Relative clauses are a type of complex
sentence. They are used to give additional
information about an element. This
information helps us to identify that
element. We use relative pronouns that
perform a double function: they are
connectors and they are the subject or the
object of one of the clases in the complex
sentence.

DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
This type of relative clause is used when the information
provided is necessary to identify the antecedent to which
we are referring:
That’s the woman who wants to buy the car
This is the desk that our teachers use
I met the neighbour whose office was burnt down
Thank you very much for the money that you lent my son
The car in which we were didn’t have airbags

WHO, WHICH (or THAT) as subjects
In general, we use WHO for people and WHICH for
things, animals, machines, etc. Both can be substituted by
THAT:
I’m looking after some children who/that are really naughty
Ronald is a very quiet boy who/ that doesn’t like arguing
I dislike people who/ that are always telling you what to do
She was reading a book which/ that has become a best-seller
They switched on the lamp which/ that was nearest to them
We stayed in a room which/ that was cosy and colourful

WHO(M)/WHICH/THAT as objects
The relative pronoun can be the object of the sentence. In this
case, it is possible to omit the relative pronoun:
He introduced me to the woman who/that I would marry two
years later (or “He introduced me to the woman I would …”)
She is the kind of person who/ that all the people like (or “She is
the kind of person all the people like)
(“Whom” might also be used but it sounds very formal)
A dictionary is a book which/ that you use to look words up (or “A
dictionary is a book you use to …”)
I bought the CD which/ that the band had recently released (or “I
bought the CD the band had recently released”

Relatives with prepositions
When we need to use a preposition, we have two possible
ways:
The boy with whom I had an argument apologized
afterwards
The boy (who/that) I had an argument with apologized
afterwards
The music to which you were listening was composed by
Mozart
The music (which/that) you were listening to was composed
by Mozart

Non-defining relative clauses
This type of relative clause is used when the information
provided is not necessary to identify the antecedent to
which we are referring. We can only use WHO/ WHICH
and it is not possible to omit the relative pronoun.
The relative pronous work as subjects or objects, like in
defining relative clauses:
President Obama, who was re-elected some weeks ago,
wants to change some policies about immigration
(SUBJECT)
The NATO, which was created during the Cold War, has
members all over the world (SUBJECT)

Fernando Alonso, who(m) many people admire, has
won two F-1 championships (OBJECT)
Oxford University, which they are planning to enlarge,
is one of the oldest in Europe (OBJECT)
My cousin Frederick, with whom I share some
properties in the city centre, is thinking of opening new
offices abroad. (WITH PREPOSITION)
Dubai’s Burj-el-Arab skyscraper, from which you can
view the “Palm Tree islands”, is an astonishing building
(WITH PREPOSITION)
This type of relative clause (“non-defining”) is mainly
used in written and/or formal English

WHOSE
“Whose” is used as a possessive relative. It is used to refer to
people and (in informal English) to things, machines, etc.
She listened to the artist whose paintings were at the
exhibition
Antonio Banderas, whose wife used to work in Hollywood as
an actress, has become an ambassador of the Spanish
culture
They were demolishing some houses whose foundations had
ben affected by the earthquake
>Avila, whose walls are among the best touristic attractions
in our region, is famous for its delicious beef meat.

WHICH referring to a whole sentence
“Which” can be used to refer not to just one word but to
a whole idea:
I like listening to loud music, which annoys my family
(my family is annoyed by the fact that I like listening
to loud music)
Flexpetz rents dogs as pets, which some people critisize
(It’s the whole idea of “renting dogs” that is critisized)

WHAT, WHERE, WHEN in relative clauses
In this sort of sentences, “what” means “the thing(s) that”:
Do what I tell you and don’t do what I do
Listen to what I have to tell you and don’t interrupt me
“Where” is used to refer to places and “when” to time:
She studied in the town where Shakespeare was born
Strattford-Upon-Avon, where Shakespeare was born, is
visited by thousands of people every year
I remember the days when my father took me to school.
They went to London in June 2012, when the Olympic
Games were taking place.