What is relative clause? Relative clause definition and examples/clause and its types.
As the name suggests, defining relative clause give essential information to define or identify the person or thing we are talking.
Take for example the sentence:
Dogs that like cats are very usual.
In this sentence we understand that there are many dogs in the world but we are talking about the ones that like cats. The defining relative clause gives that information.
If the defining relative clause were removed From the sentence. The sentence would still be grammatically correct. But it’s meaning would have changed significantly.
Defining relative clauses are composed of a relative.
Pronoun ( sometimes omitted ).a verb, and optional other elements such as the subject or object of the verb. Commas are not used to separate defining relative clause from the rest of the sentence. Commas or parentheses are used to separate non–defining relative clause from the rest of the sentence.
Examples
(1) children who hate chocolate are uncommon.
(2) they live in a house whose roof is full of holes.
(3) An elephant is an animal that lives in a hot countries.
(4) Let go to a country where the sun always shines.
(5) The reason why i came today in a not important.
(Relative pronouns)
The following relative pronouns are used in
defining relative clauses. These relative
pronouns appear at the start of the defining
relative clause and refer to a noun that
appears earlier in the sentence,
Person Thing place Time
Subject who/that which/that
Object who/whom which/that where When
Possessive whose whose
Replacing with “That” in spoken English
The pronoun who, whom, and which are often replaced by that in spoken English.
Whom is very formal and is only used in written English.
You can use who or That instead, or omit the pronoun completely.
In the Examples, below, the common usage is given with the defining
Relative clause highlighted.
The pronoun that would be used in more formal written English instead of that is given in parentheses.
[Examples]
(1). the Dish that I ordered was Delicious. (Which)
(2). The that came with her has already left (who)
(3). The Doctor that I was hoping to see wasn’t on duty.(whom)