RELATIVE PRONOUNS

DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

NON-DEFINING RELATIVE
CLAUSES

 When we want to give extra information

about the subject or the object of a
sentence we need to add extra clauses.
These clauses are often added on, or put
inside a sentence and are introduced by
relative pronouns. These relative pronouns
help to make clear exactly what, where or
who the extra information is referring to.

RELATIVE PRONOUNS
match

Who (that)
Which (that)
When
Where
Whose
Why

Possession
Place
Time
Things & Ideas
People
Reason

RELATIVE PRONOUNS
key

Who (that)
Which (that)
When
Where
Whose
Why

People
Things & Ideas
Time
Place
Possession
reason

Remember
that is used instead of who and
which when we are speaking or
writing informally.
In the past WHOM was often used as
the object of a relative clause, but
today WHO is more normally used.

Which/who/that/where
clauses

The relative pronouns are used in place

of he, she, it or they to join two sentences
together:
1)Subject relative clauses:
They were three friends. They often talked
about setting up a business.
They were three friends who/that often
talked about setting up a business.

2) Object relative clauses:

They approached a number of venture
capitalists. They thought they would be
interested.
They approached a number of venture
capitalists who/that they thought would be
interested.
3) Relative clauses with where:
The company bought a bottle plant in the UK.
They could manufacture the drinks there.
The company bought a bottle plant in the UK
where they could manufacture the drinks.

Join sentences using a relative

pronoun:
Thats the product. I told you about it.
..
We visited the city. I was born there.
..
I dont like that man. He works in the marketing
department.
..

Join sentences using a relative

pronoun: KEY

Complete with a relative

pronoun
The man..is waiting outside says he
has an appointment.
The womenjob you took has left her
new job and wants to come back here.
The file ..I left on your desk has
disappeared
The reason .. I cant come is because Im
working that day.

key
The man who is waiting outside says he
has an appointment.
The women whose job you took over has
left her other job and wants to come back
here. (=of who)
The file which I left on your desk has
disappeared.
The reason why I cant come is because
Im working that day.

Defining relative clauses

non defining relative clauses ?
The extra information
which is introduced by
the relative pronoun is
necessary to the
meaning of the
sentence .
The extra information
is not necessary and
can simply give extra,
non essential
information.

Defining relative clauses

non defining relative clauses
The extra information
which is introduced by
the relative pronoun is
necessary to the
meaning of the
sentence .

Defining

The extra information

is not necessary and
can simply give extra,
non essential
information.

Non-defining

Defining relative clauses

The defining relative clause identifies and defines
the thing/place/person/reason or time talked
about.
It is necessary for the meaning:
- Example: Hes the man (who that) I met on the
plane.
Commas are not used
You can omit (who) when the verbs in the main
clause and the relative clause have a different
subject.
that (instead of which) can only be used for
people and things in defining relative clauses.
(NOT non-defining)

When can you omit (leave out)

the pronoun?
When the relative pronoun (who/which/that) is the
object of the relative clause and is followed by a
noun or a pronoun, then it can be omitted.
Example: The woman (who) you saw yesterday has just
been promoted. (different subject)
But if the pronoun is the subject of the relative
pronoun and so followed by a verb, we must keep
it.
Example: The technician who came to fix the computer
said we needed a new one. (same subject)

You can omit the relative pronoun when the

verbs in the main clause and in the relative
clause have a different subject.

example
Example: Hes the man (who/that) I met
on the plane.
You can omit who.
The subject of met is I, (not he) so its not
necessary to put who. (=two different
subjects)

Other examples: Defining

The summer is the time when we sell
more of our products
The weather is (the reason) why I decided
to come home early.
This is the street where I was born.
Thats the boy whose father plays for Real
Madrid.
Its a book which tells you how to do
marketing

Complete the sentences with a relative pronoun:

1.An environmentally-friendly product is a product----will not harm the environment when you see it.
2.It was in 2005the Kyoto Agreement on global
warming came into force.
3.Glass..has been recycled can be used again.
4.Deforestation happens in an area ..all the trees
have been cut down.
5.Rainis polluted with chemicals from factories is
called acid rain.
6.A farmer farm is organic does not use harmful
chemicals to grow food.
7.The greenhouse effect is something .happens
when the suns heat is trapped close to the Earth by
pollution.
8.An ecologist is a scientist studies the
environment.

1. An environmentally-friendly product is a product

which/that will not harm the environment when you
see it.
2. It was in 2005 when the Kyoto Agreement on global
warming came into force.
3. Glass which/that has been recycled can be used again.
4. Deforestation happens in an area where all the trees
have been cut down.
5. Rain which/that is polluted with chemicals from
factories is called acid rain.
6. A farmer whose farm is organic does not use harmful
chemicals to grow food.
7. The greenhouse effect is something which/that
happens when the suns heat is trapped close to the
Earth by pollution.
8. An ecologist is a scientist who studies the
environment.

Add a relative pronoun where it

is necessary only.
1. Greenfield sites are places nothing has ever
been built.
2. Deforestation is a problem affects the whole
world.
3. The bottles we recycled were made of brown
glass
4. The green belt is an area of land around a city
building is not allowed.
5. The ecologist we saw on television was worried
about acid rain.
6. I always buy milk has been organically produced.
7. The man factory was polluting the river was
fined over 100,000.

Add a relative pronoun where it

is necessary only. (KEY)
1. Greenfield sites are places where nothing has ever
been built.
2. Deforestation is a problem which/that affects the
whole world.
3. The bottles we recycled were made of brown glass
4. The green belt is an area of land around a city
where building is not allowed.
5. The ecologist we saw on television was worried
about acid rain.
6. I always buy milk which/that has been organically
produced.
7. The man whose factory was polluting the river was
fined over 100,000.

NON-defining relative
clauses
The relative pronoun cant be omitted
In these sentences you cant use that
instead of who/which
The clause is written inside commas:
Example: The regional sales manager, who is
a close friend of mine, has just been given a
salary rise of 20%.
The information inside commas can be
removed without the sentence losing
its meaning. (the sentence makes sense
without it)

Examples of
non-defining relative clauses:
Her husband, who/whom I met for the
first time last night, works for IBM.
The report on the French subsidiary, which
I left on your desk, needs to be rewritten.
This part of the factory, where we make
components for conveyor belts, is the
oldest part of the plant.
Last week I visited my aunt, whos nearly
90 years old.