Relative Clauses use
Relative clauses are parts of complex sentences and provide important information about a person or a thing.
The person who called you is my brother.
This is the restaurant where we first met.
There are two types of relative clauses:
- Defining relative clauses give essential information
- Non-defining relative clauses give additional, non-essential information
Defining Relative Clauses
Defining relative clauses give essential information, so we cannot remove them from the sentence.- are not separated by commas
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the relative pronoun can be replaced with that
The teacher who helped me was very kind. The teacher that helped me was very kind.The laptop which I bought yesterday is expensive. The laptop that I bought yesterday is expensive.
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in some cases the relative pronoun who / which / that can be omitted when it is the object of the clause
The movie that we watched yesterday was amazing. The movie we watched yesterday was amazing.The person who I met at the conference was very friendly. The person I met at the conference was very friendly.The book which she recommended helped me a lot. The book she recommended helped me a lot.
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after the words all, everything, nothing, something, anything, the only, the first, the last, we usually do not use which or who — we normally use that instead.
All that we need now is a little patience.
Everything that he said was true.
Nothing that you do can change the situation.
Something that you told me yesterday made me think.
Anything that helps you learn is worth trying.
She is the only person that understands me.
This is the first book that really inspired me.
That was the last message that he sent me.
Defining Relative Clauses examples
The student who sits next to me is from Brazil.
The car that I bought last year is already having problems.
The restaurant where we usually have lunch is closed today.
The woman whose laptop was stolen called the security guard.
The book that you recommended helped me understand the topic.
Non-defining Relative Clauses
Non-defining relative clauses provide additional, non-essential information that can be removed without changing the main meaning.-
are always separated by commas
My sister, who lives in Paris, is visiting me next month.
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we use who / which / whose / whom; we cannot use that
This book, which was published in 1990, is now very rare.
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the relative pronoun cannot be omitted in non-defining clauses
The museum, where we spent the whole day, is being renovated.
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Which can refer to the whole previous clause and comment on the situation
She didn’t come to the meeting, which surprised everyone.
Defining Relative Clauses examples
My brother, who works as a lawyer, lives in London.
This laptop, which I bought on sale, has a very good battery life.
Our teacher, who is very strict, rarely cancels classes.
The museum, which was founded in 1920, attracts thousands of visitors every year.
Paris, where I spent my childhood, will always feel like home to me.