What Are Relative Clauses?

Relative clauses are a type of dependent clause. They give more information about a noun or pronoun in the main part of the sentence.

They begin with a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, which, that) or a relative adverb (where, when, why).

What Is a Defining Relative Clause?

Defining relative clauses provide essential information. This information is necessary to understand exactly who or what you are talking about.

If you remove a defining relative clause, the meaning of the sentence changes or becomes unclear.

• They are not separated by commas.
• Вы можете использовать who for people, which for things, and that for both people and things.
• Often, that is preferred in informal speech and writing.
• When the relative pronoun is the object of the clause, you can often omit it.

Примеры:

• The woman who lives next door is a doctor. (Essential: identifies which woman)
• This is the book which I was telling you about. (Essential: identifies which book)
• I like the car that has red wheels. (Essential: identifies which car)

Вы также можете использовать where for places, when for times, and whose for possession.

• That’s the restaurant where we had our first date.
• I remember the day when we first met.
• He’s the student whose essay won the prize.

Sometimes, prepositions are used with which или who. The preposition usually comes at the end of the clause.

• This is the house which I grew up in. (More common than This is the house in which I grew up.)

What Is a Non-Defining Relative Clause?

Non-defining relative clauses provide extra, additional information. This information is not essential to identify the noun.

If you remove a non-defining relative clause, the main meaning of the sentence remains clear and complete.

• They are always separated by commas.
• Вы используете who for people and which for things.
• Crucially, you CANNOT use that в non-defining relative clauses.
• The relative pronoun CANNOT be omitted, even if it is the object of the clause.

Примеры:

• My brother, who lives in London, is a doctor. (Extra: I only have one brother, so “who lives in London” is additional info.)
• The Eiffel Tower, which is in Paris, is a famous landmark. (Extra: “The Eiffel Tower” is already specific.)

Which can also refer to the entire preceding clause, not just a single noun.

• She got the job, which made her very happy. (The job itself didn’t make her happy, the fact that she got it did.)

Вы также можете использовать where, when, и whose в non-defining clauses, always with commas.

• My hometown, where I grew up, is very small.
• Last summer, when I visited Spain, was unforgettable.
• My neighbor, whose dog barks all night, apologized yesterday.

Key Differences at a Glance

Here’s a quick summary of the main distinctions between these two important clause types:

Примеры

• The student who submitted the best essay received a scholarship.
• I finally read the book that you recommended.
• This is the café where we first met.
• My car, which is quite old, broke down yesterday.
• Dr. Elena Rodriguez, who is a renowned scientist, will give the keynote speech.
• He failed the exam, which surprised everyone.
• The company whose CEO resigned last month is facing financial difficulties.
• My cousin, whose car was stolen, is very upset.

Практика

Распространенные ошибки у носителей испанского языка

Spanish speakers often make specific mistakes with relative clauses due to differences in grammar structure. Be careful with these common errors:

• Использование that in non-defining clauses: In Spanish, “el cual” or “la cual” can sometimes feel similar to that. However, in English, that is never used after a comma.
  • Incorrect: My sister, that lives in Madrid, is visiting next week.
  • Correct: My sister, who lives in Madrid, is visiting next week.
• Omitting the pronoun in non-defining clauses: You can often omit relative pronouns in defining clauses when they are the object. This is never possible in non-defining clauses.
  • Incorrect: The new software, I downloaded yesterday, is very fast.
  • Correct: The new software, which I downloaded yesterday, is very fast.
• Incorrect comma usage: Remember, commas are essential for non-defining clauses but never used for defining clauses. A common error is to add commas to defining clauses.
  • Incorrect: The student, who passed the exam, was very happy. (If there are many students, and this clause identifies *which* student, it’s defining and needs no commas.)
  • Correct: The student who passed the exam was very happy.
• Confusing which и where for places: Использование where when referring to a place *as a location*. Use which when referring to the place *as a thing* or when a preposition is involved.
  • Correct: This is the city where I was born. (Focus on the location of birth)
  • Correct: This is the city which I love. (Focus on the city as a thing)
  • Correct: This is the city which I grew up in. (Preposition at the end)

Часто задаваемые вопросы

What is the main difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses?

The main difference is whether the information is essential or extra. Defining clauses provide essential information to identify the noun and do not use commas. Non-defining clauses provide extra information, are always separated by commas, and the sentence still makes sense without them.

Can I always use ‘that’ instead of ‘who’ or ‘which’?

You can often use that вместо who или which в defining relative clauses. However, you can NEVER use that in a non-defining relative clause (the ones with commas).

When can I omit the relative pronoun?

You can omit the relative pronoun (who, which, that) in defining relative clauses when it is the object of the clause. For example, The man (who/that) I saw was tall. You can NEVER omit the relative pronoun in non-defining relative clauses.