Welcome to the World of Defining Relative Clauses!
Have you ever tried to tell a friend about a specific person or object, but there were too many to choose from? For example, if you say, "Give me the book," your friend might ask, "Which one?" But if you say, "Give me the book that is on the top shelf," they know exactly which one you mean!
In this chapter, we are going to learn about Defining Relative Clauses. These are like "Identity Tags" for nouns. They give us essential information to help us identify exactly who or what we are talking about. Don't worry if this seems a bit tricky at first—once you see the patterns, it becomes as easy as pie!
Quick Review: What is a Clause?
Before we start, remember that a clause is just a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. A relative clause is a special type of clause that starts with a "relative pronoun" (like who or which) and describes a noun.
1. What are Defining Relative Clauses?
A defining relative clause tells us which person or thing the speaker is talking about. Without this clause, the sentence wouldn't make much sense, or we wouldn't know who the noun is.
Example:
• The teacher who teaches English is very kind.
(The part in bold is the defining relative clause. If we just said "The teacher is very kind," we might not know which teacher you mean!)
Key Takeaway: Defining relative clauses provide essential information. If you remove them, the sentence loses its specific meaning.
2. Choosing the Right Relative Pronoun
To start a relative clause, we need a relative pronoun. The one you choose depends on whether you are talking about a person or a thing.
A. For People: Who or That
When describing a person, we usually use who. In informal English, we can also use that.
• The girl who lives next door is a famous singer.
• The man that sold me the phone was very helpful.
B. For Things and Animals: Which or That
When describing an object or an animal, we use which or that.
• This is the book which I told you about.
• Where is the dog that was barking all night?
C. For Possession: Whose
We use whose when we want to talk about something belonging to a person or animal.
• I know a boy whose father is a pilot.
• The cat whose tail is black is called Luna.
Memory Aid: The "W" Rule
• Who = We (people)
• Which = What is it? (things)
3. Subject vs. Object Relative Clauses
This is where many students get confused, but here is a simple trick to help you!
The Subject Relative Clause
In these sentences, the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause. There is no other subject before the verb in the clause.
• I like people who are funny.
(In the clause "who are funny", who is the subject. We cannot leave it out!)
The Object Relative Clause
In these sentences, the relative pronoun is the object. There is already another subject (like I, you, he, she) inside the clause.
• The movie (that) I watched was boring.
(In the clause "that I watched", I is the subject. In this case, we can leave out the word that!)
Simple Trick: Look at what comes after the relative pronoun. If it is a verb, you must keep the pronoun. If it is a noun or pronoun (like I, Sam, they), you can usually drop the relative pronoun.
Key Takeaway: You can only "delete" who, which, or that if there is already a subject following it in the clause.
4. Relative Clauses in Other Subjects (LaC)
Did you know? You use defining relative clauses in your other school subjects all the time! According to the school syllabus, these clauses are great for describing and defining concepts in Science or History.
Science Example: Osmosis is the process which allows water to pass through a cell membrane.
History Example: A pharaoh was a ruler who governed ancient Egypt.
5. Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. Using double subjects:
Incorrect: The girl who she won the race is my friend.
Correct: The girl who won the race is my friend.
(Don't use she after who because who is already the subject!)
2. Confusing 'Who' and 'Which':
Incorrect: The phone who I bought is expensive.
Correct: The phone which (or that) I bought is expensive.
(Remember: People = who, Things = which.)
3. Adding commas:
In defining relative clauses, we never use commas to separate the clause from the rest of the sentence. We need the information to flow together.
Quick Review Box
• Defining relative clauses give essential information to identify a noun.
• Use who for people and which for things.
• That can be used for both people and things in informal English.
• Use whose to show possession (his/her/its).
• You can drop the relative pronoun if it is the object of the clause (e.g., The pen [that] I used).
• No commas are used in defining relative clauses.
Congratulations! You've just mastered the basics of defining relative clauses. Practice using them today by describing the people and things around you!