🎯 Objective
To help learners master relative clauses - dependent clauses that provide essential or additional information about nouns, using relative pronouns (who, whom, whose, which, that) and relative adverbs (where, when, why) to create more sophisticated and precise sentences.
📖 What are Relative Clauses?
Relative clauses are dependent clauses that modify nouns or pronouns by providing additional information. They begin with relative pronouns or adverbs and help create more detailed, sophisticated sentences by combining related ideas.
| Type | Function | Relative Words | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defining (Restrictive) | Essential information | who, that, which | The book that I bought is excellent. |
| Non-defining (Non-restrictive) | Extra information | who, which (with commas) | My car, which is red, needs repair. |
| Subject Relative | Pronoun as subject | who, which, that | The man who lives next door is kind. |
| Object Relative | Pronoun as object | whom, which, that | The person (whom) I met was friendly. |
| Possessive | Shows ownership | whose | The student whose book was lost looked sad. |
| Adverbial | Time, place, reason | when, where, why | The day when we met was special. |
📚 Step-by-Step Guide: Mastering Relative Clauses
Understanding Relative Clause Structure
Basic Pattern: Main clause + relative pronoun/adverb + relative clause
Example: The teacher who taught us math was excellent.
Function: The relative clause provides more information about "the teacher" (the antecedent).
Group 1: Relative Pronouns for People
👤 WHO - Subject Pronoun for People
Function: Replaces a person as the subject of the relative clause
Usage Patterns:
- Defining: "The student who studies hard will succeed."
- Non-defining: "My sister, who lives in London, is visiting."
- After preposition: "The person to whom I spoke was helpful." (formal)
Key Rule: Use "who" when the person performs the action in the relative clause
Structure Analysis:
"The doctor who treated my father was experienced."
• "who" = the doctor (subject of "treated")
• The doctor performed the action of treating
👥 WHOM - Object Pronoun for People (Formal)
Function: Replaces a person as the object of the relative clause
Usage Patterns:
- Formal writing: "The candidate whom we interviewed was qualified."
- After prepositions: "The friend from whom I learned this is reliable."
- Often omitted: "The person (whom) I met yesterday was nice."
Note: In modern English, "whom" is often replaced by "who" or omitted entirely in informal speech
🏠 WHOSE - Possessive for People and Things
Function: Shows ownership or relationship
Usage Patterns:
- People: "The artist whose painting won is here."
- Things: "The building whose roof collapsed was old."
- Structure: whose + noun + verb
Key Rule: "Whose" is always followed by a noun and can never be omitted
Transformation:
✗ "The woman. Her car broke down."
✓ "The woman whose car broke down called for help."
Group 2: Relative Pronouns for Things
📦 WHICH - For Things and Animals
Function: Refers to things, animals, or entire clauses
Usage Patterns:
- Defining: "The book which I borrowed is due tomorrow."
- Non-defining: "This computer, which cost $2000, works perfectly."
- Whole clause reference: "He passed the exam, which surprised everyone."
After prepositions: "The tool with which I fixed it is expensive."
🎯 THAT - Universal Relative Pronoun
Function: Can replace who, whom, or which in defining clauses
Usage Patterns:
- People: "The teacher that helped me was kind."
- Things: "The car that I drive is old."
- Often preferred: After superlatives, "the only," "the first"
Restrictions:
- ❌ Never in non-defining clauses
- ❌ Never after prepositions
- ✅ Only in defining/restrictive clauses
Group 3: Relative Adverbs
📅 WHEN - Time References
Function: Refers to time expressions
Usage: "The day when we met was special."
Alternative: "The day on which we met was special."
📍 WHERE - Place References
Function: Refers to places
Usage: "The restaurant where we ate was excellent."
Alternative: "The restaurant at which we ate was excellent."
❓ WHY - Reason References
Function: Refers to reasons (usually after "reason")
Usage: "The reason why he left is unclear."
Alternative: "The reason for which he left is unclear."
Defining vs Non-Defining Clauses
✅ Defining (Restrictive) Clauses:
Purpose: Essential information that identifies the noun
Punctuation: No commas
Pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, that
Can omit: Object pronouns (whom, which, that)
- "Students who study hard succeed." (identifies which students)
- "The book (that) I read was interesting." (that can be omitted)
📝 Non-Defining (Non-Restrictive) Clauses:
Purpose: Extra information about an already identified noun
Punctuation: Commas required
Pronouns: who, whom, whose, which (NOT that)
Cannot omit: Relative pronouns are always required
- "My brother, who lives in Tokyo, is visiting." (extra info about my brother)
- "This laptop, which cost $3000, works perfectly." (additional detail)
Advanced Rules and Patterns
Omission Rules:
Can omit when object:
- "The movie (that/which) we watched was great."
- "The person (whom/that) I met was friendly."
Cannot omit when subject:
- ✓ "The student who passed the exam celebrated."
- ❌ "The student passed the exam celebrated."
Preposition Placement:
Formal (preposition before pronoun):
- "The house in which I live is old."
- "The person to whom I spoke was helpful."
Informal (preposition at end):
- "The house (that) I live in is old."
- "The person (who) I spoke to was helpful."
