Adjective (Relative) Clauses

Front

What is a relative clause?

Back

A relative clause is a type of dependent clause that modifies a noun and usually begins with a relative pronoun such as 'who', 'whom', 'whose', 'which', or 'that'.

Front

What is the function of the relative pronoun 'who'?

Back

The relative pronoun 'who' is used to refer to people and introduces a relative clause that provides more information about a person.

Front

What is the function of the relative pronoun 'whose'?

Back

The relative pronoun 'whose' indicates possession and is used to refer to people or things.

Front

What is the function of the relative pronoun 'which'?

Back

The relative pronoun 'which' is used to refer to animals and things, introducing a relative clause that provides additional information.

Front

What is the function of the relative pronoun 'that'?

Back

The relative pronoun 'that' can refer to people, animals, or things and is often used in defining relative clauses.

Front

What is a defining relative clause?

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A defining relative clause provides essential information about the noun it modifies, without which the sentence would not make sense.

Front

What is a non-defining relative clause?

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A non-defining relative clause adds extra information about a noun but is not essential to the meaning of the sentence and is usually set off by commas.

Front

How do you combine two sentences using a relative clause?

Back

You can combine two sentences by replacing the noun in the second sentence with a relative pronoun and adding it to the first sentence.

Front

What is the correct form: 'The book, which I read last year, was fascinating.' or 'The book which I read last year was fascinating.'?

Back

The correct form is 'The book, which I read last year, was fascinating.' because it is a non-defining relative clause.

Front

What is the error in the sentence: 'The man who I saw him yesterday is my neighbor.'?

Back

The error is the unnecessary pronoun 'him'; it should be 'The man who I saw yesterday is my neighbor.'.