Relative Clauses: Examples Showing How They Add Detail to Sentences

📚 Quick Study Guide

• 🔑 A relative clause provides additional information about a noun in the main clause.
• 🧍 Relative clauses often begin with relative pronouns like *who, whom, which, that*, or relative adverbs like *where, when, why*.
• 🧱 There are two main types: defining (restrictive) and non-defining (non-restrictive).
• 📌 Defining relative clauses are essential to the meaning of the sentence and are not set off by commas. Example: *The book that I borrowed from the library is due tomorrow.*
• ✏️ Non-defining relative clauses add extra information that is not essential and are set off by commas. Example: *My sister, who lives in London, is a doctor.*
• 💡 *Whose* indicates possession. Example: *The student whose essay won the competition is very talented.*
• 🌍 *Where* introduces clauses that modify places. Example: *This is the park where we first met.*
• ⏰ *When* introduces clauses that modify times. Example: *I remember the day when I learned to ride a bike.*

Practice Quiz

1. Which sentence contains a correctly punctuated non-defining relative clause?
   1. A. The car which is parked outside is mine.
   2. B. The car, which is parked outside, is mine.
   3. C. The car which is parked outside, is mine.
   4. D. The car, which is parked outside is mine.
2. Choose the sentence where the relative pronoun 'who' is used correctly.
   1. A. The chef who's food is amazing just won an award.
   2. B. The chef, whose food is amazing, just won an award.
   3. C. The chef who food is amazing just won an award.
   4. D. The chef whom food is amazing just won an award.
3. Which of the following uses 'where' correctly in a relative clause?
   1. A. The house where I grew up it is now a museum.
   2. B. The house where I grew up, it is now a museum.
   3. C. The house where I grew up is now a museum.
   4. D. The house, where I grew up, is now a museum.
4. Identify the sentence with a defining relative clause.
   1. A. My neighbor, who is a pilot, flies every week.
   2. B. The book, which I found yesterday, is very interesting.
   3. C. The man who helped me yesterday was very kind.
   4. D. Paris, which is the capital of France, is a beautiful city.
5. Which sentence correctly uses 'when' in a relative clause?
   1. A. I will never forget the summer when I went to Italy.
   2. B. I will never forget the summer, when I went to Italy.
   3. C. I will never forget the summer when I went to Italy,
   4. D. I will never forget the summer, when I went to Italy,.
6. Select the sentence that uses 'that' as a relative pronoun correctly.
   1. A. The movie that I saw, was amazing.
   2. B. The movie, that I saw was amazing.
   3. C. The movie that I saw was amazing.
   4. D. The movie, that I saw, was amazing.
7. Which sentence uses a relative clause to add extra, non-essential information?
   1. A. Students who study hard usually succeed.
   2. B. My cat, who is very lazy, sleeps all day.
   3. C. The cake that she baked was delicious.
   4. D. The phone that I bought is broken.