🔹 Relative Clause – Complete Guide (Basic to Honours Level)

1️⃣ What is a Relative Clause?

A relative clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a noun or pronoun.
It usually begins with a relative pronoun or relative adverb.

It gives extra information about a noun.

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📌 Example:

This is the boy who won the prize.

• Main clause: This is the boy

• Relative clause: who won the prize

• “who” refers to “boy”

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2️⃣ Relative Pronouns

Pronoun	Used For	Example
who	person (subject)	The girl who sings
whom	person (object)	The man whom I met
whose	possession	The boy whose book is lost
which	things/animals	The book which I bought
that	persons/things	The car that he bought

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3️⃣ Types of Relative Clauses

There are two main types:

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🔵 1. Defining (Restrictive) Relative Clause

• Gives essential information.

• No commas used.

• Without it, meaning is incomplete.

Example:

The student who studies hard will succeed.

(We need this clause to know which student.)

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🔵 2. Non-Defining (Non-Restrictive) Relative Clause

• Gives extra information.

• Commas are used.

• Can be removed without changing core meaning.

Example:

My brother, who lives in Delhi, is a doctor.

(Remove clause → My brother is a doctor. Meaning still complete.)

⚠ “That” is NOT used in non-defining clauses.

❌ My brother, that lives in Delhi, is a doctor.
✔ My brother, who lives in Delhi, is a doctor.

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4️⃣ Relative Adverbs

Word	Meaning	Example
where	place	The house where I live
when	time	The day when he came
why	reason	The reason why he left

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Example:
This is the place where he was born.
Sunday is the day when we rest.

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5️⃣ Omission of Relative Pronoun

When the relative pronoun is object, it can be omitted.

The book (that) I bought is interesting.
The man (whom) I met was kind.

But not when it is subject:

✔ The man who came is my uncle.
❌ The man came is my uncle.

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6️⃣ Preposition + Relative Pronoun (Formal Style)

Formal:
The person to whom I spoke is my teacher.

Informal:
The person who I spoke to is my teacher.

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7️⃣ Reduction of Relative Clauses

Relative clauses can be reduced to participial phrases.

The man who is sitting there →
The man sitting there

The book which was written by him →
The book written by him

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8️⃣ Special Uses of “That”

Use “that”:
✔ After superlatives
✔ After “all”, “everything”, “nothing”, “only”

Examples:
This is the best book that I have read.
Everything that he said is true.

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9️⃣ Common Errors

❌ The boy which is playing is my brother.
✔ The boy who is playing is my brother.

❌ My father, that is a teacher, is kind.
✔ My father, who is a teacher, is kind.

❌ The man who I met him was kind.
✔ The man who I met was kind.

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🔟 Advanced Linguistic Perspective (Honours Level)

Relative clauses are:

• A type of Adjective Clause

• Used for modification

• Can be finite or non-finite

• Important in stylistics and discourse analysis

Example (Literary):
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep."
(Relative clause often used in descriptive narrative prose.)

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1️⃣1️⃣ Relative Clause vs Other Clauses

Clause Type	Function
Noun Clause	Acts as noun
Adverb Clause	Modifies verb
Relative Clause	Modifies noun

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🎓 Important for Exams (SLST / WBCS / NET)

Focus on:
✔ Defining vs non-defining
✔ Who/whom/whose usage
✔ Reduction
✔ Preposition placement
✔ Error detection