Lesson 5
Relative Clauses
Relative clauses give us information about the person or thing mentioned.
We usually use a relative pronoun or adverb to start a defining relative clause: who, which, that, when, where or whose.
who/that
We use who or that to talk about people.
Many people who actively journal prefer writing in the evening.
Many people that actively journal prefer writing in the evening.
which/that
We use which or that to talk about things. That is more common and a bit more informal.
He watched a program which helped him understand anxiety better.
He watched a program that helped him understand anxiety better.
Other pronouns
When refers to a time.
Spring is the season when I'm most active.
Where refers to a place.
Our garden is a place where I can relax fully.
Note: where = in which
The diary where she writes her thoughts is her personal escape.
The diary in which she writes her thoughts is her personal escape.
Whose refers to the person that something belongs to.
He's a relative whose opinions are valuable.
Omitting the relative pronoun
Sometimes we can leave out the relative pronoun. For example, we can usually leave out who, which or that if it is followed by a subject.
The diary [that] you gave me was very helpful.
(you = subject, can omit that)
We can't usually leave it out if it is followed by a verb.
The technique that helped me was easy to apply.
(helped = verb, can't omit that)
Never share your thoughts with people who make quick judgements of you.
(make = verb, can't omit who)