Blog about English
Using relative clauses to identify or define a person or thing.
A defining relative clause identifies which person or thing is meant by adding essential information about the noun.
The relative clause is necessary to identify the intended person or thing. For example, The student who sits by the window is absent identifies a particular student.
Information in a defining relative clause is treated as essential to identifying the noun it modifies.
For example, The book that I bought yesterday identifies a particular book by adding identifying information.
Defining relative clauses are normally not separated from the main clause by commas.
For example, The people who live next door are friendly. The commas would incorrectly suggest that the relative clause is non-defining.
Who is commonly used for people in defining relative clauses.
For example, The woman who called yesterday left a message.
Which is used for things and animals in defining relative clauses.
For example, The car which I bought last year is very reliable.
That can be used in defining relative clauses for people or things in many common contexts.
For example, The person that I spoke to was helpful and The book that you recommended was excellent.
When who is the subject of a relative clause, it is followed directly by the verb.
For example, The woman who lives next door is a doctor.
When who refers to the object of a relative clause, another subject can appear after who.
For example, The man who I met yesterday was very friendly.
When which is the subject of a relative clause, it is followed directly by the verb.
For example, The car which caused the accident was damaged.
When which is the object of a relative clause, another subject normally follows it.
For example, The book which I bought is on the table.
That can function as the subject of a defining relative clause referring to a person or thing.
For example, The train that arrives at six is usually crowded.
That can function as the object of a defining relative clause referring to a person or thing.
For example, The film that we watched was excellent.
Whose introduces possession in a relative clause and can refer to people, animals, and sometimes things.
For example, The woman whose car was stolen called the police.
Whom can be used as the object of a relative clause referring to a person, especially in formal English.
For example, The man whom I met yesterday was very helpful.
A relative pronoun functioning as the object can often be omitted in a defining relative clause.
For example, The book that I bought and The book I bought are both standard.
In informal and neutral English, a preposition commonly appears at the end of a relative clause.
For example, The person who I spoke to was very helpful.
Defining relative clauses commonly occur after superlatives to identify the person or thing with the highest or lowest degree.
For example, This is the best book that I have ever read.
Defining relative clauses commonly follow expressions such as the first, the last, the next, and the only.
For example, She was the first person who arrived and He was the only student that passed.
Defining relative clauses can follow indefinite nouns and noun phrases to identify the relevant person or thing.
For example, I need someone who can help me and Find a book that explains the topic clearly.
Quantifying expressions such as all, some, many, and none can be followed by relative clauses.
For example, All the students who passed the test received certificates.
A noun phrase can contain more than one relative clause when several pieces of identifying information are needed.
For example, The woman who lives next door and who works at the hospital is my neighbour.
A defining relative clause can modify a noun phrase containing more than one coordinated noun.
For example, The man and woman who live next door are doctors.
The verb inside a relative clause agrees with the subject of that clause, not simply with the noun being modified.
For example, The people who live here are friendly. The relative clause subject who refers to people, so the verb is live.
The choice between who, whom, which, and that can vary according to register and grammatical role.
That is common in defining clauses, who is very common for people, whom is more formal as an object, and which is standard for things.
Use an appropriate relative pronoun, identify whether it is the subject or object of the relative clause, and use punctuation appropriate to a defining clause.
Common mistakes include adding commas to defining clauses, using which for people in inappropriate contexts, using incorrect subject-verb agreement, and retaining a relative pronoun that has the wrong grammatical role.