Relative clauses why

Test your English. Test your English Relative clauses Relative clauses are non-essential parts of a sentence. Defining clauses A defining or identifying clause tells us which specific person or thing we are talking about in a larger group of people or things. Examples The woman who visited me in the hospital was very kind.

The umbrella that I bought last week is already broken. The man who stole my backpack has been arrested. The weather that we had this summer was beautiful. Examples The farmer, whose name was Fred , sold us 10 pounds of potatoes.

Elephants, which are the largest land mammals , live in herds of 10 or more adults. Sessions Vocabulary reference Grammar reference. Grammar Reference. Relative clauses Meaning and use Relative clauses are used to give additional information about a noun, such as a person, place or thing. The woman who found my wallet handed it in to reception.

The student whose dog has run away, has gone to look for it. I remember the day when we first met. These are the earrings that my mother gave me. My current girlfriend, who I love very much , calls me every night. A kangaroo is an animal which lives in Australia.

The man who came for lunch was my uncle. Winter is a time when it sometimes snows. My favourite food, which used to be Italian, is now Japanese. Rachel, who we met yesterday, lives in this neighbourhood. My car, which I bought seven years ago, needs replacing. My best friend, who I met at university, is coming for dinner. Take note: replacing the relative pronoun In informal communication, relative pronouns, such as who and when ,are commonly replaced with that in defining relative clauses.

The woman that called last night was very polite. Do you remember the time that you first met? Take note: leaving out the relative pronoun When using defining relative clauses in informal speech and writing, the relative pronoun can be left out completely if it refers to the object of the relative clause.

This type of relative clause merely provides extra information. The information may be quite interesting and important to the larger conversation, but it is not essential for precise identification of the noun. Commas are always used at the beginning and end of this type of relative clause. A non-restrictive relative clause can modify a single noun, a noun phrase, or an entire proposition. My mother is thinking of opening a restaurant. My mother is an excellent cook.

My mother , who is an excellent cook , is thinking of opening a restaurant. I find roses quite beautiful. Driving across the country with three small children is going to be stressful. You might reduce the clause to make your writing more concise or to add sentence variety. Remember that the relative pronoun is substituting for a noun, which could be singular or plural before the substitution.

The verb in the relative clause must agree with the original noun. People who win the lottery are lucky.