Las ‘Relative Clauses’

by

THE RELATIVE CLAUSES

Relative clauses are essential grammatical tools that add relevant or complementary information to our sentences. These clauses enrich speech, making it more precise and detailed. In English, they are introduced by relative pronouns such as who, which, whose, where, when, that, y whom. Mastering their use will not only improve your fluency, but will also allow you to communicate more effectively and accurately.

WHAT ARE THE RELATIVE CLAUSES?

Relative clauses are phrases that function as adjectives to modify nouns, providing additional information without the need to start a new sentence. They are divided into two types: defining (or restrictive) and non-defining (or non-restrictive).

  • Definitives: Specify which of the many possible ones we are talking about. They are not put between commas.
    • Example: «The book that you lent me is fascinating.»
  • Non-Defining: They add extra information about something already defined and are separated by commas.
    • Example: «My brother, who lives in Madrid, is visiting us next week.»

MAIN REALATIVE PRONOUNS

  • Who: Used exclusively for people.

    • Example: “The artist who painted this is coming today.” (El artista que pintó esto viene hoy).

  • Which: Used for animals and objects.

    • Example: “The car, which is over twenty years old, still runs perfectly.” (El coche, que tiene más de veinte años, aún funciona perfectamente).

  • That: It can be used for both persons and things in defining clauses.

    • Example: “The house that I grew up in has been demolished.” (La casa en la que crecí ha sido demolida).

  • Whose: Indica posesión y puede referirse tanto a personas como a objetos.

    • Example: “The man whose car was stolen reported it to the police.” (El hombre cuyo coche fue robado lo denunció a la policía).

  • Where: Used for places/locations.

    • Example: “This is the place where we met.” (Este es el lugar donde nos conocimos).

  • When: Used for moments in time.

    • Example: “I remember the day when we first met.” (Recuerdo el día en que nos conocimos por primera vez).

  • Whom: Used as the object of a verb or preposition instead of “who”.

    • Example: “The person whom I called didn’t answer.” (La persona a la que llamé no contestó).
relative clauses

SPECIAL CASES: 'What' and 'Why'.

Although they are not traditional relative pronouns, «what» and «why» can act similarly in specific contexts:

  • What: Although it is most common as an interrogative pronoun, it can also function as a relative in sentences such as “What she said was true.”

  • Why: It can be used as a relative pronoun when introducing the reason for something, although this is rarer. Example: “The reason why I didn’t go is that I was sick.”

TIPS FOR USING RELATIVE CLAUSES

    1. Identifica el antecedente: Asegúrate de saber claramente a qué persona o cosa te refieres con la cláusula de relativo.
    2. Elige el pronombre correcto: Recuerda las reglas básicas de «who» para personas, «which» para cosas y animales, «that» para ambos en contextos más generales, «when» para tiempo, «where» para lugares, «whose» para indicar posesión y «whom» como objeto de un verbo.
    3. Uso de comas: Distingue entre cláusulas definitorias y no definitorias para saber cuándo usar comas.
    4. Practica con ejemplos: Crea tus propias oraciones usando diferentes pronombres relativos para familiarizarte con su uso.
  2.  

Leave a Comment

en_USEnglish
es_ESSpanish en_USEnglish