RELATIVE CLAUSES
RELATIVE PRONOUNS
defining
SUBJECT
OBJECT
OBJECT OF A
PREPOSITION
People
Things
People
Things
People
Things
who
that
which
that
(who)
(that)
(which)
(that)
(who/that)…
+ preposit.
prep.+whom
(which/that)…
+ preposition
prep. + which
non-definin
g
who
which
who
whom
which
prep.+whom
who(m) …
+prep.
prep. + which
which … +
prep.
EXAMPLES OF DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
- subject
The man who / that lives next door is blind.
The machine which / that broke down has been repaired.
- object
The person (who / that) I wanted to see was not there.
The shoes (which / that) my grandmother bought yesterday were too big.
- object of a preposition
The woman with whom he fell in love was married. / The woman (who/that) he fell
in love with was married.
EXAMPLES OF NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
- subject
John, who speaks German and French, works as a tourist guide.
We often go to visit our friends in Bristol, which is only 30 miles away.
- object
This morning I met Diane, who / whom I hadn’t seen for ages.
She told me her address, which I wrote down on a piece of paper.
- object of a preposition
Marta, with whom you danced, is a lawyer. / Marta, who / whom you danced with, is
a lawyer.
This pen, with which you signed, belonged to my father. / This pen, which you
signed with, belonged to my father.
OTHER STRUCTURES
WHOSE: I met a man whose wife writes detective stories.
WHERE: The hotel where we stayed wasn’t very expensive.
WHEN: I remember the day when you had the accident.
WHY: I don’t know the reason why she refuses to speak to me.
