Relative Clauses
Grammar Basics
Relative Clauses
Relative clauses work by placing a phrase in the middle of another phrase. This information modifies whatever they follow. Usually these add descriptions or additional information about the subject.
who
to people (as subject)
She’s the woman who I met last night.
whom
to people (as object)
The boy whom you spoke about earlier is calling on the phone.
which
animals or objects
The book which I finished reading last night was really good.
why
a reason
The job was the reason why I decided to stay.
when
time
We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
where
place
That’s the restaurant where we met.
whose
possession
That’s the man whose cousin runs the bar.
that
animals or objects
That’s the lunch that I bought.
We can either use these to create Defining or Non-Defining Clauses.
Defining clauses add important information to the phrase. If the Defining Clause is removed, the meaning changes significantly. They do not require commas or parentheses.
Defining Clauses always answer the question: “Which ________(noun)?”
The person who Judy met at Ken’s party called her last night.
Q. Which person called Judy last night?
A. The person she met at Ken’s party.
The soup that Sally made is too salty.
Q. Which soup?
A. The soup Sally made.
Non-defining clauses add additional information about the subject of the phrase, however if the Defining Clause is removed, the meaning of the phrase remains intact and only some minor detail is lost. These clauses must be separated by either a comma or a parentheses:
Jim Peterson, who Judy met at Ken’s party, called her last night.
Which person called Judy last night? Jim Peterson.
Not necessary: Judy met Jim at Ken’s party
Sally’s vegetable beef soup, which is in the big white bowl, is too salty.
Which soup? Sally’s vegetable beef soup.
Not necessary: The soup is in the big white bowl.