English 2BAC - Grammar

MathMaroc · Learning guide

Relative clauses: connect ideas precisely

Original practice material · explained answers · no official-exam attribution

Understand the rule

A relative clause identifies a person or thing or adds information about it. Who commonly refers to people; which to things; whose expresses possession. That can introduce many defining relative clauses. A defining clause identifies the referent and normally has no commas. A non-defining clause gives extra information and is separated by commas; do not use that there. A relative pronoun that is the object may sometimes be omitted in a defining clause, but a subject relative pronoun cannot simply disappear.

Follow a method

Find the noun being described. Decide whether the information identifies it or merely adds detail. Determine whether the relative word is a subject, object or possessive. Remove the repeated noun or pronoun when combining two clauses.

Worked example

The student who organised the debate is in our class. Who is the subject of organised. The book that I borrowed is useful. That is the object of borrowed and could be omitted. Sara, who organised the debate, thanked the volunteers. The commas mark additional information.

Practise and explain your answer

01Combine: I met a teacher. She works in Tiflet.

I met a teacher who works in Tiflet.

02Combine: This is the student. His project won a prize.

This is the student whose project won a prize.

03Correct: The book which I read it was interesting.

The book which I read was interesting. Do not repeat the object as it.

04Can who be omitted in “The person who called is here”?

No. It functions as the subject of called.