This document discusses relative clauses and how they are used to modify nouns by adding additional information to a sentence. A relative clause includes a relative pronoun like who, whom, that, which, when or where and a clause or predicate. Relative clauses can be defining, which provide essential information about the noun, or non-defining, which provide extra information set off by commas. The document provides examples of different types of relative clauses and how they are structured.

1. RELATIVE CLAUSE
LET’S START FROM SCRATCH

2. A SIMPLE SENTENCE
Look at this sentence
Malee has a kitten.
It’s a regular simple sentence

3. MODIFIER
What if you want to put
additional information to
“Malee”?
Normally, you use an
adjective to modify a noun
The lovely Malee has a
kitten.

4. MODIFIER
What if...an adjective is not
enough?
For example, you want to
mention that Malee lives next
door to you
Can you find an adjective to
describe that? [I guess not]

5. RELATIVE CLAUSE
That’s when a relative clause comes in
handy
A relative clause is used to modify a
noun
Let’s go back to our lovely Malee
I want to mention that Malee lives next
door to me [= she is my neighbor]
I want to put that piece of information
in the same sentence

6. RELATIVE CLAUSE
Malee has a kitten.
The lovely Malee has a kitten.
The lovely Malee has a kitten.
,who lives next
door to me,

7. FROM SIMPLE TO COMPLEX SENTENCE
Here, you put additional piece of
information to the same sentence
The lovely Malee has a kitten.
That clause in the pink bubble is called
RELATIVE CLAUSE
,who lives next
door to me,

8. HOW TO
Now that you know what a relative
clause is for
Let’ study its composition
To write a correct & complete relative
clause, you need
A relative pronoun
who, whom,that, which, when, where
A clause or a predicate

9. RELATIVE PRONOUN
WHO
Is used when you need a subject in the
relative clause
Malee has a kitten. [main clause]
Malee lives next door to me. [you want to
add this information]
You change the 2nd sentence into a
relative clause by substituting Malee
with “WHO”

10. WHO
Malee, who lives next door to me, has a
kitten.
Relative
clause

11. WHICH
Look at these 2 simple sentences
Charming can understand human
language. [main clause]
Charming is friendly, smart, and cuddly.
[you want to add this piece of
information about Charming]

12. WHICH
To change the 2nd sentence into a
relative clause, use WHICH because
Charming is a kitten, not human
Charming, which is friendly, smart,
and cuddly, can understand human
language.

13. WHOSE
Is used to express possession of the noun
it modifies and an item

14. WHOSE
Kitty loves Daniel.[main clause]
Kitty’s kitten understands human
language.[add more information about
Kitty]
Kitty, whose kitten understands human
language, loves Daniel.

15. ADJACENT
A relative clause must be placed right
after the noun it modifies
Charming is a member of Sanrio Club,
which is a cat. >>wrong
Charming is a member of Sanrio Club,
which helps promote goodwill around
the world. >>correct

16. DEFINING VS NON-DEFINING
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

17. DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSE
Give essential information about a noun
it modifies
A botanist is a scientist who studies
plants.
Use an identifying relative clause in
definitions
Environmentalists are people who care
about the environment.

18. NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSE
Give extra information
about a noun. The
information is not essential.
Messi, who scored a hat
trick against Real Madrid,
received the Best Player
award.
Separate the clause between
commas