Relative Clause

Relative Clause who, whom, whose, which and that

To decide whether to use the relative pronoun who, whom, or whose in an adjective clause, see how the pronoun is used within the clause.

Who:Use as a subject in a clause	Dickinson was a private person who did not travel far from home.
Whom: Use as a direct object or an object of a preposition in a clause.	She is a poet whom many admire. She had a small circle of friends to whom she was dedicated.
Whose: Use as a possessive pronoun in a clause.	Dickinson, most of whose poems were not published in her lifetime, is well known today.

Which and That

•         Which

            use to refer to things                        

•         That

            use to refer to things and people (only in spoken)

•         Susan has a beautiful dress which is similar to Cinderella’s dress

•         Remember that the independent clause does not affect your choice of a relative pronoun.

•         Decide how the relative pronoun functions in the adjective clause. If it is the subject, use who. If it is an object, use whom.

–        Emily Dickinson is the poet who wrote those lines.

–        Emily Dickinson is the poet whom I admire most.

Complete each sentence with who, whom, or whose. What is the subordinate clause?

1. Everyone________ knows Mr. Arno enjoys his company.
2. Mr. Arno, _________ has five brothers, has only one sister.
3. He lives next door to his sister, _______ children he adores.
4. The children, for ________ he writes poems, adore him.
5. He has become a serious poet ________ work is published.
6. He is a creative person _________ everyone likes.

Relative Clauses

1. Rachel Carson (1907–1964) created quite a controversy with her widely read 1962 book, Silent Spring, which gave a sharp warning to the public.
2. However, a biology course that she took in her sophomore year at Pennsylvania College for Women led her in an entirely different direction.
3. Carson came up with the idea for Silent Spring after receiving a letter from a stranger in the state of Massachusetts who was disturbed by the effects of pesticides on her bird sanctuary.
4. The book's publishers underwrote a study to independently verify the statements that Carson had made about chlordane.

Concept Checking (1)

1. When do you use the pronoun who in a relative clause?

Ø  To refer to a person

Ø  The man who escaped from the prison was a bank robber.

     2. When do you use the pronoun which in a relative clause?

Ø  To refer to a thing

Ø  The car which is parked there is the director’s car.

      3. When do you use the pronoun that in a relative clause?

Ø  To refer to a person or a thing

Ø  The man that escaped from the prison was a bank robber.

Ø  The car that is parked there is the director’s car.

Join the sentences on the left with those on the right using who or which

1. Do you know a shop? 2. I know somebody. 3. I want some plates. 4. I was at school with the man. 5. I’d like to speak to the person. 6. She’s got friendly with a boy. 7. The police haven’t found the man. 8. There’s some cheese in the fridge. 9. We’ve got some light bulbs. 10. This is the switch.	He lives next door. He stole my car. He/She deals with exports. It isn’t working. It needs to be eaten. It sells good coffee. They last for years. She could mend that chair. They can go in the microwave. He is driving that taxi.

Join the sentences on the left with those on the right using who or which (answers)

1. Do you know a shop which sells good coffee?

2. I know somebody who could mend that chair.

3. I want some plates which can go in the microwave.

4. I was at school with the man Who is driving that taxi.

5. I’d like to speak to the person who deals with exports.

6. She’s got friendly with a boy who lives next door.

7. The police haven’t found the man who stole my car.

8. There’s some cheese in the fridge which needs to be eaten

9. We’ve got some light bulbs which last for years.

10. This is the switch which isn’t working.

Concept Checking (2)

4. How do you reduce an adjective clause to an adjective phrase?

v  If there is a to be (am, is, are, etc), delete the to be and the relative pronoun (who/which/that)

            The car which is parked there is the director’s car.

            The car parked there is the director’s car.

v  If there is no to be (am, is, are, etc), delete the relative pronoun (who/which/that) and change the verb to Ving.

            The man who escaped from the prison was a bank robber.

            The man escaping from the prison was a bank robber.

Change the relative clauses below to relative phrases

. The nurse who is looking after my mother is very kind to her.

            The nurse looking after my mother is very kind to her.

2. Luggage that is left unattended will be taken away by police.

            Luggage left unattended will be taken away by police.

3. Who’s that good-looking man who is talking to Alice?

            Who’s that good-looking man talking to Alice?

4. All the rubbish that is floating in the sea is a real danger to health.

            All the rubbish floating in the sea is a real danger to health.

5. Do you know the man who is standing near the door?

            Do you know the man standing near the door