Common Mistakes and Corrections
✅ Correct Usage:
- "The woman who called yesterday wants to meet." (subject)
- "My car, which is blue, needs repair." (non-defining with commas)
- "The house where I grew up was demolished." (place adverb)
- "The student whose project won is celebrating." (possessive)
❌ Common Errors:
- ❌ "The woman, that called yesterday, wants to meet." (that in non-defining)
- ❌ "My car which is blue needs repair." (missing commas in non-defining)
- ❌ "The house what I grew up was demolished." (what instead of where)
- ❌ "The student who's project won is celebrating." (who's instead of whose)
🧩 Task: Master Relative Clause Construction
Read the text about a university research project and identify/correct the relative clause errors.
📝 Student Text:
Our university conducted a research project what involved students from different departments. The professor, that supervised the project, has extensive experience in research methodology. Students which participated in the study had to complete several surveys. The laboratory where we conducted the experiments in was equipped with modern technology. The researcher who's data analysis was exceptional received recognition. The results, that were published last month, showed significant findings. The methodology what we used was approved by the ethics committee. The student whom submitted the best report will present at the conference. This is the reason what our university gained international recognition. The participants, that came from 15 countries, contributed valuable insights.
1. 🔍 Identify and correct the wrong relative pronoun choices.
2. ✏️ Fix the punctuation errors in non-defining clauses.
3. 📝 Correct the possessive pronoun error and explain the difference.
4. 🎯 Fix the preposition placement issues and suggest both formal and informal alternatives.
5. 🔧 Improve sentence flow by combining or restructuring relative clauses.
✅ Answer Key & Detailed Explanations
1. 🔍 Wrong Relative Pronoun Corrections:
Error 1: "project what involved" → "project that/which involved"
Error 2: "methodology what we used" → "methodology that/which we used"
Error 3: "reason what our university" → "reason why our university"
Rule: "What" is not a relative pronoun. Use "that/which" for things, "why" for reasons, "where" for places.
2. ✏️ Punctuation and Non-defining Clause Errors:
Error 1: "professor, that supervised" → "professor, who supervised"
Error 2: "results, that were published" → "results, which were published"
Error 3: "participants, that came from" → "participants, who came from"
Rule: Never use "that" in non-defining clauses (clauses with commas). Use "who" for people, "which" for things.
3. 📝 Possessive Pronoun Error:
Error: "researcher who's data analysis" → "researcher whose data analysis"
Explanation:
- "Who's" = contraction of "who is" or "who has"
- "Whose" = possessive relative pronoun showing ownership
- Test: If you can substitute "who is/has," use "who's." If showing possession, use "whose."
4. 🎯 Preposition Placement Improvements:
Error: "laboratory where we conducted the experiments in"
Corrections:
- Natural: "laboratory where we conducted the experiments"
- Alternative: "laboratory in which we conducted the experiments" (formal)
- Informal: "laboratory (that) we conducted the experiments in"
Rule: Don't use both "where" and "in" together. "Where" already includes the meaning of "in which."
5. 🔧 Sentence Flow Improvements:
Original issues: Choppy sentences, repetitive structure
Improvements:
- Combine related ideas: "Students from different departments participated in our university's research project"
- Vary sentence structure: Mix defining and non-defining clauses
- Eliminate redundancy: "submitted the best report" instead of "whom submitted"
- Use parallel structure for similar ideas
🏆 Corrected Model Text
Our university conducted a research project that involved students from different departments. The professor, who supervised the project, has extensive experience in research methodology. Students who participated in the study had to complete several surveys. The laboratory where we conducted the experiments was equipped with modern technology. The researcher whose data analysis was exceptional received recognition. The results, which were published last month, showed significant findings. The methodology that we used was approved by the ethics committee. The student who submitted the best report will present at the conference. This is the reason why our university gained international recognition. The participants, who came from 15 countries, contributed valuable insights.
Relative Clause Analysis:
- ✅ "that involved students" - defining clause, identifies which project
- ✅ "who supervised the project" - non-defining, extra info about professor (with commas)
- ✅ "who participated" - defining clause, identifies which students
- ✅ "where we conducted" - place adverb, no extra preposition needed
- ✅ "whose data analysis" - possessive, shows ownership of analysis
- ✅ "which were published" - non-defining about results (with commas)
- ✅ "why our university gained" - reason adverb after "reason"
Key Improvements Made:
Pronoun accuracy: Replaced "what" with appropriate relative pronouns
Punctuation precision: Added commas for non-defining clauses, removed "that" from non-defining contexts
Possessive clarity: Corrected "who's" to "whose" for possession
Preposition efficiency: Removed redundant prepositions with relative adverbs
Natural flow: Maintained academic tone while improving readability
Clause Functions Demonstrated:
Identification: "Students who participated" (defines which students)
Additional information: "The professor, who supervised, ..." (extra detail about known professor)
Location specification: "laboratory where we conducted" (specifies which laboratory)
Ownership indication: "researcher whose data analysis" (shows possession)
Reason clarification: "reason why our university gained" (explains cause)
Time reference: "results, which were published last month" (temporal information)
Style Enhancement Suggestions:
Advanced version: "Our university's comprehensive research project, which involved students from diverse academic departments, was supervised by an experienced professor whose expertise in research methodology proved invaluable. The state-of-the-art laboratory where we conducted our experiments provided the ideal environment for generating the significant findings that were subsequently published and that brought our institution international recognition."