How To Use A Relative Clause 

Use relative clauses to provide extra information. This information can either define something (defining clause), or provide unnecessary, but interesting, added information (non-defining clause).  

Relative clauses can be introduced by:  

• a relative pronoun: who (whom), which, that, whose
• no relative pronoun, Ø.
• where, why and when instead of a relative pronoun

You need to consider the following when deciding which relative pronoun to use:  

• Is the subject or object or possessive of a relative clause?
• Does it refers to a person or an object?
• Is the relative clause a defining or non-defining relative clause?

NOTE: Relative clauses are often used in both spoken and written English. There is a tendency to use non-defining relative clauses mostly in written, rather than in spoken, English.  

1- ZAMİRLER
• Who (For people as subject)
• Who (m) (For people as object)
• Which (For things or animals)
• That (For people, things and animals)
• Whose (Possessions) 

2- RELATIVE ADVERBS
• Where (Place)
• When (time)
• Why (reason) 

Relative clause, bir ismi tanımlayan cümledir. Ancak tek basma kullanılamaz. Bir temel cümleye bağlı olarak tanımladığı isimden sonra gelir. Bir ismi tanımladığı için relative clause “adjective clause” biçiminde de isimlendirilebilir. 

Sıfat tanımladığı isimden önce gelir. Relative clause ise tanımladığı isimden sonra gelir. 

The student who is the best in the classroom is Ayşe. (relative clause) The best student in the classroom is Ayşe. (adjective) 

The money which was stolen from the bank hasn’t been found yet. 

(relative clause) 

The stolen money hasn’t been found yet. (adjective) 

Relative clause, tanımlayan (defining) ve tanımlamayan (non-defining} biçiminde ikiye ayrılır. 

Defining relative clause, bir ismi tanımlayarak diğerlerinden ayırt etmemizi sağlar. “The man” dediğimiz zaman karşımızdaki kişi hangi adamdan söz ettiğimizi anlayamaz. Ancak, “the man who is standing at the corner” (köşede duran adam) ifadesinde “the man” artık belli bir kişi durumuna geçmiştir. 

Non-deflnlng relative clause, zaten tanımlanmış bir isimden sonra gelir. “My father” dediğimiz zaman, karşımızdaki kişi kimden söz edeceğimizi zaten anlamış durumdadır. Eğer biz bu ismi bir daha tanımlıyorsak bu non-defining relative clause’dur. Yani o isim hakkında fazladan bilgi veren bir cümleciktir: “my father, who lives in Germany,..” (Almanya’da oturan babam,…) 

The man who will come to see you tomorrow wants to do business with you. (Defining) 

(Yarın seni görmeye gelecek olan adam seninle iş yapmak istiyor.) 

Mr. Jones, who will come to see you tomorrow, wants to do business with you.(Non-defining) 

(Yarın seni görmeye gelecek olan Mr. Jones seninle iş yapmak istiyor.) 

  RELATIVE PRONOUNS AS SUBJECT OF THE CLAUSE 

1-The teacher…………asks the most difficult questions in our school is our Maths teacher.
2-The train ………….is coming from Ankara is about to arrive at the station?
3-The company …………..my husband works  is having hard times nowadays.
4-I know the small restaurant……………serves good food at reasonable prices.
5-The restaurant …………..my uncle has his lunch is famous for its Durum Kebab.
6-Jack London is the writer ………..books I enjoy reading most.
7-It is not east to contact to a person ………..is really famous.
8-The necklace ……..my father gave me on my birthday is very expensive.
9-The children ……….were playing in the garden looked happy.
10-The place………we are thinking of going this summer isn’t expensive.
11-The girl ………is sitting in the corner is from our classroom.
12-The girl …………father is a policeman stole a camera from the shop.
13-I think Martin is the only person ……..can help you with your project.
14-The villagers ………houses were full of water after the rain are living in tents now.
15-The place…………I can live after retiring must be by the sea.
16-The book ………..I bought last week is about wild animals.
17-The book ……….cover is blue is for children.
18-Can you repair the chair ………..legs were broken the other day.
19-The teacher …………name I can never remember went to England a week ago.
20-Did to notice the camcorder…………..she hid under her coat? 

