Relative Clauses

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A relative clause is a type of subordinate clause that describes a noun in the main clause. It begins with a relative pronoun or relative adverb and provides extra information about a noun.

Types of Relative Clauses

1. Defining Relative Clauses (Essential information)

These clauses identify or specify the noun and cannot be removed without changing the meaning.

  • Example: The girl who won the race is my sister.

2. Non-Defining Relative Clauses (Extra information)

These clauses add extra details and can be removed without affecting the main meaning. They are separated by commas.

  • Example: My friend, who lives in London, is visiting me.

Relative Pronouns (Used to introduce relative clauses)

  • Who → for people (The boy who is singing is my brother.)
  • Whom → for people (object) (The teacher whom I met was kind.)
  • Which → for things (The book which I borrowed is interesting.)
  • That → for people and things (The movie that we watched was great.)
  • Whose → for possession (The girl whose dog is lost is crying.)

Relative Adverbs

  • Where → for places (This is the house where I was born.)
  • When → for time (I remember the day when we met.)
  • Why → for reasons (I don’t know the reason why he left.)

Conclusion

Relative clauses help in describing nouns and making sentences more detailed. They can be essential (defining) or non-essential (non-defining), depending on whether the information is necessary.

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