Purpose of Relative Clauses
– Used to explain in more detail and more clearly the noun that comes before it. The MĐQH is placed right after the noun that needs to be explained and clarified.
Example: Her name is Hoa. This girl sits next to me in the class.
-> The girl who sits next to me in the class is Hoa.
– Adjectives are often connected by the words: who, whom, which, whose, that
10 RELATIVE CLAUSE STRUCTURES
1. WHO : used as the subject of the MĐQH, replacing the noun referring to people.
Example: My best friend who sings very well is Tony’s brother.
Example: The woman who stands right there is my teacher.
2. WHICH : is used as a subject to replace a noun indicating an object.
Example: Do you see the book which is on the table?
Example: The tree which stands in front of my class is 4 years old.
3. WHOSE : used as the subject for a noun that refers to an object, the person comes first, after whose is the noun that it owns.
Example: Do you know the girl whose mother is a famous photographer?
Example: The girl whose bag is pink is beautiful.
4. THAT : is used to replace nouns referring to people and things.
That replaces who, which in MĐQH.
Example: I don’t like houses that/which are very old.
The girl who/that has a pink bag is beautiful.
Use ‘that’ when:
– Comes after the superlative
Example: This is the most interesting book that I have read.
She is the most beautiful girl that I have seen.
– When it comes after the words: only, the first, the second, the last
Example: This is the first lesson that I have participated.
It is the last film that I have seen.
– When following nouns referring to people and things:
Example: He is talking about the place and the people that he visited.
– When following indefinite pronouns: nobody, no one, nothing, anything, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody, all, every-
Example: These books are all that my grandmother left me.
Somebody that has used the room walked in without consent.
5. WHERE : Used to replace words indicating location or place.
Example: This is my hometown. I was born and grew up here.
This is my hometown where I was born and grew up.
6. WHEN : Used instead of time
Example: That was a Saturday evening. I met him on that day.
That was a Saturday evening when I met him.
7. WHOM : used as the subject of the noun phrase, replacing a noun referring to a person.
Who, V/Tobe
Whom, S + V
Example: The girl who sits/is there is my best friend.
The boy whom we met is 8 years old.
8. DETERMINED AND INDETERMINED CONTRACTS
– The girl who visited the park yesterday is my classmate.
– Mr Peter, who is our president, is very rich.
9. PREP/PREPOSITION (In, At, On, From..) + WHICH = WHERE/WHEN
PREP/ PREPOSITION (In, At, On, From, With,..) + WHOM = WHOM/WHO
I live in a house. The house is very beautiful.
-> The house in which I live in is very beautiful.
My family sits on the hill. The hill is very high
-> The hill on which my family sits is very high.
10. THE FIRST/THE SECOND/THE LAST + TO V
Example: N was the first to put his foot on the moon.
He is the last to come in.
CONCLUSION
Hopefully the grammar guide for Relative Clauses from 2G Education below will help you with your grammar!
