English – Relative Clauses: Advanced Uses – BAC Literary Stream

English – Relative Clauses: Advanced Uses – BAC Literary Stream

Relative clauses add extra information about a noun in a sentence. Mastering them will help you write more complex and sophisticated sentences in the BAC exam.

Defining Relative Clauses:

These give essential information about the noun. Without them, the sentence wouldn’t make sense.

• Who (people): “The student who won the prize is my friend.”
• Which (things): “The book which I bought is very interesting.”
• That (people/things): “The film that we watched was amazing.”
• Whose (possession): “The boy whose father is a doctor studies in my class.”
• Whom (object, formal): “The man whom you met is my uncle.”
• Where (places): “The town where I was born is small.”
• When (time): “The year when I graduated was 2020.”
• Why (reason): “The reason why I left is personal.”

Non-Defining Relative Clauses:

These give extra, non-essential information. They are set off by commas. ‘That’ cannot be used.

• “My sister, who lives in Paris, is a doctor.”
• “The Eiffel Tower, which is in Paris, is a famous landmark.”
• “Mr. Smith, whom I met yesterday, is a famous author.”

Omitting the Relative Pronoun:

In defining relative clauses, when the relative pronoun is the object of the clause, it can be omitted.

• “The film (that) I watched was great.” (object – can omit)
• “The man (whom) you met is my uncle.” (object – can omit)
• “The person who called you is here.” (subject – cannot omit)

Prepositions in Relative Clauses:

• Formal: “The person to whom you spoke is the manager.”
• Informal: “The person (who/that) you spoke to is the manager.”
• Formal: “The house in which I grew up has been sold.”
• Informal: “The house (which/that) I grew up in has been sold.”

BAC Exercise:

Join the sentences using relative clauses:
1. I met a woman. Her daughter is a famous singer. → I met ________.
2. I bought a phone. It is very expensive. → The phone ________.
3. The hotel was beautiful. We stayed there. → The hotel ________.
4. The student is very smart. She sits next to me. → The student ________.
5. He told me a story. It was unbelievable. → The story ________.

Answers: 1. a woman whose daughter is a famous singer, 2. (that) I bought is very expensive, 3. where we stayed was beautiful, 4. who sits next to me is very smart, 5. that he told me was unbelievable

Similar Lessons

• English – Relative Clauses: Defining and Non-Defining
• English – Conjunctions: Coordinating and Subordinating

📍 دروس مشابهة

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