Relative Clauses
Relative clauses join ideas without repetition. The key question is whether the information identifies the noun or simply adds an extra detail.
About 20 minutes · Guided practice · 10-question mastery test
Understand · You say · Check
A clear route through the lesson
Decide whether the clause identifies someone or adds extra information. Then check whether the relative word is a subject, object or place expression.
Read the explanations, answer aloud at each You say pause, then reveal the model and check one point. A model is one possible answer. Finish with the 10-question understanding check.
Keep the learner’s speaking time. At each You say pause, use the suggested follow-up and one correction focus. Finish with the 10-question understanding check.
By the end of this lesson, you can…
The essential rules
Defining clauses
Essential information identifies which person or thing we mean. Do not use commas. That may replace who/which.
The student who emailed me needs help.Non-defining clauses
Extra information does not identify the noun. Put it between commas. Do not use that.
Lina, who lives in Bogotá, teaches online.Omitting the pronoun
In a defining clause, omit the relative pronoun only when it is the object: not when it is the subject.
The book (that) I ordered arrived. · The book that won is excellent.Which person do you mean?
Alex
Works at the library
Speaks Italian
Bea
Works at the café
Speaks Italian
Chen
Works at the café
Speaks Korean
The person who works at the library identifies Alex. Alex, who speaks Italian, works at the library adds information about someone already identified.
The café where I work: a place relationship. The café that I visit: visit needs an object. In “the person who called”, who is the subject and cannot simply be omitted.
See the pattern
| Reference | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| People | who / that | The colleague who called… |
| Things | which / that | The app which crashed… |
| Possession | whose | The writer whose book won… |
| Place | where | The café where we met… |
Three mistakes to avoid
Guided practice
Try each item before opening the answer.
1. Join: I met a designer. She works for a game studio.
I met a designer who works for a game studio.
2. Add punctuation: My uncle who lives in Lima is visiting. (I have one uncle.)
My uncle, who lives in Lima, is visiting. The detail is extra.
3. Can we omit the pronoun? “The film that we watched was moving.”
Yes: The film we watched… “That” is the object of watched.
4. Complete: That is the office ___ I had my first interview.
where: it refers to a place.
Final check
Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Read the context carefully: a question may ask for a particular form, meaning or register. The explanations show why that answer fits.
0 of 10 questions answered