Relative Clauses

Relative Clauses

1. We can use Relatives Clauses to give more information about something.

   • Which = animals or objects
   • Who = Only people
     • Whose = Possession
   • That = People and things
   • When = Time
   • Where = Places

2. Defining Relatives

   • We use relative clauses to make clear which person or thing we are talking about.
     • This is the house which Mauro and Steve built.
   • In this kind of relative clause, we can use that instead of who or which.
     • This is the house that Mauro and Steve built.
   • We can leave out the pronoun if it is the object of the relative clause
     • This is the house that Mauro and Steve built. (that is the object of built.
   • NOTICE
     • The relative pronoun is the subject/object of the relative clause, so we do not repeat the subject/object.
       • This is the house that Mauro and Steve built it. (that is the object of built, so we don't need it)

3. Non-Defining Relatives

   • We also use relative clauses to give more information about a person, thing or situation.
     • Marcelo, who is 76, has just retired.
     • We had fish and chips, which I always enjoy.
     • I met Adriana in town yesterday, which was a nice surprise.
   • With this kind of relative clause, we use commas (,) to separate it from the rest of the sentence. In this kind of relative clause, we cannot use that
     • Marcelo, who is 76, has just retired. (NOT Marcelo, that is 76, has just retired.)
       • and we cannot leave out the pronoun
         • We had fish and chips, which I always enjoy. (NOT We had fish and chips, I always enjoy.)

4. whose and whom

   • We use whose as the possessive form of who.
     • This is Alejo, whose brother went to school with me.
   • We sometimes use whom as the object of a verb or preposition.
     • This is Alejo, whom you met at our house last year. (whom is the object of met).

5. KEYS

   • Quantifiers
     • We only use quantifiers with whom or which.
       • I have had three girlfriends, all of whom were exactly like me.
   • Prepositions
     • When who(m) or which have a preposition, the preposition can come at the beginning of the clause.
       • We bought a chainsaw, with which we cut up all the wood.
         • or at the end of the clause
           • We bought a chainsaw, which we cut all the wood up with.
     • when that has a preposition, the preposition always comes at the end.
       • We can't find the chainsaw that we cut all the wood up with.

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