Grammatical Range: Relative clauses to make complex sentences

There are two main types of relative clauses - Defining and Non-defining relative clauses

Defining relative clauses:

Give essential information about the subject or object of a sentence. 

This information is necessary to understand who or what the thing is, does, or what it is used for.

We usually use who to begin relative clauses which identify people. That is also sometimes used.

• The students who/ that attend this course are very intelligent.

We use which/ that to identify things. Which is slightly more formal than that.

• Did you find the money which/ that I left on the table?

If the relative clause defines the object of the sentence, the relative pronoun can be left out.

• The employee (-) we fired was very bad at his job. (The employee is the object)

• The table (-) you kicked is damaged. (The table is the object)

Non-defining relative clauses:

Give additional information about the subject or object of a sentence. This information is not necessary to understand who or what we are talking about. The extra information is separated by commas.

We use who to give extra information about people.

• My father, who is a pilot, has always loved to fly.

We use which to give extra information about things.

• Machu Picchu, which is a 15th century Incan citadel, is in southern Peru.

Other Things to Know About Relative Clauses:

Relative clauses with whom:

In formal  English it is possible to use the relative pronoun whom when a person is the object.

• That is the man whom we talked to.

If the verb requires a preposition, the preposition can be put before whom to sound even more formal.

• The company representative with whom I was communicating was brusque and unhelpful.

Relative clauses with whose:

To show that something belongs to a person, animal or plant we can use the relative pronoun whose. The relative clause could be defining or non-defining.

• I adopted a dog whose owner had died. (defining)

• The dog, whose owner had died, was living on the streets. (non-defining)

Whose can be used in academic, formal or literary writing with a wider variety of things, when we want to show a relationship of belonging. This can be useful in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 or Writing Task 2.

• The Louvre Museum, whose collection of artwork is famous around the world, is located in Paris.

• The countries whose economies are most dependent on tourism suffered most from the covid epidemic.

• We stayed in a gloomy old house whose garden extended down to a frigid pond.

Relative clauses with when, whereby, where and why:

We can begin relative clauses with:

when to refer to time

• I remember a time when train travel was cheap.

whereby to refer to method or means (particularly useful in academic writing tasks)

• The system of globalisation, whereby countries become more interconnected through trade, has benefited both importing and exporting countries.

where to refer to location

• That is the bus stop where you need to catch the bus.

where with the words case, condition, example, situation, system, stage in academic English.

• There are many examples where people choose to save money for a future purchase.

• In some schools teachers face a situation where students are undisciplined and disruptive.

Changing relative clauses into participle clauses:

If the relative clause describes the subject and uses the present or past continuous, the relative pronoun and the verb ‘be’ can be left out to create a participle clause, e.g. The dog that was barking > the dog (-) barking.

• The professor (-) giving the lecture is German.

• The bird (-) flying above us was a falcon.

If the relative clause describes the object and uses the passive voice, the relative pronoun and the verb ‘be’ can be left out to create a participle clause, e.g. the house which was painted yellow… > the house (-) painted yellow…

• The houses (-) damaged by the fire will be demolished.

• The people (-) affected by the flood will receive aid.

Exercise 1:

Using who/ that/ which, make one sentence from the two given. Don’t forget to add commas if it is a non-defining relative clause.

1. A man was arrested. He is now at the police station.

2. A young man served us. He was very friendly.

3. My mother is a teacher. She is looking for a new job.

4. A band is playing in the local pub tonight. The band was famous 30 years ago.

5. A motorcyclist was injured in an accident. He is in hospital.

6. My neighbour has a dog. It is always barking.

7. A student was in my class. She became famous.

8. The restaurant is famous. We had dinner there last night.

9. The house needs repairs. We recently bought it.

10. The Titanic was a passenger ship. It sank in 1912.

Exercise 2:

Decide if the defining relative clause defines the subject or object. If it defines the subject, add a relative pronoun.

1. The man lives next door is a doctor. 

2. The book I borrowed from the library is very interesting. 

3. The restaurant we had dinner last night was fantastic.

4. The woman won the race broke the previous record. 

5. The car crashed into the tree was severely damaged. 

6. The team won the championship will celebrate tonight.

7. The movie we watched last night was a thriller. 

8. The dog barks all night keeps me awake.

9. The girl is playing the piano is my sister. 

10. The dress she bought for the party is very elegant. 

11. The city I was born is known for its historical landmarks. 

12. The game we played yesterday was fun.

Exercise 3:

Decide if the sentence is formal enough to use whom. If not rewrite the sentence with who.

1. The letter was addressed to the employee whom the manager wanted to commend.

2. The kid whom scored the goal was only 12 years old.

3. That is the guy to whom I gave the cash.

4. I was introduced to his cousin, with whom I immediately felt a connection.

5. The job offer was extended to the candidate whom the hiring manager deemed most qualified.

6. She formed a strong partnership with her colleague, whom she admired for their expertise.

7. When I arrive in the morning, I always have a cup of coffee with my workmates, with whom I get on really well.

8. He has made a friend at his new nursery school with whom he loves to play.

9. The CEO, for whom the company's success was paramount, implemented several new strategies.

10. I really look up to my older brother, from whom I’ve learned so much.

11. The charity event was attended by many prominent figures, among whom was a famous actor.

12. I have great respect for the professor, from whom I have learned so much.

Exercise 4:

Correct the relative pronouns in the following sentences:

1. Have you forgotten about the time whereby we stayed with your grandparents?

2. That’s the church which my parents got married.

3. If you are in a situation when you feel unsafe, call the tourist police.

4. The education visa is a visa where students can stay in the country while they study.

5. The county has a political system that corruption is rife.

6. University is the place when I learned to look after myself.

7. This is a case which the applicant failed to include the necessary information.

8. There was a time which you could leave the doors of your house unlocked.

9. The company implemented a new system which employees can work remotely.

Exercise 5:

Correct mistakes in the use of relative pronouns in the following sentences.

1. I have a friend which father is a famous actor.

2. She showed us a shortcut that we could bypass the heavy traffic.

3. We visited a small town which history dates back to the 18th century.

4. I recently encountered a situation that honesty was the best policy.

5. The tall tree stands in the middle of the park is over a hundred years old.

6. The dog is barking loudly belongs to my neighbour.

7. The team reached a stage that collaboration became essential for progress.

8. The university has a program when students can study abroad for a semester.

9. The athlete whereby broke the world record is a national hero.

10. The car whose is racing down the street belongs to my cousin.

11. The company hired a new manager where leadership skills are highly regarded.

12. I read a book whereby kept me up all night with its gripping storyline.

13. He bought a car was equipped with the latest safety features.

14. She found herself in a situation whose patience was key to achieving success.