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Relative Clauses

Which sentences are true?


1. Pubs in the UK, which banned smoking, are now very popular.
2. Pubs in the UK which banned smoking are now very popular.
3. Milk, which contains chemicals, is dangerous.
4. Milk which contains chemicals is dangerous.
Sentences 2 and 4 are correct.
Whats the difference in meaning between the following sentences?
5 a) The girls who worked hard were given a bonus.
b) The girls, who worked hard, were given a bonus.
6 a) We got in through the window, which somebody had left open.
b) We got in through the window which somebody had left open.
In 5a, only the girls who worked hard were given a bonus. In 5b, all the girls were given a bonus.
All of them worked hard.
In 6a, people got in through the window, which happened to be left open. In 6b, people got in
through a specific window, left open for them.

Relative Pronouns chart

relative
use
pronoun

example
I told you about the woman who lives
next door.

who

subject or object pronoun for people

which

subject or object pronoun for animals and things Do you see the cat which is lying on the
roof?

which

referring to a whole sentence

He couldnt read, which surprised me.

whose

possession for people animals and things

Do you know the boy whose mother is a


nurse?

whom

object pronoun for people, especially in nondefining relative clauses (in defining relative
clauses we colloquially prefer who)
subject or object pronoun for people, animals
and things in defining relative clauses (who or
which are also possible)

I was invited by the professor whom I met


at the conference.

that

I dont like the table that stands in the


kitchen.

In American English, whom is not used very often. Whom is more formal than who and it is very
often omitted in speech:
Grammatically Correct:
The woman to whom you have just spoken is my teacher.
Common in Speech:
The woman (who) you have just spoken to is my teacher.
However, whom may not be omitted if preceded by a preposition:
I have found you the tutor for whom you were looking.
Relative Pronoun: Subject or Object?
If the relative pronoun is followed by a verb, the relative pronoun is a subject pronoun. Subject
pronouns must always be used in relative clauses.
The apple which is lying on the table.
If the relative pronoun is not followed by a verb (but by noun or pronoun), the relative pronoun is
an object pronoun. Object pronouns can be dropped in defining relative clauses.
The apple (which) George laid on the table.
Non-Defining Relative Clauses:
This kind of clause gives additional information about a person or thing. The sentence still makes
sense without the non-defining relative clause. Its usually presented between commas.
Queen Elizabeth ll, who lives at Buckingham Palace, is expected to live to a very old age, like her
mother.
Everest, which is the highest mountain in the world, was not climbed until 1953.
The girls, who worked hard, were given a bonus.
Defining Relative Clauses:
A defining relative clause identifies which person or thing we mean exactly. You cannot leave
information in defining relative clauses out of a sentence. Its not presented between commas.
Pronouns who and which can be replace by that, and the relative pronoun can be omitted if it is the
object of the verb in the relative clause.
Milk which contains chemicals is dangerous.
We need someone who can read Chinese.
The girls who worked hard were given a bonus.

Use commas
Always use relative pronouns
(who/which)
who/which cannot be replaced with that.
Object pronouns must be used

No commas
That can replace who /which
Possible to omit pronoun if it is the
OBJECT of the verb in the relative clause

Relative Adverbs: Time, Place, Reason


A relative adverb can be used instead of a relative pronoun plus preposition.
This is the shop in which I bought my bike. This is the shop where I bought my bike.

relative adverb

meaning

use

example

when

in/on which

refers to a time expression

the day when we met him

* where

in/at which

refers to a place

the place where we met him

why

for which

refers to a reason

the reason why we met him

Where cannot be omitted. Compare the sentences:


Thats the street where I found your wallet.
Thats the street (which/that) I found your wallet in.

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