Relative clauses

When there are two sentences where there is some information repeated, they tend to become one by means of a relative pronoun.

There are two types of relative clauses:

Defining relative clauses (“Especificativas”): they give some information that is necessary to know what

we are talking about ‘The boy who is smiling is American’

Non-defining relative clauses (“Explicativas”): they give some extra information

about what we are talking about, but this information is not necessary to know what we are talking about

‘John, who is smiling, is American’

Defining Relative Clauses

(Oraciones de relativo especificativas)

SUBJECT

‘WHO’ is used for people:‘I know a woman. She can speak six languages’ ‘I know a woman who can speak six languages’

‘WHICH’ is used for things:‘Jim is wearing a hat. It is very elegant’

‘Jim is wearing a hat which is very elegant’

‘THAT’ is used for people and things in an informal style:‘I know a woman that can speak six languages’

‘Jim is wearing a hat that is very elegant’

OBJECT

For people:‘I know a woman. John likes her.’

‘I know a woman (who / that / whom) John likes’

For things:‘I’ve seen a car. His mother likes it.’

‘I’ve seen a car (which / that) his mother likes’

With prepositions:

For people:‘The man is American. She is talking to the man.’

‘The man (who / that / whom) she is talking to is American’

‘The man to whom she is talking is American’

For things:‘The bed is very hard. I slept in the bed’

‘The bed (which / that) I slept in is very hard’

‘The bed in which I slept is very hard’

Places‘I like the hotel. We stayed at the hotel’

‘I like the hotel where we stayed’‘I like the hotel (which) we stayed in’‘I like the hotel in which we stayed’

Times‘I remember the year. He was born in this year.’‘I remember the year (that / when) he was born’

Possessives‘I like the boy. His parents are my friends’

‘I like the boy whose parents are my friends’

‘I like the house. Its windows are yellow’ ‘I like the house whose windows are yellow’

Non-Defining Relative Clauses

(Oraciones de relativo explicativas)

Non-defining relative clauses appear between commas

‘Mary, who is my best friend, is very intelligent’

Relative pronouns cannot be omitted‘This hat, which I bought yesterday, is very comfortable’

‘That’ cannot be used

‘WHAT’ as a relative pronoun = “Lo que”

‘What we saw astonished us’

CONNECTIVE RELATIVES

“He said he had done his homework, which wasn’t true”

THE END