RELATIVE CLAUSES
DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSE We use defining relative clauses to add essential information to a sentence. The clause goes immediately after the noun it describes. 1) “This is the man who sold me the car.” This is the man. He sold the car. 2) I bought the coat Which/that was in the shop window. I bought the coat. It was in the shop window.
How to Recognize an adjective clause First it will contain a subject and a verb Next it will begin with a relative pronoun (who, that, which, where ) We use relative pronouns: who, that – for people which, that – for objects where – for places He is the man who / that owns this car This is the house where I was born.
We can leave out who, which, that, when the clause is the object of a sentence. “The doctor I spoke to told me not to worry.” “The man I saw was very rude.” “Mr Smith is the teacher my son likes best.”
We can’t leave out the relative pronoun in a defining relative clause that refers to the subject. “The doctor who treated me told me not to worry.” “That’s the dog that attacked my children”