B1 · Lesson 14 · 20 min
Defining relative clauses
In this lesson
- I can add essential information about people, things and places.
- I can choose relative words and omit an object relative pronoun when possible.
Grammar in context
Maya is looking for a flat near her new office. Her friend sends her details about a building that has a quiet study room, a landlord whose phone number is easy to find, and a café where Maya can work at weekends.
Which words add essential information to identify the building, landlord and café?
Essential information
A defining relative clause tells us exactly which person, thing or place we mean. It is essential to the meaning, so we do not use commas. Use who for people and which for things. That can often replace who or which in everyday English.
- The colleague who sits by the window speaks Spanish.
- I found the charger that you left in my bag.
Possession and places
Use whose to show that something belongs to or is associated with a person, animal, organisation or thing. Use where for a place. The noun comes after whose, for example whose keys or whose website. A relative clause normally comes directly after the noun it describes.
- We met a guide whose advice saved us time.
- This is the park where our team practises.
Object relatives
When the relative word is the object of the clause, we can leave it out. Compare: the film that I watched and the film I watched. Do not omit the word when it is the subject: the film that won the prize.
- The recipe (that) I used was very simple.
- The runner who finished first thanked the crowd.
Common mistakes
Compare the incorrect and corrected forms.
Avoid
She is the woman which works at the pharmacy.
Use
She is the woman who works at the pharmacy.
Use who, not which, for a person.
Avoid
The book I borrowed it was useful.
Use
The book I borrowed was useful.
Do not add it after an object relative clause.
Put it into practice
Try the exercises, write your own examples and check your understanding.