Ready to make your English sound more sophisticated and natural? Advanced relative clauses are your next step, allowing you to add extra “side” information or make your sentences flow more smoothly by omitting words. Let’s explore how to add these professional touches to your speaking and writing. ✍️
Function & Usage
These advanced forms either add extra detail or make sentences more efficient.
- Non-Defining Clauses: These give extra, non-essential information about a noun that is already specific. They are always separated by commas.
Example: My oldest brother, who lives in London, is a lawyer. (We already know which brother; the location is just extra info). - Contact Clauses (Object Pronoun Omission): When the relative pronoun (who, which, that) is the object of the clause, we can often omit it, especially in spoken English. This makes the sentence more concise.
Example: The man (who) I spoke to was the manager. (‘I’ is the subject of ‘spoke’, so ‘who’ is the object and can be dropped).
The Structure (Form)
The key differences are the use of commas and the possibility of omitting the pronoun.
| Clause Type | Key Features | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Defining | Uses commas; ‘that’ is NOT used. | Paris, which is the capital of France, is a beautiful city. |
| Contact Clause | No pronoun when it’s the object. | The movie we watched was great. (Instead of ‘which we watched’) |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using ‘that’ in non-defining clauses: Never use ‘that’ after a comma in this structure. Incorrect: “My car, that is very old,…” Correct: “My car, which is very old,…”
- Forgetting the commas: Non-defining clauses must be separated by commas to show they are extra information.
- Omitting the pronoun when it’s the subject: You cannot drop the pronoun if it is the subject of the clause. Incorrect: “I know the man lives next door.” Correct: “I know the man who lives next door.”
Let’s see it in action! 🎬
Person A: Who is Maria?
Person B: She’s my cousin. You remember, Maria, who is a doctor, visited us last summer.
Person A: Ah, yes! I remember her now.
Friend 1: Did you enjoy the book I lent you?
Friend 2: Absolutely! The book you gave me was one of the best I’ve read this year.
Boss: Have you met Mr. Smith?
Employee: Yes, he’s the man I spoke to on the phone yesterday. He was very helpful.
Check Your Understanding! ✅
1. My father, is 65, is retiring next year.
2. I really liked the movie saw last night. (omitted pronoun)
3. The Eiffel Tower, is in Paris, is famous worldwide.
4. The person met on the train was very interesting. (omitted pronoun)
5. Dr. Evans, is an expert in her field, gave a great lecture.
6. This is the meal ___ I told you about.
7. My sister, ___ lives in New York, is coming to visit.
8. Where is the cake ___ I baked this morning?
9. I finally visited Rome, ___ is a city I’ve always wanted to see.
10. The woman ___ lives upstairs is very noisy.
