Period 1 6.1 Relative Clauses DOPP B1/B1+

Relative Clauses

Definition:

Relative clauses are clauses that provide additional information about a noun or pronoun in a sentence. They begin with relative pronouns such as “who,” “which,” “that,” “whose,” and “where.”

Types of Relative Clauses:

1. Defining (Restrictive) Relative Clauses:

   • Provide essential information about the noun.
   • Without this clause, the sentence would lose its specific meaning.
   • Example: “The employee who works in HR is very helpful.”
   • Relative Pronouns: “who,” “which,” “that,” “whose,” “where.”

2. Non-defining (Non-restrictive) Relative Clauses:

   • Provide additional, non-essential information.
   • The sentence would still make sense without this clause.
   • Example: “Mr. Johnson, who is our CEO, is attending the meeting.”
   • Always separated by commas.
   • Relative Pronouns: “who,” “which,” “whose,” “where” (but not “that”).

Relative Pronouns and Their Uses:

1. Who:

   • Refers to people.
   • Example: “The manager who leads our team is very experienced.”

2. Which:

   • Refers to animals and things.
   • Example: “The software which we use for accounting is very efficient.”

3. That:

   • Refers to people, animals, and things in defining clauses (optional in some cases).
   • Example: “The report that you prepared is very detailed.”
   • Note: “That” is not used in non-defining clauses.

4. Whose:

   • Indicates possession.
   • Example: “The employee whose desk is next to mine is always helpful.”

5. Where:

   • Refers to places.
   • Example: “The office where we work is downtown.”

Relative Clauses Without a Relative Pronoun:

In some defining relative clauses, the relative pronoun can be omitted if it is the object of the clause.

• Example with pronoun: “The book that I read was fascinating.”
• Example without pronoun: “The book I read was fascinating.”

Common Mistakes:

1. Using “that” in non-defining clauses:

   • Incorrect: “My brother, that lives in New York, is visiting.”
   • Correct: “My brother, who lives in New York, is visiting.”

2. Using the wrong relative pronoun:

   • Incorrect: “The city who we visited was beautiful.”
   • Correct: “The city which we visited was beautiful.”

3. Forgetting commas in non-defining clauses:

   • Incorrect: “The CEO who is very busy will join us later.”
   • Correct: “The CEO, who is very busy, will join us later.”

Summary:

• Use “who” for people.
• Use “which” for things and animals.
• Use “that” for people, things, and animals in defining clauses.
• Use “whose” for possession.
• Use “where” for places.
• Defining clauses are essential to the meaning and are not set off by commas.
• Non-defining clauses add extra information and are set off by commas.