RELATIVE SENTENCES

Adapted from a presentation by Carmen Torres.

What’s a relative clause?

★A subordinate clause depending on a main clause✴That is the girl who plays with my

son.

What’s a relative clause?

★THE ANTECEDENT is a word that belongs to the main clause. It is the person, object, place, etc. the relative clause refers to.✴That is the girl who plays with my

son.

What’s a relative clause?

★THE RELATIVE CLAUSE always follows its antecedent.✴That is the girl who plays with my

son.

What’s a relative clause?

★A RELATIVE PRONOUN joins the antecedent to the relative clause.✴That is the girl who plays with my

son.

Types of Relative clauses

★Defining Relative Clauses

★Non-defining Relative clauses

Defining Relative Clauses★They specify the person,

object, time or place we are talking about.

✴The girl who is playing with my son is called Sienna.

Defining Relative Clauses★ These sentences are introduced by relative

pronouns:✴WHO or THAT, if the relative sentence refers

to people✴WHICH or THAT, if the relative sentence refers

to things✴WHOSE for possession✴WHEN for days, months, years...✴WHERE for places.

Defining Relative Clause

COMMON FEATURES★ Who, which, that (and sometimes when and

where) can be omitted if they do not act as subjects of the relative sentence.✴The burger (that) I ate last night was cold.

✓“burger” is the subject of “ate”.

Defining Relative Clause

COMMON FEATURES

★They are never placed between commas

Defining Relative Clause

COMMON FEATURES★ When the relative pronoun goes with a

preposition we normally omit it and place the preposition at the end of the relative clause.✴ The girl my son is playing with is called

Sienna.

Defining Relative Clause

COMMON FEATURES

★If the relative is that, even it is not omitted, the preposition goes to the end.

✴The girl that my son is playing with, is called Sienna.

Non-Defining Relative Clause

★ They add information about the antecedent.✴My friend Peter, who lives in the country,

is getting married next year.

Non-Defining Relative Clause

★ These sentences are introduced by relative pronouns:✴WHO, if the relative sentence refers to people✴WHICH, if the relative sentence refers to

things✴WHOSE for possession✴WHEN for days, months, years...✴WHERE for places.

Non-Defining Relative Clause

★ These sentences are introduced by relative pronouns:✴We do not use “that” to refer to people

with Non-Defining Relative Clauses

Non-Defining Relative ClauseCOMMON FEATURES★ The relative pronoun can never be

omitted.✴My brother John, who I visited last

month, is getting married next year.

Non-Defining Relative ClauseCOMMON FEATURES★ They are always placed between

commas.✴My brother John, who I visited last

month, is getting married next year.

RememberDefining

RelativeNo commasOmit the

relative pronoun except when SUBJECT

Non-Defining Relative

Between commasNo omission