A relative clause is a part of a sentence that gives extra information about a noun. It usually starts with a relative pronoun.
Think of it like this:
Noun + extra description
Example:
The girl who is singing is my sister.
The main idea = The girl is my sister.
The relative clause = who is singing (tells us which girl).
🔹 Relative Pronouns
These words introduce relative clauses:
| Pronoun | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| who | people (subject) | The boy who runs fast won. |
| whom | people (object, formal) | The man whom I met was kind. |
| whose | possession | The student whose bag is red is here. |
| which | things/animals | The book which is on the table is mine. |
| that | people or things (common in speech) | The movie that we watched was great. |
🔹 Two Types of Relative Clauses
1️⃣ Defining Relative Clauses (Essential Information)
These tell us exactly which person or thing we mean. Without this clause, the sentence meaning changes.
No commas are used.
Examples:
- The car that is parked outside is ours.
→ Which car? The one parked outside. - Students who study hard get good grades.
- I like movies that make me laugh.
If we remove the clause, the meaning becomes unclear:
The car is ours. (Which car?)
2️⃣ Non-Defining Relative Clauses (Extra Information)
These give additional, non-essential information. The sentence still makes sense without them.
Commas are used.
Examples:
- My brother, who lives in Osaka, is a teacher.
→ I have one brother. “who lives in Osaka” is just extra info. - Tokyo, which is the capital of Japan, is very busy.
- This phone, which I bought yesterday, is already broken.
If we remove the clause:
My brother is a teacher. (Still clear)
🔹 Subject vs Object Relative Clauses
Subject Relative Clause
The relative pronoun is the subject of the clause.
She is the teacher who helps me.
“who” = the person doing the helping
Structure:
Noun + who/which/that + verb
Object Relative Clause
The relative pronoun is the object of the verb.
She is the teacher whom I like.
She is the teacher that I like.
She is the teacher I like. ✅ (pronoun can be omitted!)
Here:
- I = subject
- like = verb
- teacher = object
In informal English, we often drop the pronoun.
🔹 Using “Whose”
“Whose” shows possession.
I met a girl whose father is a doctor.
That’s the house whose roof is blue.
It means:
father of the girl
roof of the house
🔹 Using Prepositions
Sometimes a preposition comes before the pronoun (formal style).
Formal:
The person to whom I spoke was helpful.
Natural:
The person who I spoke to was helpful.
🔹 “That” vs “Which”
In defining clauses:
✔ The cake that I made is delicious.
✔ The cake which I made is delicious.
Both are correct, but “that” is more common in speech.
In non-defining clauses:
❌ The cake, that I made, is delicious.
✔ The cake, which I made, is delicious.
🔹 Reduced Relative Clauses
Sometimes we shorten them.
Full:
The man who is standing over there is my uncle.
Reduced:
The man standing over there is my uncle.
Another:
The book that was written by her →
The book written by her
🔹 Why Relative Clauses Are Important
They help you:
- Combine sentences
- Avoid repetition
- Sound more natural
- Give detailed information smoothly
Instead of:
I have a friend. She lives in Kyoto.
Say:
I have a friend who lives in Kyoto.
Much smoother!
🔹 Final Tip
If you can point to a noun and say “I want to describe this more”, you probably need a relative clause.
