-defining relative
clauses
These simply give us more information about someone/something. The sentence
makes complete sense if we remove the relative clause.
USE
to give us more information about
someone/something
we cannot use that instead of who/which/etc.
we must use a comma or commas.
we cannot omit the relative pronoun.
we do not use why. We cannot omit where and
when.
we can put a number or a determiner such as
some, none, much and many before of which or
of whom.

EXAMPLE
Dr Lake, who has been working here for over
ten years, is a very experienced surgeon.
Megamonsters, that was filmed in New York, is a
very disappointing film.
Dr Lake, who is an experienced surgeon, is my
uncle.
Dr Lake, who is my uncle, is 50 years old.
Harley Street, where she was born, is famous for
its clinics.
I bought some drugs, some of which were
expensive.