Join the sentences 1
A monk is a man. The man has devoted his life to God.
A monk is a man who has devoted his life to God.
A midwife is a woman. She assists other women in childbirth.
A woman who assists other women in childbirth is a midwife. (Both sentences are about a woman. The part which gives additional information about the woman becomes the relative clause. The relative clause is defining, so do not use commas.)
Jack's car had broken down. He had to take a bus.
Jack, whose car had broken down, had to take a bus.
My friend Liam, ............... parents live in Glasgow, invited me to spend Christmas in Scotland.
My friend Liam, WHOSE parents live in Glasgow, invited me to spend Christmas in Scotland.
Have you received the parcel ........... we sent you?
Have you received the parcel WHICH we sent you?
I have one black cat. His name is Blacky.
I have one black cat, whose name is Blacky. (I only have 1 black cat)
You made an offer. We cannot accept it.
We cannot accept the offer you made. (Both sentences are about an. The part which gives additional information about the offer becomes the relative clause. As this is a defining relative clause and its subject is not the same as in the main clause, the relative pronoun can be dropped.)
I was sitting next to a boy in the exam. He told me the answers.
The boy I was sitting next to in the exam told me the answers.
Here's the computer program .......... I told you about.
Here's the computer program THAT I told you about.
Is this the person ................... you asked me about?
Is this the person WHO you asked me about?
A herbivore is an animal. The animal feeds upon vegetation.
A herbivore is an animal that feeds upon vegetation. (The relative clause defines what kind of animal a herbivore is, so do not use commas.)
Sydney is the largest Australian city. It is not the capital of Australia.
Sydney, which is not the capital of Australia, is the largest Australian city. (The city is identified by its name, so the relative clause is not defining - use commas.)
Meg is the girl. I went on holiday with her.
Meg is the girl I went on holiday with.
Meg is the girl with whom I went on holiday.
I don't believe the story .......... she told us.
I don't believe the story THAT she told us.
That's the girl ....... brother sits next to me at school.
That's the girl WHOSE brother sits next to me at school.
Carol plays the piano brilliantly. She is only 9 years old.
Carol, who is only 9 years old, plays the piano brilliantly. (Usually, the name is enough to identify a person, so the relative clause is not defining - use commas.)
The city seems to be abandoned. It is usually crowded with people.
The city, which is usually crowded with people, seems to be abandoned. (Both sentences are about a city. The part which gives additional information about the city becomes the relative clause.
The relative clause does not define, however, which city is talked about. This is taken for granted (e.g. the people are in that city). Use commas for non-defining relative clauses.)
The hotel w as full of guests. The hotel was miles from anywhere. The guests had gone there to admire the scenery.
The hotel, which was miles from anywhere, was full of guests who had gone there to admire the scenery.
Peter comes from Witney, ............ is near Oxford.
Peter comes from Witney, WHICH is near Oxford.
The meal, ................ wasn't very tasty, was quite expensive.
The meal, WHICH wasn't very tasty, was quite expensive.
Sydney is the largest Australian city. It is not the capital of Australia.
Sydney, which is not the capital of Australia, is the largest Australian city. (The city is identified by its name, so the relative clause is not defining - use commas.)
The World Wide Web has become an essential part of our lives. It was invented by Tim Berners-Lee.
Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, which has become an essential part of our lives. (Both sentences are about das World Wide Web. The part with the additional information becomes the relative clause, so the relative clause is not defining - use commas. Note that you have to transform the second sentence from passive to active.)
I lent you a book. It was written by a friend of mine. She lives in France.
The book I lent you was written by a friend of mine who lives in France.
This is the gun with .............. the murder was committed.
This is the gun with WHICH the murder was committed.
We didn't enjoy the play ........... we went to see.
We didn't enjoy the play THAT we went to see.