Relative clauses, pronouns & adverbs

An essential relative clause provides necessary, defining information about the noun. On the other hand, non‐ essential relative clauses provide additional, non‐necessary information about the noun. Think of non‐ essential relative clauses as adjectives describing the noun; you can remove adjectives without changing the meaning of the sentence. A relative clause can be introduced by either a relative pronoun or a relative adverb.

A relative clause can be restrictive or nonrestrictive (essential or nonessential)

• Restrictive relative clauses restrict or define the meaning of a noun and are not set apart by commas.
  • To take a photo you must press the button that is on the left of the camera.
  • This is the room where students can sit and do their homework after school.
  • Anyone who has not turned in their homework must do so by Friday.
• Nonrestrictive relative clauses comment on the noun rather than defining it and are set apart by commas.
  • To take a photo you must press the shutter button, which is on the left of the camera.
  • Venus, where temperatures can reach over 450°C, orbits the Sun in 224 days.
  • May I introduce you to John, who just returned from his trip to Europe.

A relative clause can be introduced by a relative pronoun or a relative adverb.

• Relative pronouns: who (whose, whom), which, that
  • “Who” has different forms depending on its role in the clause
    • subjective: who
    • possessive : whose
    • objective: whom

 Relative adverbs: where, when, why

Relative pronouns

Relative pronouns connect nouns/pronouns to relative clauses, which can be essential or non‐essential (restrictive or nonrestrictive).

• Which
  • Refers to animals and things
    • Did you see the dog which is playing on the lawn? (essential relative clause)
• That
  • Refers to people, animals, and things in restrictive clauses (who/whom is often used as well)
    • She likes the painting that is in the living room. (essential relative clause)
• Who
  • Refers to people (that is often used as well)
    • The person who called last night was my grandmother. (essential relative clause)
• Whom
  • Object pronoun for people, especially in nonrestrictive relative clauses (who is often used instead of whom)
    • Josh Lee, whom the manager traded, later became a successful baseball star. (non-essential relative clause)
• Whose
  • Possession for people, animals, and things
    • The girl whose notes I borrowed always pays attention in class. (essential relative clause).

When to omit relative pronouns

• If the clause is essential (i.e., if the clause is essential to the meaning of the sentence) and the relative pronoun is the object of the clause, the relative pronoun can be omitted.
  • The king gave up his throne for the women (whom) he loved
  • Whom is the object of the essential relative clause; therefore, whom can be omitted, e.g. The king gave up his throne for the women he loved.
• The relative pronoun that always introduces essential information and can be omitted if it is the object of the clause.
  • Sally chose the dress that she liked best. 
  • That is the object of the restrictive relative clause; therefore, that can be omitted, e.g. Sally chose the dress she liked best.
  • You could also use the relative pronoun who/whom to indicate you are referring to a person.
• Relative pronouns CANNOT be omitted when they are the subject of the clause; subjects are essential information in a sentence and cannot be omitted.
  • The cell phone that rang in class belonged to the teacher.
  • That is introducing essential information of the subject and cannot be omitted.
• Only relative pronouns that provide essential information can be omitted.
  • Robin White, whom I met at college, called me last week.
  • Whom is a part of a nonessential clause and cannot be omitted.

Relative adverbs

Relative adverbs connect nouns/pronouns to relative clauses, which can be essential or non‐essential (restrictive or nonrestrictive).

• When
  • Refers to time
    • In/on which
      • The day when we met her
• Where
  • Refers to place
    • In/at which
      • The place where we met her
• Why
  • Refers to people
    • For which
      • The reason why we met her

Relative adverbs provide an alternative to more formal structures containing a preposition and which. For example:

• That’s the restaurant in which we met. = That’s the restaurant where we
• I remember the day on which we first met. = I remember the day when we
• Tell me the reason for which you came home later. = Tell me (the reason) why you came home