Relative Clauses
Cours · anglais (2 Bac, Maroc), chapitre 7 · Maroc, 2e année du Bac · le début du chapitre, la suite sur Adloun
Relative clauses let us add information about a noun without starting a new sentence. They are introduced by a relative pronoun (who, which, that, whose, where, when, whom) and are essential for writing clear, connected English at the Bac level.
7.1 Relative pronouns
A relative pronoun joins a clause to the noun it describes (the antecedent).
- who → people: the teacher who helps us
- which → things/animals: the book which I bought
- that → people or things (informal): the man that called
- whose → possession: the girl whose bag was stolen
- where → places: the city where I was born
- when → time: the day when we met
- whom → object, formal: the person to whom I wrote
- I know a doctor who speaks four languages. (person)
- This is the phone which I want. (thing)
- She lives in a house whose roof is red. (possession)
- That is the school where my brother studies. (place)
7.2 Defining relative clauses
A defining relative clause gives information we need to identify the noun. It is not separated by commas. Without it, the sentence loses its meaning.
- The student who won the prize is my friend. (which student? the one who won)
- The car that broke down belongs to Karim.
- People who exercise regularly stay healthy.
In defining clauses, that can replace who or which: the book that (= which) I read. This is very common in everyday English.
7.3 Non-defining relative clauses
A non-defining relative clause gives extra, non-essential information. It is placed between commas. If we remove it, the sentence still makes complete sense.
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