Relative clauses

8.83 When you mention someone or something in a sentence, you often want to give further information about them. One way to do this is to use a relative clause.

You put relative clause immediately after the noun which refers to the person, thing, or group you are talking about.

The man who came into the room was small and slender.

Opposite is St. Paul's Church, where you can hear some lovely music.

Relative clauses have a similar function to adjectives, and they are sometimes called adjectival clauses.

Nominal relative clauses, which have a similar function to noun groups, are explained in paragraphs 8.112 to 8.116.

8.84 Many relative clauses begin with a relative pronoun. The relative pronoun usually acts the subject or object of the verb in the relative clause.

He is the only person who might be able to help.

Most of the mothers have a job, which they take both for the money and the company.

Here is a list of the most common relative pronouns:

that

which

who

whom

whose

Relative pronouns do not have masculine, feminine, or plural forms. The same pronoun can be used to refer to a man, a woman, or a group of people.

She didn't recognize the man who had spoken.

I met a girl who knew Mrs Townsend.

There are many people who find this intolerable.

Some relative clauses do not have a relative pronoun.

Nearly all the people I used to know have gone.

This is explained in paragraphs 8.90, 8.91, and 8.96.

kinds of relative clause 8.85 There are two kinds of relative clause.

Defining relative clauses explain which person or thing you are talking about. For example, if you say 'I met the woman', it might not be clear who you mean, so you might say, 'I met the woman who lives next door'. In this sentence, 'who lives next door' is a defining relative clause.

Shortly after the shooting, the man who had done it was arrested.

Mooresville is the town that John Dillinger came from.

Defining relative clauses are a kind of qualifier. Qualifiers are explained in paragraphs 2.289 to 2.320.

Non-defining relative clauses give further information which is not needed to identify the person, thing, or group you are talking about. For example, if you say 'I saw Kylie Minogue', it is clear who you mean. But you might want to add more information about Kylie Minogue, so you might say, for example, 'I saw Kylie Minogue, who was staying at the hotel opposite'. In this sentence, 'who was staying at the hotel opposite' is a non-defining relative clause.

He was waving to the girl, who was running along the platform.

He walked down to Broadway, the main street of the town, which ran parallel to the river.

Non-defining relative clauses are used mainly in writing rather than speech.

punctuation 8.86 A non-defining relative clause usually has a comma in front of it and a comma after it, unless it is at the end of a sentence, in which case you just put a full stop. Dashes are sometimes used instead of commas.

Sir Denis, who is 78, has let it be known that much of his collection is to be left to the nation.

You never put a comma or a dash in front of a defining relative clause.

The woman who owns this cabin will come back in the autumn.

use after pronouns 8.87 Defining relative clauses can be used after some pronouns.

They are used after indefinite pronouns such as 'someone', 'anyone', and 'everything'.

This is something I'm very proud of.

In theory anyone who lives or works in the area may be at risk.

Karen Blixen was being feted by everyone who knew her work.

They are sometimes used after 'some', 'many', 'much', 'several', 'all', or 'those'.

Like many who met him in those days I was soon charmed.

...the feelings of those who have suffered from the effects of crime.

They can also be used after personal pronouns, but only in formal or old-fashioned English.

He who is not for reform is against it.

...we who are supposed to be so good at talking and writing.

Non-defining relative clauses are never used after pronouns.

8.88 Relative clauses can sometimes be reduced to non-finite clauses.

For example, instead of saying 'Give it to the man who is wearing the bowler hat', you can say 'Give it to the man wearing the bowler hat'. Similarly, instead of saying 'The bride, who was smiling happily, chatted to the guests', you can say 'The bride, smiling happily, chatted to the guests'.

These uses are explained in paragraphs 8.117 to 8.133. See also paragraphs 2.317 and 2.318 in the section on qualifiers.