Relative Clauses

That, When, Where, Which, Who, Whose

We use relative pronouns to add a new clause (the relative clause) to a sentence. We choose a relative pronoun that refers to the noun before the relative clause.

·         Who-That

-          The person who I wanted to see was French

·         Which-That

-          This is the picture which caused such sensation.

·         When

-          the day when we met him

·         Where

-          The house where we lived was very big

·         Whose

-          Josh is the boy whose friend built my house

Defining relative clauses

Defining relative clauses give essential information about the noun that they follow. Without the relative clause the sentence would be incomplete and would not make sense.

-          The supermarket which is near my mother's house is closing down.

Non-defining relative clauses

Non-defining relative clauses give extra information which is not essential about the noun that they follow. If we remove the relative clause, the sentence still makes sense.

-          The capital city of Spain, which has a population of about 5 million inhabitants, is in the centre of the country.

Who’s and whose

Don’t confuse who’s and whose in relative clauses. Whose is a relative pronoun which refers to possession.

-          He’s the person whose achievements I admire the most.

Who’s is the contracted form of who is or who has.

-          He’s the one who’s (who is) very intelligent.

-          He’s the teacher who’s (who has) lived in Kosovo.