B-Combine the following sentences with a relative pronoun  

1-The teacher is very nice. She teaches us English.
2-The cows suddenly got frightened and began to run. They were in the garden next door.
3-The lorry broke down on the way. It was carrying our furniture.
4-The zookeeper shouted at the children. They were trying to feed the lions.
5-I must send a thank-you letter to the people. I stayed with them during the conference. 
6-Do you know the girl? I was talking to her just a few minutes ago.
7-The boy was very handsome. I met him at Lucy’s party.
8-I can’t stand the girl. I share my room in the dormitory with her
9-I always lock the drawer. I keep my jewellery in it.
10-The house was very big. Judy rented it a fortnight ago.
11-The balcony gets very dirty. My husband feeds the pigeons there.
12-The shoes don’t look good quality to me. They are in the shop window.
13-Do you recognise the woman? She is walking towards us.
14-What is the name of the politician? His son is a professional footballer.
15-Let’s go to the restaurant. We went there with our colleagues.
16-I hope we don’t see the shop assistant. I had an argument with her yesterday.
17-The woman suffered a lot from pneumonia. She died a month ago.
18-Don’t let the boy play with your bike. It looks brand new.
19-Don’t let the boy play with your bike. He broke mine yesterday.
20-The boy is riding the bike again. Is it yours?
21-The girl was crying. Do you have a ride on the bus to school with her?
22-Give me the knife, please. You cut the bread with it. 

D-Combine the following by using “Relative Pronouns”  

1-I am still reading the book. Don’t take it away.
2-The passenger missed the bus. How can he go on this trip?
3-The accountant is interested in horse races .He works for a multinational food company.
4-The man is keen on collecting old coins. You know his son very well.
5-The bookshop is next to the cafe. You should wait for me there.
6-The pizza tastes great. Can you give me the recipe of it?
7- Show me the way to the post office. I can send these parcels there.
8-Did you like the woman’s dress? She bought it at Beymen’s
9-They took the boy to the hospital for an X-ray. He hurt his neck.
10-Does that boy belong to you? It was a metal buckle and leather straps.
11-I had top help an old lady .She was trying to carry a heavy box.
12-Did you give your seat to the old man on the bus? His arm was broken.
13-The waiter doesn’t have to do the washing up. He has to serve food politely.
14-Tatilya is an amusement centre. I have never be there.
15-The girl is our new secretary .You saw her a minute ago.
16-The country house is very large. He lives in it during this summer.
17-There are several people here. I don’t know their names.
18-The boy is very polite. Did you go out on a date with him yesterday?
19-I like the restaurant very much. Let’s eat there.
20-The estate car is safer than the hack back. The estate car has got 6 seats.
21-The teacher got angry with the students. They threw litter on the floor.
22-These boys’ manners are too good to be true. They never tease girls.
23-Do you know the rich lady? She offered to pay for your school fee.
24-What do we call the person? He works with wood.
25-Does the famous engineer live here? He built the tallest building in town.
26-The bus ran into a crowd of people. Three of them were badly injured.
27-We will have to buy the book soon. When will we start using it?
28-We shouldn’t go to crowed places nowadays. Terrorists may put bombs there.
29-The dentist isn’t careful about hygiene. Some of his patients complained about tooth decay. 

Use suitable a relative pronoun – who, which, whom or whose – to join each pair of sentences. Leave out any words which are not needed in your sentence. 

