RELATIVE (ADJECTIVE) CLAUSE

Relativ
e Refers
Function Examples
Pronou To
n
Who People Subject 1. The girl who is singing is my
friend.
2. The teacher who teaches
English is strict.
Whom People Object 1. The teacher whom I met
(formal) was very kind.
2. The man whom she invited
came late.
Which Animals / Subject / 1. The chicken which lives on
Things Object the farm lays eggs.
2. The mall which opened last
year is very big.
3. The book which I bought is
interesting.
That People / Subject / 1. The student that I met was
Animals / Object friendly.
Things (informal, 2. The dog that barked all
common in night is mine.
speech) 3. The car that he drives is
fast.

Whose People / Possession 1. The student whose phone

Animals / rang was embarrassed.
Things 2. The cat whose tail is long is
cute.
3. The mall whose parking lot
is huge is very crowded.

Relati
ve Refers
Function Example
Adver To
b
When Time Refers to a I remember the day when we first
specific time met.
Where Place Refers to a 1. This is the house where I was
specific born.
place (shows 2. The school where I studied
action) is far from here.
Why Reason Refers to a I don’t know the reason why she
reason left.
(usually after
reason)

Let’s practice
1. This is the restaurant __________ serves the best pizza in town.
2. The teacher __________ we met yesterday is very kind.
3. I have a friend __________ father works as an engineer.
4. The day __________ we moved into the new house was rainy.

5. I don’t know the reason __________ she is upset.

6. The book __________ you lent me was really interesting.
7. That’s the girl __________ helped me with my homework.
8. The city __________ I was born is famous for its architecture.
9. This is the dog __________ won the competition last year.
10. The movie __________ we watched last night was exciting.
11. The man __________ car was stolen is reporting it to the police.
12. She showed me the dress __________ she bought for the party.
13. The place __________ we first met was a cozy coffee shop.
14. This is the boy __________ won the first prize in the science fair.
15. I can’t remember the time __________ we agreed to meet.

16. That’s the reason __________ we decided to cancel the trip.

17. The person __________ you need to talk to is the manager.

1. I saw the man. He closed the door.

2. The girl is happy. She won the race.
3. The student is from China. He sits next to me.
4. The students are from China. They sit in the front row.
5. We are studying sentences. They contain adjective clauses.
1. The book was good. I read it.
2. I liked the woman. I met her at the party last night.
3. I liked the composition. You wrote it.
4. The people were very nice. We visited them yesterday.
5. The man is standing over there. Ann brought him to the party.

1. The meeting was interesting. I went to it.

2. The man was very kind. I talked to him yesterday.
3. I must thank the people. I got a present from them.
4. The picture was beautiful. She was looking at it.
5. The man is standing over there. I was telling you about him.
1. I know a man. His last name is Goose.
2. I apologized to the woman. I spilled her coffee.
3. The man called the police. His wallet was stolen.
4. I met the woman. Her husband is the president of the corporation.
5. The professor is excellent. I am taking her course.

1. The city was beautiful. We spent our vacation there (in that city).
2. That is the restaurant. I will meet you there (at that restaurant).
3. The town is small. I grew up there (in that town).
4. That is the drawer. I keep my jewelry there (in that drawer).

1. Monday is the day. We will come then (on that day).

2. 7:05 is the time. My plane arrives then (at that time).
3. July is the month. The weather is usually the hottest then (in that
month).
4. 1960 is the year. The revolution took place then (in that year).
1. Max isn't home yet. That worries me.
2. My roommate never picks up after herself. This irritates me.
3. Mrs. Anderson responded to my letter right away. I appreciated that
very much.
4. There's been an accident on Highway 5. That means I'll be late to
work this morning.
5. I shut the door on my necktie. That was really stupid of me.

Defining vs Non-Defining Relative Clause

1. Defining Relative Clauses

1. Purpose: Give essential Examples:
information about the noun.  The student who studies
Without it, the sentence may hard will pass the exam.
lose its meaning.  The car that I bought is
2. Punctuation: No commas very expensive.
are used.  The book which is on the
3. Relative pronouns: who, desk belongs to Sarah.
whom, whose, which, that
*Here, the clause tells us which student, which car, which book—it’s
necessary.

2. Non-Defining Relative Clauses

4. Purpose: Give extra Examples:
information, but the  My teacher, who is very
sentence is still complete kind, helped me with my
without it. homework.
5. Punctuation: Always put  Paris, which is the capital
the clause between of France, is a beautiful city.
commas.  Mr. John, whose son is my
6. Relative pronouns: who, friend, is our neighbor.
whom, whose, which (never
that)
*If we remove the clause, the sentence still makes sense. (e.g. My teacher
helped me with my homework.)

Practice
A. Identify: Defining (D) or Non-Defining (ND)
1. The man who lives next door is a doctor.
2. My sister, who lives in London, is an engineer.
3. The movie that we watched yesterday was amazing.
4. Mount Everest, which is the highest mountain in the world, is
in Nepal.
B. Combine the Sentences
1. I met a girl. She can speak six languages.
2. Mr. Smith is my English teacher. He loves football.
3. This is the laptop. I bought it last week.
4. Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia. It is very crowded.

Let’s practice
1. This is the place ______ I saw 2. That's the man ______
him the last time. daughter has won the
a. whose lottery.
b. where a. whom
c. which b. which
d. that c. who
e. – d. which
e. whose 7. What's the book ______ we
3. Do you know the musician must read this term?
______ is playing the guitar. a. where
(2 options) b. whose
a. who c. whom
b. – d. who
c. that e. –
d. whom 8. This is the girl ______
e. whose parents are getting
4. The painting, ______ was divorced.
finished in 1850, is one of a. who
the most representative b. whose
works of that time. c. whom
a. which d. who
b. – e. which
c. that 9. The final decision, ______
d. who not everybody is going
e. whose to like, will be announced at
5. This is the person ______ I the next meeting.
introduced you to a few a. which
weeks ago. (two options) b. that
a. which c. –
b. that d. on which
c. – e. in which
d. where 10. This phone is much
e. when better than the first phone
6. I can't find the shop ______ I ______ you showed me. (2
bought my computer two options)
years ago. (two options) a. whose
a. where b. that
b. that c. –
c. which d. who
d. in which e. whose
e. –