Relative Clauses

A relative clause is a type of clause that describes a noun.

Relative clauses are "relative" because they "relate" to the noun that they modify.

A relative clause typically begins with a relative pronoun, which connects the clause to the noun it describes. The most common relative pronouns are:

• who
• which
• that
• whose
• whom

Types of relative clause

There are two types of relative clause:

1. defining relative clause
2. non-defining relative clause

1. Defining relative clauses

A defining relative clause gives essential information about the noun. It defines the noun exactly. If we remove a defining relative clause, the sentence becomes meaningless or even untrue. Look at this example:

• The book that you lent me is amazing.
  • In this sentence, the clause "that you lent me" defines which book is being talked about. Without it, we don't know which book is meant:
    The book is amazing. ❌ What book?

2. Non-defining relative clauses

A non-defining relative clause gives non-essential information about the noun. If we remove a non-defining relative clause, the sentence still makes sense.

Look at this example:

• My sister, who lives in Paris, is visiting us next week.
  • The clause "who lives in Paris" adds extra information about my sister, but the information is not necessary to understand the main idea of the sentence:
    My sister is visiting us next week. ✅

Defining vs non-defining relative clauses

Notice that we separate non-defining relative clauses with commas. Compare defining and non-defining relative clauses in the table below:

Here are two more examples:

• The Class A students who study every day are doing well in their exams.
  This sentence has a defining relative clause. There are no commas. The sentence tells us that only some Class A students are doing well — those who study every day.

• The Class A students, who study every day, are doing well in their exams.
  This sentence has a non-defining relative clause, separated by commas. The sentence suggests that all Class A students are doing well.

Relative pronouns

Relative pronouns link the relative clause to the noun. Here's how we use them:

1. who: for people
   • The woman who helped me was very kind.
2. which: for things, animals or ideas
   • The car which is parked outside is mine.
3. that: for people or things in defining relative clauses only
   • The person that came was helpful.
   • The movie that we watched was fantastic.
   Note: that is often interchangeable with "who" or "which", but cannot be used in non-defining relative clauses.
4. whose: shows possession
   • The student whose book was lost found it later.
5. whom: for people as object (mainly in formal language), often after a preposition
   • The man whom I met yesterday is my teacher.
   • The woman to whom I was speaking is my doctor.

Omitting the relative pronoun

In informal English, we often omit (leave out) the relative pronoun when it is the object of the relative clause. (However, we cannot omit the relative pronoun if it is the subject). See these examples:

1. Omitting the relative pronoun (when it is the object):
   • example (with relative pronoun): The book which/that I’m reading is interesting. ✅
   • example (without relative pronoun): The book I’m reading is interesting. ✅
2. Not omitting the relative pronoun (when it is the subject):
   • example: The woman who lives next door is friendly. ✅

Relative clauses with prepositions

In formal language, prepositions (with, by, about, to etc.) often appear at the beginning of a relative clause. In spoken English, however, the preposition is typically placed at the end of the relative clause.

• formal: The person to whom I spoke was very helpful.
• informal: The person who I spoke to was very helpful.

Both versions are "correct", but the informal version is more common in spoken, everyday conversation.

Examples of relative clauses

1. Defining relative clause:
   The students who study hard usually get good grades.
   • Here, "who study hard" tells us more about the students, specifying which students we are talking about.
2. Non-defining relative clause:
   The Eiffel Tower, which is in Paris, is a famous landmark.
   • Here, "which is in Paris" adds extra information about the Eiffel Tower, but it’s not needed to identify the Eiffel Tower. It is set off with commas.

Below are 20 example sentences that mix relative pronouns (who, which, that, whose, whom) and include both defining and non-defining relative clauses.

Defining relative clauses (no parenthesis)

1. The woman who works at the cafe is very friendly.
2. The book that you lent me was amazing.
3. The car that is parked outside belongs to my brother.
4. The students who study every day get high marks.
5. The house that they bought is in the countryside.
6. The teacher who teaches maths is very strict.
7. The movie that we watched last night was scary.
8. The athlete who won the race is Thai.
9. The dog that is barking loudly belongs to my neighbour.
10. The restaurant that serves Italian food is very popular.

Non-defining relative clauses (with parenthesis)

Note that these examples display three types of parenthesis: commas , xxx, / dashes —xxx— / brackets (xxx).

11. My grandmother — who lives in New York — is visiting us next week.
12. The Eiffel Tower, which is in Paris, attracts millions of tourists every year.
13. Mark, who is my best friend, is moving to Canada next month.
14. Sarah, whose brother is a famous musician, loves singing.
15. The computer (which I bought last week) is already broken.
16. My car, which is quite old, still runs perfectly.
17. The film — which was directed by Steven Spielberg — won several awards.
18. Our neighbor, who is a doctor, helped me when I was sick.
19. This painting, which was created in the 19th century, is very valuable.
20. The hotel (which is near the beach) has great reviews.

You can use relative clauses in different formats, including statements with a phrase like "Here are the..." and in questions. Let's explore both these formats with examples that incorporate relative clauses:

1. Sentences starting with "Here are..." (or similar structures)

These types of structures often introduce or present something, followed by a defining relative clause that specifies the "thing".

1. Here are the books that I borrowed from the library.
2. Here is the laptop which I use for work.
3. Here are the flowers that I planted in the garden.
4. These are the students who scored the highest in the test.
5. Here is the painting which you admired yesterday.
6. These are the cookies that I baked for the party.
7. Here are the instructions that you need to follow.
8. These are the tools that I use for gardening.
   

2. Questions with relative clauses

In questions, relative clauses are typically defining, often using relative pronouns like who, which or whose:

9. Who was the person who called me earlier?
10. Which book is the one that you recommended to me?
11. Whose car is the one that is parked in front of my house?
12. Who is the author whose book was published last week?
13. What is the movie which you watched last night?
14. Where is the restaurant that serves the best sushi in town?
15. Who is the teacher whose class you missed?
16. Which one of the paintings that we saw at the gallery do you like the most?
17. Why is it the book that you like the most?
18. How did you find the recipe that you used for the cake?
19. What is the phone number that I should call for more information?
20. Where are the keys that I left on the table?

Summary

We can say that:

• a relative clause is always a dependent clause
• a relative clause "relates" to and describes a noun in the independent clause
• a defining relative clause "defines" the noun with precise, essential information (no commas)
• a non-defining relative clause simply adds non-essential information about the noun (with commas)
• common relative pronouns include who, which, that, whose and whom
• we can use the relative pronoun that for people OR things, but we don't use it in a non-defining relative clause
• we can sometimes omit the relative pronoun if it is the object of the relative clause

Understanding and using relative clauses will help you create more detailed and fluent sentences in English!

Contributor: Josef Essberger, founder of EnglishClub.com. Originally from London, England, Josef is the author of several books for learners of English including English Prepositions List and Learn English in 7.