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Relative Clauses

This document provides information about relative clauses, including: 1) There are two types of relative clauses - defining relative clauses and non-defining relative clauses. Defining clauses provide essential information about the noun, while non-defining clauses provide additional non-essential information. 2) Relative clauses can be used to provide information about people, things, places, and time. They can function as subjects, objects, or possessives within a sentence. 3) Examples are given to illustrate the different types of relative clauses, how they are punctuated, and how they function within sentences.

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196 views2 pages

Relative Clauses

This document provides information about relative clauses, including: 1) There are two types of relative clauses - defining relative clauses and non-defining relative clauses. Defining clauses provide essential information about the noun, while non-defining clauses provide additional non-essential information. 2) Relative clauses can be used to provide information about people, things, places, and time. They can function as subjects, objects, or possessives within a sentence. 3) Examples are given to illustrate the different types of relative clauses, how they are punctuated, and how they function within sentences.

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Mira Di
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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UNIT 39

Relative clauses

A. Sample sentences
•The company which produces these parts has moved into this
area.
•ABC, which produces these parts, has just closed its local
office.
•Peter Jones, who heads the R&D department, will be able
to answer question.
•The person who can answer your question will be back later
this
afternoon.
•The company where this was designed has gone out of business.
•We intend to make further investments at a time when
the economic conditions are more favourable.

B. Form
here are two types of relative clause:
defining relative clauses non-defining relative clauses
We can distinguish them by the punctuation. Non-defining
clauses are enclosed by co defining clauses are not.
Defining and non- Defining only
defining
Personal Non- Personal and non-
personal personal
subject who which that
ive
objecti who(m) which that (no pronoun)
ve
genitiv whose of
e which/whose
locativ where
e when
The company which produces these parts has moved
into this area. (de no commas)
Peter Jones, who heads the R&D department, will be
able to answer question. (non-defining; commas)

C Uses
Relative clauses are subordinate clauses (see Unit 37)
which provide information a noun or noun phrase.
There are two types of relative clause: defining and non-
defining. Defining relative cl provide essential information
which restricts or clarifies the meaning of the preceding or
noun phrase by specifying its meaning more clearly.
• The person who can answer your question will be back later
Who can answer your question? identifies the person; without
this essential the has a very different meaning.
non-definingrelative clauses provide additional, non-essential
information.
•ABC which produces these parts, has just closed its local office.
which produces these parts' provides additional, non-
essential information; the basic meaning of the sentence
remains the same.
about people (personal).
'The consultant who/that did this report has left the organisation.
(subjective — defining)
John Peters, who supervised the study, is out of the country.
(subjective — non- defining)
We don't need to interview those employees who(m)/that/0 we have
discussed already. (objective — defining)
• We have talked to Andrea Green, who(m) we considered the best
candidate. (objective — non-defining)
• ,We think that Sarah Graham, with whom we discussed the matter
yesterday, can best help us. (objective after preposition — non-
defining)
And finally let me introduce a man whose face is known to most of us.
(genitive defining)
• .And this is Paul Davies, whose compmany supplies our valves.
(genitive — non- defining)
about things (non-personal):
• We would like to see a machine which/that can produce the
hitlhest quality print ing. (subjective — defining)
• I'm afraid that the HP 202, which can produce this quality, is out of
stock at the moment. (subjective — non-defining)
We don't need to discuss those machines which/that/0 you can't
supply within two weeks. (objective — defining)
•We think that the HP202, which you can supply within two weeks,
suits our needs best. (objective — non-defining)
•We are not interested in devices whose spare parts/the spare parts
of which are not available in this country. (genitive — defining)
• And finally, we have the HP203, whose capacity (the capacity of
which) is much higher than the I-IP202. (genitive — non-defining)
g about places (locative):
• I know a restaurant in the centre of Lisbon where they serve
excellent lobster. (defining)
• This site, where the old factory stood, has been completely
redeveloped. (non- defining)
about the time (temporal):
• I'm afraid they haven't informed us of the exact time when the
certificate will be issued. (defining)
• We are currently recruiting managers in their third stage of
development, when they reach about forty. (non-defining)

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