Relative clauses

• Engels
• HBO
• Studiejaar 2

Lesson aims

At the end of this lesson:

The students can test their knowledge on relative clauses through the means of a quiz

The students can answer questions about the relative clauses

Rules

Who is used: people and sometimes pet animals

Example: My friend from school, who likes reading, just brought some books.
Which is used: animals and things

Example: My bicycle, which is blue, has a pink bell.
That is used: people, animals and things, informal

Example: The umbrella that I bought last week is already broken

Whose: possessive meaning, for people and animals usually; sometimes for things in formal situations.

Whom: people in formal styles or in writing; often with a preposition; rarely in conversation; used instead of who if who is the subject

Example: Charlie from the chocolate factory is a character whom I admire very much.

Where: used for locations or directions.

Example: We visited the house where our father was born.

Whose: possessive meaning, for people and animals usually; sometimes for things in formal situations.

Example: Fredrick, whose wife just died, has a new girlfriend

Do you understand ....... I told you?

1. What
2. Which
3. That
4. -

Explanation: We use which/that as relative pronouns. They refer back to a noun or sentence.

We use what independently to mean ‘the thing/s that’.

Do you really understand what I told you? = Do you really understand the thing(s) I told you?

Mrs. Smitt, ....... had recently been fired, was depressed.

1. That
2. Who
3. Which
4. -

Explanation: We use who or that to refer to people, but that cannot be used in non-defining relative clauses (between commas).

The students, most of ...... were teenagers, were expelled from school.

1. Which
2. Whom
3. Who
4. -

Explanation: We can use of/which/whom after a quantifier such as some, any, none, all, both, several, enough, many and few. We use of whom (not OF WHICH) to refer to people.

This is the woman ... I am in love with

1. Who
2. Whom
3. Which
4. -

Explanation: We can use who(m) to refer to people. We use whom after a preposition.

This is the woman who I am in love with. = This is the woman with whom I am in love.

He wasn't being honest with me ... made me mad.

1. Which
2. That
3. What
4. -

Explanation: We use which as a relative pronoun when we want to refer back to a whole sentence.

The driver ... car broke down, got really angry.

1. Who
2. Whom
3. Whose
4. -

Explanation: We use whose to express possession (whose car= the driver's car).

This is the restaurant ... we met

1. where
2. that
3. which
4. -

Explanation: We use where as a relative adverb to refer to places.

This is the place ... I work.

1. Where
2. What
3. That
4. -

Explanation: We use where as a relative adverb to refer to places.