1. The games are hockey and football. I like to watch them.
2. The pen was a new one. He lost it.
3. The boys were James and George. They found the money.
4. This is the dress. She made it last week.
5. I am writing to my friend. His sister is studying overseas.
6. There is the man. His house was burnt down last night.
7. This is the boy. This boy’s dog chased us yesterday evening.
8. I told him about the film. I had seen it the night before.
9. This is the parcel. I want you to post this parcel when you go to town.
10.  He has sold the picture. He painted it during the holidays.
11. I gave him back the money. He had lent it to me.
12. She liked the book. Michael gave her the book.
13. The man lives next door to me. He has many fish in an aquarium.
14. The boys reached the top of the hill first. They waited for the others to catch them up.
15. She broke the jug. She had just bought the jug.
16.  He turned off the programme. He did not like it.
17.   He fell in a hole. Some workmen had dug the hole during the afternoon.
18. I have written the letter. You told me to write it.
19.  The man saw the accident. He telephoned the police.
20.  I saw a bird yesterday. It was an eagle.
21.  He threw away a comic. It was an old one.
22.  They killed a snake. It was a cobra.
23. I heard a noise. The noise seemed to come from the garden.
24. A bus is coming. It does not go to the market.
25. The man is a stranger. He is standing by that taxi.
26. The seeds did not grow. You gave them to me.
27. Did you see the model aeroplane? John made it.
28. That is the pipe. That pipe is leaking.
29. That is the woman. Her husband .works in New York.
30. You bought a ring yesterday. Please show me the ring.
31. Do you know the name of the man? He was driving the car at the time.
32. The boy was carrying the glasses. He nearly dropped them.
33. Nobody knows the name of the girl. She saved the child from drowning.
34. The player was injured. He was taken to hospital.
35. That is the man. His horse won the race.
36. I saw the men. The men rescued Tom.
37. The car was not in good order. He sold the car.
38. The man was my uncle. You saw him.
39. The lady was here yesterday. She has gone to Bangkok.
40. Mrs Jones lives here. Her husband is a scientist.
41. The ball was an old one. He found the ball.
42. The girls were playing netball. We saw the girls.
43. The film was very interesting. We saw it last night.
44.  The rice was bad. I threw away the rice.
45. The friend is a very good badminton player. He is bringing his brother.
46. He showed me the camera. You sold it to him.
47. I know the motorist. He hit the cyclist.
48.  I posted the letters. You gave me the letters.
49. He broke the stick. I lent him the stick.
50. Mary knows the boy. The headmaster has just congratulated him;
51. She repaired the shirt. George had torn it the day before.
52. I told them about the picnic. You are going to arrange it.
53. She wanted to read the book. Her brother was reading it.
54. He spoke to the postman. The dog had attacked the postman.,
55. She picked up the pieces of paper. She had dropped them.
56. They found a tree. The tree was not full of read ants.
57. They kept a record of the people. The people called at each house.
58.  That is the man. He said he was an electrician.
59. Here is the girl. She wants to go with you.
60. Mrs White spoke to the man. He was in charge of the shop.
61. She lost the pen. Her uncle gave her the pen as a present.
62. They are going to the hotel. It was opened last week.
63. He has just built a new house. It cost more than forty thousand dollars.
64. That is the picture. I painted it yesterday.
65. I will speak to my friend. His brother works in the Post Office.
66.  That is the man. The police caught him.
67. Do you know the boy? That boy’s father owns that shop.
68.  The girl was his cousin. He rescued her.
69.  The boy was Bob’s brother. You saw the boy.
70. That is the man. His house was nearly burnt down.

ANSWERS: 

1.  The games which I like to watch are hockey and football.
2.  The pen which he lost was a new one. .
3.  The boys who found the money were James and George.
4.  This is the dress which she made last week.
5.  I am writing to my friend whose sister is studying overseas.
6.  There is the man whose house was burnt down last night.
7.  This is the boy whose dog chased us yesterday evening.
8.  I told him about the film which I had seen the night before.
9.  This is the parcel which I want you to post when you go to town.
10. He has sold the picture which he painted during the holidays. 
11. I gave him back the money which he had lent to me. 
12.  She liked the book which Michael gave her. 
13. The man who lives next door to me has many fish in an aquarium. 
14. The boys who reached the top of the hill first waited for the others to catch them up.
15. She broke the jug which she had just bought. 
16. He turned off the programme which he did not like.
17.  He fell in a hole which some workmen had dug during the afternoon
18. I have written the letter which you told me to write. 
19. The man who saw the accident telephoned the police. 
20. I saw a bird which was an eagle yesterday. 
21. He threw away a comic which was an old one. 
22.  They killed a snake which was a cobra. 
23. I heard a noise which seemed to come from the garden. 
24. A bus which is coming does not go to the market. 
25. The man who is standing by that taxi is a stranger. 
26. The seeds which you gave to me did not grow. 
27. Did you see the model aeroplane which John made? 
28. That is the pipe which is leaking. 
29. That is the woman whose husband .works in New York. 
30. Please show me the ring which you bought yesterday 
31. Do you know the name of the man who was driving the car at the time? 
32. The boy who was carrying the glasses nearly dropped them. 
33. Nobody knows the name of the girl who saved the child from drowning. 
34. he player who was injured was taken to hospital. 
35. That is the man whose horse won the race. 
36. I saw the men who rescued Tom. 
37. The car which he sold was not in good order. 
38.  The man whom you saw was my uncle.
39. The lady who was here yesterday has gone to Bangkok. 
40. Mrs Jones whose husband is a scientist lives here. 
41. The ball which he found was an old one. 
42. The girls whom we saw were playing netball. 
43. The film which we saw last night was very interesting.
44. The rice which I threw away was bad.
45. The friend who is bringing his brother is a very good badminton player.
46. He showed me the camera which you sold to him. 
47. I know the motorist who hit the cyclist. 
48. I posted the letters which you gave me. 
49. He broke the stick which I lent him. 
50. Mary knows the boy whom the headmaster has just congratulated. 
51. She repaired the shirt which George had torn the day before. 
52. I told them about the picnic which you are going to arrange. 
53. She wanted to read the book which her brother was reading. 
54.  He spoke to the postman whom the dog had attacked. 
55. She picked up the pieces of paper which she had dropped. 
56.  They found a tree which was not full of read ants. 
57. They kept a record of the people who called at each house.
58. That is the man who said he was an electrician. 
59. Here is the girl who wants to go with you. 
60. Mrs White spoke to the man who was in charge of the shop.
61. She lost the pen which her uncle gave her as a present. 
62. They are going to the hotel which was opened last week. 
63. He has just built a new house which cost more than forty thousand dollars. 
64. That is the picture which I painted yesterday. 
65. I will speak to my friend whose brother works in the Post Office.
66.  That is the man whom the police caught. 
67. Do you know the boy whose father owns that shop? 
68. The girl was his cousin who rescued her. 
69.  The boy whom you saw was Bob’s brother. 
70. That is the man whose house was nearly burnt down. 

