A relative clause is a part of a sentence that gives more information about a person, place, or thing. It helps connect ideas and makes your writing or speaking more detailed and interesting.
Relative clauses often begin with words like who, that, which, whose, where, or when. These are called relative pronouns.
Why Do We Use Relative Clauses?
We use relative clauses to:
- Join two ideas together
- Avoid repeating words
- Add extra information about a noun
For example:
Two sentences:
I met a woman. She is a doctor.
With a relative clause:
I met a woman who is a doctor.
The second sentence sounds more natural and gives the same meaning in one sentence.
Common Relative Pronouns
| Word | Use For | Example |
|---|---|---|
| who | people | The teacher who helped me was kind. |
| that | people or things | This is the pen that I lost. |
| which | things | The book which I borrowed is great. |
| whose | showing possession | He’s the student whose phone rang. |
| where | places | That’s the house where I grew up. |
| when | time | I remember the day when we first met. |
Two Types of Relative Clauses
1. Defining Relative Clauses
These give necessary information. Without them, the sentence is not clear or loses its purpose.
The woman who lives next door is a nurse.
(This tells us which woman we are talking about.)
In defining relative clauses, we do not use commas.
2. Non-Defining Relative Clauses
These give extra information. You can remove the clause and the sentence still makes sense.
My uncle, who lives in Bangkok, is a teacher.
(We already know who my uncle is. The part about Bangkok is just extra.)
In non-defining relative clauses, we do use commas.
Important: We cannot use “that” in non-defining relative clauses. Use “who” or “which” instead.
More Examples
- She’s the girl who won the contest.
- I visited the place where he was born.
- This is the movie that everyone is talking about.
- He’s the boy whose dog ran away.
- I’ll never forget the day when I arrived in Thailand.
A Quick Test
Which relative pronoun would you use in these?
- The man ___ fixed my bike was very friendly.
- That’s the school ___ I went to.
- She’s the teacher ___ class is very popular.
Answers:
- who
- where
- whose
Final Thoughts
Relative clauses are useful when you want to give more information without starting a new sentence. They help your English sound smoother and more natural. At first, they may seem tricky, but with practice, they become easier to use.
Keep listening, reading, and trying them out in your own writing or speaking.