Relative clauses and linking words: who, that, where, which, whose…
What are relative clauses? They tell us which person or thing we are talking about. They give more information about the person or thing spoken about. Examples: -The boy has gone home. Which boy? The boy who lives next door has gone home. -The book is very good. Which book? The book that I bought yesterday is very good. -This is a photo of the house. Which house? This is a photo of the house where we lived.
WHO and THAT Who refers to people (we can also use that) This book is about a girl who married a prince. That refers to things (we can also use which) What is the name of the horse that won the race?
WHO and THAT Who or that as object of the relative clause: => can be left out. -The man you need to talk to isn’t here. -The book I bought yesterday is very good. Who or that as subject of the relative clause: => must be included. -I like people who are kind and considerate. -I want a computer that is easy to use.
WHICH Which can be used to refer to the whole previous sentence or idea. Examples: -I passed my driving test on my first attempt, which surprised everyone. -John can’t come to the party, which is a shame.
WHOSE We use whose to refer to someone’s possessions. Examples: -That’s the woman whose dog ran away. -That’s the man whose wife won the lottery.
WHERE We can use where to refer to places. Examples: -The hotel where we stayed was right on the beach. -We went back to the place where we first met.