17.

7 relative clause part 1

[00:00:03] A relative clause is important to know what person or thing or the type of person or
thing is being discussed. It's also sometimes referred to as an adjective clause, but here let's
refer to it as a relative clause.

[00:00:17] The reason that some people call it an adjective clause is because it adds more
information.

[00:00:22] Let's get started so you can find out what exactly I'm talking about.

[00:00:25] Talking about people.

[00:00:28] When talking about people, we have two choices. That and who. Also if you're giving
an animal human characteristics, you can also use who, however as you will see in the restrictive
and non-restrictive clauses lecture,msometimes you must use who.

[00:00:43] So if you want to be safe and not worry about making mistakes, just always use who
when talking about people! And we can't use subject pronouns like he or she only the relative
pronouns who and that. I'm going to give you some sentence fragments describing people. And
then I'm going to combine the fragments into a sentence using the relative pronoun who to
make a complete sentence.

[00:01:06] I saw a kid. He was eating.

[00:01:09] This becomes I saw a kid who was eating.

[00:01:13] Or I saw a kid that was eating.

[00:01:16] Who and that refer to the kid and provide more detail about him.

[00:01:20] They have a neighbour. She works at a bank. She works at night.

[00:01:25] This becomes they have a neighbor who works at a bank at night.

[00:01:29] Or they have a neighbor that works at a bank at night.

[00:01:33] So the sentence by itself can just be they have a neighbour, but that tells us nothing
about the neighbor we use who or that to describe the neighbor in more detail.

[00:01:43] I need to speak to the employee. I have an interview with her.

[00:01:46] These two sentences become.

[00:01:48] I need to speak to the employee who I have an interview with.

[00:01:56] These two sentences don't work by themselves, so instead we use a relative clause to
specify the employee I need to speak with.

[00:02:04] Talking about things.

[00:02:06] When talking about things you can use that or which. Again, no subject pronouns like
it or they, only the relative pronouns that or which. That is much more common and sometimes
used incorrectly by native speakers, even when which is required. When which is required is also
explained in the restrictive and non-restrictive clauses lecture. Let's do some practice with
objects and things now.

[00:02:32] Where are the headphones? The headphones were on the table.

[00:02:35] This becomes, where are the headphones that were on the table.

[00:02:40] Or also, where are the headphones which were on the table?

[00:02:43] So I am talking about headphones and to describe them, so the person knows which
pair of headphones I was talking about, I say that were on the table. That refers to the
headphones.

[00:02:56] Is that your cup of coffee? The cup of coffee is on the counter.

[00:03:00] This becomes, is that your cup of coffee that's on the counter?

[00:03:03] Or, is that your cup of coffee, which is on the counter?

[00:03:07] If you wanted to share no additional information, you could have just said is that your
cup of coffee?

[00:03:13] And then the person would ask which cup of coffee?

[00:03:16] And you respond the one on the counter, but don't waste your time with that!
Instead use a relative pronoun to add more detail to the thing you're describing in a subordinate
clause.

[00:03:26] This is the bed. It's the bed you told me about.

[00:03:29] This becomes, this is the bed that you told me about.

[00:03:32] Or, this is the bed which you told me about.

[00:03:35] We use that or which to explain that it's the one I already talked about. The object of
our discussion.

[00:03:41] When the relative pronoun is the subject.

[00:03:53] They have a neighbour. She works at a bank. She works at night.

[00:03:57] This becomes, they have a neighbor who works at a bank at night.

[00:04:01] Or that works at a bank at night.

[00:04:04] In this example who or that is our subject in the relative clause. So we must use one
of them. It sounds very strange without it.

[00:04:13] Our next example, where are the headphones? The headphones were on the table.

[00:04:17] We saw that this becomes, where are the headphones that were on the table. Or
which were on the table here.

[00:04:23] The headphones are our subject in the relative clause, and we refer to them with that
or which because. They are the subject, we must use one of the relative pronouns, that or
which.

[00:04:35] When the relative pronoun is the object.

[00:04:38] When we use that, which and who as the object of the verb in our relative clause, it
does not need to be used. Let's review our previous examples to show you what I mean.

[00:04:48] I need to speak to the employee. I have an interview with her.

[00:04:51] This becomes either I need to speak to the employee who or that I have an interview
with, but the employee is the object. Not the subject in the relative clause.

[00:05:01] So it's optional to say who or that. That means I can also say.

[00:05:05] I need to speak to the employee I have an interview with. I is the subject. Who or that
is the object.

[00:05:12] This is the bed. It's the bed you told me about.

[00:05:16] This becomes this is the bed that or which you told me about. In the relative clause,
you is the subject. So that or which is optional because it's the object.

[00:05:26] So we can also say, this is the bed you told me about.

[00:05:30] Note on prepositions.

[00:05:32] In general English prepositions are generally put at the end of the relative clause and
the pronoun can be included or excluded.
[00:05:40] In very formal English. Very formal English. The preposition is put before the relative
pronoun, and when this is done the pronoun must be used. It cannot be excluded like we did in
the above examples. As well that is replaced by which and who is replaced by whom. Here are
our previous examples again, changed to this very formal style of English you probably don't
want to use, and which I almost never use. Remember if you make this change if you use this
more formal structure, you must use the relative pronoun.

[00:06:15] I need to speak to the employee with whom I have an interview.

[00:06:19] This is the bed about which you told me.

[00:06:22] Just remember, this structure right here. The one I just showed you where we change
the position of the preposition is extremely formal. So formal that we almost don't use it at all in
contemporary, modern English.