A clause is a group of words that contain a subject as well as a predicate. A relative clause is a clause that begins with a relative pronoun. Since relative pronouns are an essential part of relative clauses, let us first discuss what relative pronouns are.
What is Relative Pronoun
A relative pronoun is a type of pronoun that refers to the preceding noun in a sentence in order to identify or modify it. Relative pronouns in English include that, which, who, whose and whom. The table below will help you to understand which relative pronoun should be used for which occasion.
|
People or Things |
Subjective Case |
Objective Case |
Possessive Case |
|
People |
who |
whom |
whose |
|
Things |
which |
which |
whose |
|
People or Things |
that |
that |
whose |
For more information, you can refer to our article on relative pronouns.
What is Relative Clause
As mentioned above, a relative clause is a clause introduced by a relative pronoun. Since it begins with a relative clause, it cannot give a complete idea. Thus, a relative clause is a type of dependent clause. A relative clause functions as an adjective since it identifies and modifies its preceding noun. Relative clauses are also known as adjective clauses.
Do you know that girl? That girl is talking with my teacher.⇒ Do you know the girl who is talking with my teacher?
I read a book. It explains the process of distillation. ⇒ I read a book that explains the process of distillation.
Notre Dame Cathedral, which is situated in Paris, is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic Architecture.
Examples of Relative Clauses
We travelled to a small village that is near the Swiss Alps.
I saw the old lady who helped you.
The old mansion that is at the end of our lane is being renovated.
Kathy, whose sister lives aboard, wears imported shoes.
The men who broke into my neighbor’s house have been arrested by the police.
Dr. Wainwright, who saved my sister’s life, has become a local hero.
That’s the man whose wife died recently.
He failed the exam again, which depressed him further.
Punctuation with Relative Clauses
You might have noticed in the above sentences, that some clauses are set off by commas whereas some are not. This is because the use of commas depends on the type of information presented by the relative clause.
Clauses that add non-essential information are separated from the main clause by the use of commas. These clauses are called non-defining relative clauses.
Mrs. Anderson, who owns that house, is a close friend of my mother.
Clauses that add essential information are not separated from the main clause by commas. These clauses are called defining relative clauses.
The girl who won the competition delivered a nice speech.
Relative Clause – Summary
- A relative clause is a clause introduced by a relative pronoun.
- A relative clause is a type of dependent clause.
- A relative clause functions as an adjective since it identifies and modifies its preceding noun.
- Relative clauses are also known as adjective clauses.
- Relative clauses that add non-essential information are set off from the main clause by commas whereas relative clauses that add essential information are not.
