Defining and non-defining relative clauses; relative pronouns and prepositions
CONTEXT LISTENING
You are going to hear a man showing some visitors round the castle where he lives. He’s talking about some paintings. Before you listen, look at each painting and answer these questions.
Can you guess when the people lived?
Do you think they were members of the same family?
Listen and check if you were right. As you listen, match the corect names with the paintings.
Andrew | Edmund | George | Henry | Jane | Jasper | Margaret | William
A ________ B ________ C ________ and ________D ________ and ________ with their children
Listen again and complete the answers to these questions. Stop the recording when you need to.
1. What do we learn about the ship in the picture of Edmund?
It’s the one which he commanded during a famous naval battle.
2. Which is the picture of Henry and William?
It’s the picture _______________________________________.
3. How do we know who William is?
He’s the one _______________________________________.
4. Which side did Henry support in the Civil War?
It was the side _______________________________________.
5. In which year was the picture of Jane and her children painted?
It was the year _______________________________________.
Look at the first word in each of the answers above. They are all words which can introduce relative clauses. What does each word refer to?
Log into Learnclick to do the exercise and check your answers.
GRAMMAR
Defining vs Non-defining relative clauses
Defining and non-defining relative clauses with who, which and that
Defining relative clauses tell us some essential information about the things or people they refer to:
The picture that hangs next to Margaret’s portrait is the one I like best.
If we remove the words that hangs next to Margaret’s portrait, we don’t know which picture Jasper is talking about.
Non-defining relative clauses tell us some extra information about the things or people they refer to:
The next painting shows Edmund’s wife Margaret, who he married in 1605.
If we remove the words who he married in 1605, we still know who Jasper is talking about. It is Edmund’s wife Margaret.
The next painting shows Edmund’s wife Margaret, who he married in 1605.
Defining relative clauses:
use the relative pronouns who for people, which for things and that for things and people:
There’s the woman who sold me the bracelet.
I’m looking for a website which has the words of pop songs.
Where did you get the coat that you were wearing?
They’re the people that run the local café.
Non-defining relative clauses:
always use the relative pronouns who for people and which for things:
My friend Tom, who works for a software company, earns a good salary.
This company makes all kinds of phones and chargers, which are sold in fifty different countries.
Defining relative clauses:
may have who, which or that as the subject or object of the relative clause:
The picture which/that hangs next to Margaret’s portrait …
(which/that is the subject of the relative clause)
She’s the woman who/that he married.
(who/that is the object of the relative clause, and he is the subject)
Non-defining relative clauses:
may have who or which (but never that) as the subject or object of the relative clause:
The building, which is very old, costs a lot of money to repair. (not that is very old)
The castle’s owner, who we’ve just seen, enjoys meeting visitors. (not that we’ve just seen)
Defining relative clauses:
very often omit the relative pronoun when it is the object of the relative clause:
The painting we’re looking at shows Edmund.
or The painting which/that we’re looking at shows Edmund.
Non-defining relative clauses:
never omit the relative pronoun:
This small café, which was opened three years ago, has the best coffee in town.
Defining relative clauses:
are never separated from the rest of the sentence by commas:
(not The painting, that we’re looking at, shows Edmund.):
Non-defining relative clauses:
must be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas:
My best friend, who works at the café on Saturdays, says it’s always busy.
Defining relative clauses are used in writing and speaking.
Non-defining relative clauses are more common in writing than in speaking.
Note!
The relative pronoun refers back to a person/thing mentioned previously. We do not add any extra pronoun in the relative clause:
This is the painting that I like best. (not the painting that I like it best)
The painting shows Edmund’s wife, who he married in 1605. (not Edmund’s wife, who he married her)
This café, which opened two years ago, has the best coffee in town. (not This café, which it opened)
whose, whom, when, where and why in relative clauses
Both defining and non-defining relative clauses can:
begin with whose (instead of his/her/their), when (for times) and where (for places):
William, whose wife Jane was a famous beauty, had nine children.
Here they are in this picture from the year when the youngest was born.
This has been my family’s home, where we’ve lived for over 400 years, since the time of Edmund Claremont.
Both can:
begin with whom (for people) as the object of the clause (this is mainly in written English, and is increasingly rare):
The man whom we asked for directions was extremely helpful.
His girlfriend, whom he neglected, became very depressed.
A defining relative clause can:
begin with why after the words the reason:
This victory was the reason why he became a national hero.
often omit the words when and why (but not where):
I remember the day (when) I met you.
That was the reason (why) we went there.
She returned to the village where she was born. (not the village she was born)
Prepositions in relative clauses
When there is a preposition attached to a relative pronoun:
we usually put the preposition at the end of the clause:
I had a friend I shared everything with.
Peter Frost, who (or whom) my father used to work for, has become a government minister.
in formal English, we sometimes put the preposition at the beginning of the clause, followed by which (for things) or whom (for people):
I had a friend with whom I shared everything.
Peter Jones, for whom my father used to work, has become a government minister.
The family history, about which I cared very little, was Jasper’s main interest.
There may be a fault in the cable to which the printer is connected.
Note!
We cannot use that after a preposition in a relative clause:
The Conference Room, in which the meeting was held, was not really big enough.
(not in that the meeting was held)
We can sometimes use preposition + which instead of where:
This is the house where Jasper used to live.
= the house in which Jasper used to live / the house (which) Jasper used to live in.
(not the house which Jasper used to live)
She showed us the town where she was born.
= the town in which she was born / the town (which) she was born in.
(not the town which she was born)
Numbers and pronouns + of whom / of which
Non-defining relative clauses can start with a number or a pronoun such as all, some, most, none, each, a few, neither + of whom or of which.
This is more common in writing than in speech:
The castle contained a lot of paintings, two of which were extremely valuable.
The best students, all of whom are over eighteen, will go to university in the autumn.
Free tickets were given out to a group of football fans, one of whom was my brother.
The cakes, each of which was decorated in a different colour, looked very appetising.
My uncle’s stories, most of which I’d heard before, were extremely boring.
I was offered a choice of two rooms, neither of which looked very clean.
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