Relative Clauses

Who am I?

I am aTV personality who shouts and gossips about my daughter and ex-husband.

Clue: I won MQB in 2010

Belén Estebán

What is it?

It’s a toy which children take into the bathtub with them.

Clue: If I could talk, I’d say “quack, quak!”

Rubber Ducky

Where is it?

It’s city where over 34,400,000 people live.

Clue: I am not in China

Tokyo, Japan

When is it?

It’s a holiday when American children get chocolate from a mystical rabbit.

Clue: It’s in the Spring

Easter

Noun Type of Noun Description

Belen Estebán tv personality Shouts and gossips about her daughter and ex-husband

Rubber Ducky Toy Children take into the bath with them

Tokyo City 34, 400, 000 people live

Easter Holiday American children get chocolate from a mystical rabbit.

Relative Clause

We use relative clauses to give additional information about something without starting

another sentence.

A girl is talking to Tom. Do you know the girl?Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom?

Relative Pronouns

Subject Relative Pronoun

Person Who

Thing Which

Place Where

Time When

Possesion Whose

Practice

• I told you about a woman. She lives next door.

• Do you see the cat? It is lying on the table.• He couldn’t read. That suprised me.• March 19 is a day. We met him on that day.• El Centro Norteamericano is an English

academy. We study there.

Answers

• I told you about the woman who lives next door.

• Do you see the cat which is lying on the table?• He couldn’t read which suprised me.• March 19 is the day when we met him.• CNA is the English academy where we study.

Defining Relative Clauses

Defining relative clauses give detailed information defining a general term or expression.

Imagine, Tom is in a room with five girls. One girl is talking to Tom and you ask somebody whether he knows this girl. Here the relative clause defines which of the five girls you mean.

Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom?Defining relative clauses are often used in

definitions.A seaman is someone who works on a ship.

“That”

We can substitute “that” for who and which in defining relative clauses.

Do you know the girl that Tom is talking to?

Do you see the cat that is lying on the table?We can’t use “that” to replace where or when.

Leave Out a Relative Pronoun

If the relative pronoun is followed by a verb, the relative pronoun is a subject pronoun. Subject pronouns must always be used.

the apple which is lying on the tableIf the relative pronoun is not followed by a verb

(but by a noun or pronoun), the relative pronoun is an object pronoun. Object pronouns can be dropped in defining relative clauses.

the apple (which) George lay on the table

Practice1. There's the boy. He broke the window. 2. The film star gave a party. It cost $10,000. 3. That's the palace. The Queen lives in it. 4. My friend came to the party. He's a policeman. 5. There are the policemen. They caught the thief. 6. What's the name of the lady? She was wearing the blue

dress. 7. I gave her a watch. It stopped after two days. 8. My car was very expensive. It's a Mercedes. 9. You're reading a book. I wanted to read it. 10. The Red Lion is a pub. We met in it for a drink.

Practice

• 1. The princess kissed the prince.2. The doctor had a glass of whisky.3. The mayor drove a very expensive Jaguar.4. The football team’s captain cried after the match