English
What is a relative clause, with examples?
Quick answer
A relative clause adds information about a noun and starts with a relative pronoun such as who, which, that, whose, where or when, as in "the girl who won the race".
In one sentence
A relative clause is a group of words that tells you more about a noun, starting with a word like who, which, that, whose, where or when.
Explained
Look at this sentence: The dog barked all night. Which dog? Add a relative clause and you know: The dog that lives next door barked all night. The words that lives next door describe the dog, a bit like a long adjective.
dog
house
book
A relative clause always hangs on to a noun (or pronoun) that comes just before it. That noun is called the antecedent. The clause has its own verb (lives), but it cannot stand alone as a sentence, so it is a kind of subordinate clause.
The word that starts it is a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, which, that) or a relative adverb (where, when, why):
- who: people. The girl who won the race is my cousin.
- which: things and animals. The cake which Mum baked was delicious.
- that: people or things, in defining clauses only. The film that we watched was scary.
- whose: belonging to. The man whose car was stolen called the police.
- where (place), when (time), why (reason). That's the park where we play.
- whom: formal, for a person who is the object. The teacher to whom I spoke was kind.
There are two kinds of relative clause, and the difference matters for meaning and for commas:
- A defining (restrictive) clause tells you which one. Without it the sentence loses its point: Students who finish early can read. No commas.
- A non-defining (non-restrictive) clause adds extra information about something already clear: My grandma, who is 80, swims every day. It goes inside commas, and you cannot use that.
Sometimes the relative pronoun can disappear. If it is the object of the verb in the clause, you may leave it out: The film (that) we watched was scary. If it is the subject, it must stay: The boy who helped me is new (not The boy helped me is new).
Examples
| Sentence | Relative clause | Describes | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| The girl who won the race is my cousin. | who won the race | the girl | defining |
| Paris, which is the capital of France, is beautiful. | which is the capital of France | Paris | non-defining |
| I know a boy whose sister is a doctor. | whose sister is a doctor | a boy | defining |
| That's the café where we met. | where we met | the café | defining |
| The book (that) I borrowed is overdue. | (that) I borrowed | the book | defining, pronoun left out |
| My brother, who lives in Leeds, is a nurse. | who lives in Leeds | my brother | non-defining |
Worked example: combine I have a friend. She speaks three languages. The second sentence is about a friend, a person, and she is the subject, so swap she for who: I have a friend who speaks three languages.
Common mistakes
- Keeping the extra pronoun. The book that I read it was long has two objects. Fix: The book that I read was long.
- Using that with commas. My mum, that is a teacher, ... is wrong. Fix: My mum, who is a teacher, ...
- Using which for people. The man which helped us should be the man who helped us.
- Forgetting the second comma. A non-defining clause in the middle of a sentence needs a comma on both sides: Rome, which is in Italy, is old.
Step by step
Step by step
- Find the nounDecide which noun you want to describe: the cake, my uncle, the town.
- Pick the relative wordPerson: who (or that). Thing: which (or that). Belonging: whose. Place: where. Time: when.
- Write the clausePut the relative word right after the noun, then the rest of the clause with its own verb.
- Remove the repeated wordWhen you join two sentences, the relative word replaces he, she, it, they or him, her, them. Do not keep both.
- Decide on commasIs the clause needed to know which one? No commas. Is it extra information? Put it between commas and do not use that.
Practice questions
Relative clauses
Try each one, then check your answer.
- Find the relative clause: The girl who won the race is my cousin.
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who won the race - Who or which? The cake ___ she baked was delicious.
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It is a thing, so which (or that). - Fill the gap: The man ___ car was stolen called the police.
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Belonging to the man: whose - Fill the gap: That's the park ___ we play football.
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A place: where - Fill the gap: I remember the day ___ we moved house.
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A time: when - Join with a relative clause: I have a friend. She speaks three languages.
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I have a friend who speaks three languages. - Join: This is the book. I told you about it.
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This is the book (that/which) I told you about. - Add commas (I have only one brother): My brother who lives in Leeds is a nurse.
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My brother, who lives in Leeds, is a nurse. - Defining or non-defining? Paris, which is the capital of France, is beautiful.
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Non-defining: it is extra information inside commas. - Can you leave out the pronoun? The film that we watched was scary.
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Yes: that is the object of watched, so "The film we watched was scary" works. - Can you leave out the pronoun? The boy who helped me is new.
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No: who is the subject of helped, so it must stay. - Correct the mistake: My mum, that is a teacher, works in Bristol.
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My mum, who is a teacher, works in Bristol. - Formal English: The woman to ___ I spoke was helpful.
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After a preposition, for a person: whom - Which or that? The bike, ___ was red, had a flat tyre.
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The clause is inside commas, so which. - What is the difference? (a) The students who had finished went home. (b) The students, who had finished, went home.
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In (a) only some students (the ones who had finished) went home; in (b) all the students had finished and all went home. - Shorten (reduce) the clause: The man who is standing by the door is my uncle.
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The man standing by the door is my uncle.
Questions people ask
What are the relative pronouns in English?
Who, whom, whose, which and that. Where, when and why also start relative clauses; grammar books call them relative adverbs.
What is the difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses?
A defining clause picks out which person or thing you mean and has no commas. A non-defining clause adds extra information about something already identified, sits between commas, and never uses that.
When can you leave out the relative pronoun?
When it is the object of the verb in the clause, in a defining clause: the song (that) I like. You cannot drop it when it is the subject (the girl who sings) or in a non-defining clause.
Who or whom?
Use whom when the person is the object, especially after a preposition: to whom, with whom. In everyday English most people say who or that instead, and leave the preposition at the end: the woman I spoke to.
What is a reduced relative clause?
A shorter clause without the relative pronoun and the verb be: the man (who is) standing by the door, a letter (which was) written in 1900.
How do you explain relative clauses to kids?
Call it a "who or which clause": a bit of extra information glued to a noun. Start with a plain sentence (The dog barked) and ask "which dog?" The answer is the relative clause.
Quick quiz
Relative clauses
Check what you know with 4 quick questions.
Question 1 of 4
Which word starts a relative clause about a person?
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Related topics
Clauses
A clause is a group of words that contains a verb and usually a subject. A main clause makes sense on its own; a subordinate clause needs a main clause to complete it.
Subordinate clauses
A subordinate clause is a clause that adds extra information to a main clause but cannot stand alone as a sentence, like because it was raining or who lives next door.
Pronouns
A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun so you don't have to repeat it, such as he, she, it, they, we, me, mine or who.
Commas
A comma is a punctuation mark that shows a short pause or separates parts of a sentence, such as items in a list, a fronted adverbial, or extra information.
Adjectives
An adjective is a word that describes a noun, telling you what kind, which one or how many, like a huge elephant, a sour lemon or three red balloons.
Adverbs
An adverb gives more information about a verb, adjective or another adverb, telling how, when, where or how often, like slowly, tomorrow, outside or always.