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Defining relative clauses RELATIVE PRONOUNS

English uses different
relative pronouns to talk
A relative clause is a part of a sentence that gives more See also: about people and things.
information about the subject. A defining, or restrictive, Non-defining relative clauses 82 PEOPLE THINGS
relative clause identifies the subject being talked about. Other relative structures 83

DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
Defining relative clauses, also known as restrictive relative clauses, are
used to describe exactly which person or thing the speaker is referring SUBJECTS AND OBJECTS IN DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
to. Without this information, the meaning of the sentence changes. Relative clauses
are made up of a MAIN CLAUSE RELATIVE CLAUSE
Here the MAIN CLAUSE DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSE subject, a verb, and
defining clause usually an object.
gives essential They usually start
information with a relative
about people. pronoun, which “Who” is the subject of “commit.”
can be the subject
or the object of MAIN CLAUSE RELATIVE CLAUSE
the relative clause.
Here the
defining clause MAIN CLAUSE DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSE
gives essential
information
about a thing. “Which” is the object of “stole.” “The criminal” is the subject of “stole.”

The defining DEFINING RELATIVE MAIN CLAUSE HOW TO FORM
clause can MAIN CLAUSE CLAUSE CONTINUED If the relative pronoun SUBJECT OF RELATIVE REST OF
also go in the is the subject of the MAIN CLAUSE PRONOUN RELATIVE CLAUSE RETURN TO MAIN CLAUSE
middle of the relative clause, it
main clause. must appear in
the sentence.

RELATIVE
SUBJECT OF
REST OF
FURTHER EXAMPLES “That” can also be used for people. If the relative pronoun MAIN CLAUSE PRONOUN RELATIVE CLAUSE RETURN TO MAIN CLAUSE
is the object of the
relative clause, it can
be left out. “Whom” is
sometimes used when
a person is the object,
but this is very formal.

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