RELATIVE PRONOUNS

A) Decide whether the relative pronouns must be used or not. Put a tick (√) or cross (X). 

1. The book which is on the table belongs to Brandon. (          )    
2. The museum which we visited last month is closed now. (          ) 
3. The man who you saw in the house is my cousin. (          ) 
4. Bob, who I know very well, is going out with Mary. (          ) 
5. I cannot forget the song which they played last night. (          ) 
6. The woman who is talking to Sue is my aunt. (          ) 
7. I cannot remember the hotel that we stayed at. (          ) 
8. Lucy, who I haven’t seen for ages, rang me last night. (          ) 
9. A person that you don’t trust won’t trust you either. (          ) 
10. My father, whom I helped to install his computer, always forgets his password. (          )
     

B) Combine the sentences using relative clauses. Note that all relative clauses are non-defining. 

1. Samuel Johnson was the son of a bookseller. Samuel Johnson was born in 1709.
   Samuel Johnson _________________________________________________
2. In 1728, he went to Oxford. He studied at Pembroke College in Oxford.
   In 1728, he went _________________________________________________
3. Johnson had to leave Oxford without a degree. He was too poor to pay the fees.
   Johnson ________________________________________________________
4. In 1737, Johnson moved to London. There he wrote poetry, essays and biographies.
   In 1737, Johnson ________________________________________________
5. In 1746, Johnson started to write his dictionary. It took him nine years to complete.
   In 1746, Johnson started __________________________________________
6. In this house, his wife died in 1752. Her name was Elizabeth Porter.
   In this house his wife _____________________________________________
7. In 1755, the work was published. It was called A Dictionary of the English Language.
   In 1755, the work ________________________________________________
8. Samuel Johnson died in 1784. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
   Samuel Johnson _________________________________________________

 KEY:  A) 

1- necessary 2- not necessary 3- not necessary 4- necessary  5- not necessary 
6- necessary 7- not necessary 8- necessary 9- not necessary 10- necessary 

B) 1- Samuel Johnson, who was born in 1709, was the son of a bookseller. 
2-In 1728, he went to Oxford, where he studied at Pembroke College 
3-Johnson, who was too poor to pay the fees, had to leave Oxford without a degree. 
4-In 1737, Johnson moved to London, where he wrote poetry, essays and biographies. 
5-In 1746, Johnson started to write his dictionary, which took him nine years to complete. 
6- In this house his wife, whose name was Elizabeth Porter, died in 1752. 
7-In 1755, the work, which was called A Dictionary of the English Language, was published. 
8-Samuel Johnson, who died in 1784, is buried in Westminster Abbey  

 RELATIVE PRONOUNS