Relative Clauses (Adjective Clauses)

A relative clause is a type of dependent clause that modifies a noun (gives more information about it). They are introduced by relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, that.

"The student who topped the class received a prize." (Relative clause: "who topped the class" → tells us WHICH student)

Defining (Restrictive) Relative Clause

• Essential to the meaning — removes ambiguity about WHICH noun
• No commas — the clause is part of the noun phrase
• Use: who, that, which, whom, whose

"Students who study hard succeed." → Only THOSE who study hard succeed (not all students) "The car that she drives is red." → Specifies WHICH car

Non-Defining (Non-Restrictive) Relative Clause

• Additional information — the noun is already specific enough without it
• Commas before and after the clause (parenthetical)
• Cannot use "that" — must use who/which/whom/whose

"Riya, who studies medicine, is my cousin." → Riya is already identified; the clause adds info "Delhi, which is the capital of India, has a population of 30 million." → Delhi is unique; clause adds facts

The Comma Changes the Meaning

"Students who work hard succeed." (Defining — only the hard-working students succeed) "Students, who work hard, succeed." (Non-defining — ALL students [who work hard] succeed — implies all students work hard)

The relative pronoun can be omitted when it is the object of the relative clause (but NOT when it is the subject):

"The book [that] I borrowed was fascinating." (that = object; can omit) "The student who won the prize…" (who = subject; cannot omit)

Both add extra information, but the relative clause contains a subject + verb.

Combine the sentences using a relative clause:

1. "The woman gave me directions. She was very helpful." → "The woman who gave me directions was very helpful."

2. "I found a wallet. The wallet had no ID in it." → "I found a wallet which had no ID in it."

3. "Gandhi was a great leader. He led India to independence." → "Gandhi, who led India to independence, was a great leader." (Non-defining — Gandhi is unique)

4. "I spoke to a boy. His father is a doctor." → "I spoke to a boy whose father is a doctor."

1. Add the correct relative pronoun: "The scientist ___ discovered penicillin was Alexander Fleming."
2. Is this defining or non-defining? "The Ganga, which flows through North India, is sacred to millions."
3. Combine: "I have a friend. Her mother is an astronaut." → ___
4. Can you omit the relative pronoun: "The film that we watched last night was excellent"? Why?
5. Stretch: Rewrite using defining and non-defining relative clauses: (a) "Mumbai is a city. It has the highest population in India." (b) "She is a woman. Any woman who meets her is impressed."