RELATIVE CLAUSES: TYPES
Relative
clauses qualify nouns or pronouns. The noun qualified is called 'antecedent'.
There
two types of relative clauses: defining
and non defining relative clauses
1-Defining relative clauses
They are essential to the meaning of the sentence, to the understanding of
the
noun they qualify. The pronoun
can be omitted when is the object of the clause.
We can replace “who” or “which”
with “that”
Example: The man who wrote that poem is coming to tea.
Without the relative clause "who wrote
that poem" we wouldn't know which man is referred to in the sentence. The relative clause defines the man.
More examples: That's the boy who broke the
window.
(which boy? - the one who.....)
Here's the book (that) I was
looking for.
(which book? - the one
I was....)
2-Non- defining relative clauses
They do not define the noun but merely add
some more information about it.
These clauses are not essential, they can
be omitted. They are separated
by commas . The pronoun can never be omitted. “That” can never be used.
They are not common in spoken English.
Example: My brother Tom, whom you met last
week, is
coming for tea.
The Non-defining relative clauses MUST BE
PLACED BETWEEN COMMAS to avoid confusion in the meaning of certain sentences.
Ex: My
wife, who lives in New York, has just written to me.
My wife who lives in New York has just
written to me.
If we compare these two sentences, we find that
they have very different meanings. The
second one suggests that the wife who has written is the one who lives in N.Y.,
but the writer may have other wives...!
PRONOUNS:
People Things
DEFINING: Subj. That/ who that/which
Obj. That/(who/whom) that/(which) Omission is posssible
Poss. Whose
Place where
NON-DEFINING:
Subj. Who which
Obj. Who/whom which
Poss. Whose whose
Place where
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