B2 · Upper Intermediate Chapter 7

Connecting Information with Relative Clauses

5 Total Rules
58 examples
6 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of weaving complex ideas into elegant, concise English sentences.

  • Connect ideas using relative pronouns and adverbs.
  • Distinguish between essential and extra information with comma usage.
  • Condense complex thoughts by mastering reduced relative clauses.
Weave your thoughts into seamless, professional prose.

What You'll Learn

Ready to weave your ideas together more smoothly and concisely? This chapter empowers you to connect information elegantly, crafting tighter sentences by even shortening clauses. You'll soon express complex thoughts with newfound clarity and confidence.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Use relative clauses to combine two separate sentences into one fluid statement.

Chapter Guide

Overview

As a B2 English learner, you're past the basics and ready to truly refine your expression. This chapter is your key to unlocking a more sophisticated and natural way of speaking and writing, making your B2 English grammar shine. We're diving into English connecting information with relative clauses – a powerful tool that transforms choppy sentences into smooth, flowing prose. Imagine being able to explain complex ideas or describe intricate scenarios with effortless clarity. That's what relative clauses offer!
You'll learn to weave details seamlessly, whether it's showing possession with whose, linking information to places, times, or reasons using where, when, and why, or distinguishing between essential and extra information with defining and non-defining clauses. We’ll even show you how to elegantly shorten your sentences by reducing relative clauses, making your speech and writing more concise and impactful. Plus, for those moments when you need to sound truly professional, we'll cover formal relative clause structures. Get ready to express your thoughts with newfound precision and confidence!

How This Grammar Works

At its heart, a relative clause adds information about a noun (a person, place, thing, or idea) without starting a new sentence. It makes your English sound much more natural and less like a series of short, unconnected statements. Think of them as linguistic bridges.
We start with the basics: whose shows possession, just like "his" or "her" but within a clause. For example: "The student whose essay won the prize is incredibly talented." Here, whose links the student to their essay. Next, relative adverbs (where, when, why) connect details to places, times, or reasons. Instead of saying "I remember the restaurant. We had our first date there," you can say "I remember the restaurant where we had our first date." This is far more elegant and efficient.
The distinction between defining and non-defining relative clauses is crucial and often hinges on commas. A defining clause provides essential information to identify the noun – without it, the meaning changes or is unclear. For instance, "The car that is parked illegally will be towed." (No commas, essential info). A non-defining clause, on the other hand, adds extra, non-essential information and is always set off by commas. "My brother, who lives in Canada, is visiting next week." (With commas, 'who lives in Canada' is just additional detail; I only have one brother).
For even greater conciseness, you can often reduce relative clauses. If the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause and the verb is active, you can remove the pronoun and "be" verb (if present) and change the main verb to its present participle (-ing form). "The man who is standing near the door is my boss" becomes "The man standing near the door is my boss." If passive, use the past participle: "The documents which were signed yesterday are ready" becomes "The documents signed yesterday are ready." Finally, for a touch of formality, particularly in written English, you can shift prepositions to the beginning of the clause with 'which' or 'whom'. Instead of "This is the problem that I referred to," you can say "This is the problem to which I referred." This instantly elevates your language.

Common Mistakes

  1. 1✗ Using "who" instead of "whose" for possession.
✗ "That's the student who grades are always top-notch."
✓ "That's the student whose grades are always top-notch."
Explanation: Whose is possessive, meaning "belonging to whom" or "of which." "Who" is a subject pronoun.
  1. 1✗ Incorrect comma usage for defining and non-defining clauses.
✗ "The book, that I borrowed from you, was excellent."
✓ "The book that I borrowed from you was excellent." (Defining – essential information to identify *which* book)
✓ "My old car, which was quite reliable, finally broke down." (Non-defining – 'which was quite reliable' is extra info about *my old car*, already identified)
Explanation: That is typically used for defining clauses (no commas). Which can be used for both, but for non-defining clauses (with commas), which is the only correct choice.
  1. 1✗ Incorrectly reducing clauses, especially in the passive voice.
✗ "The report sending to the client needs final approval."
✓ "The report sent to the client needs final approval."
Explanation: The report isn't "sending" itself (active); it "is sent" (passive). When reducing a passive relative clause, use the past participle.

Real Conversations

A

A

"Did you hear about Sarah, whose presentation at the conference was a huge success?"
B

B

"Yes! I saw the venue where it took place. It was massive! She mentioned it's a topic to which many people can relate."
A

A

"I'm looking for the cafe that serves the best coffee downtown. Do you know it?"
B

B

"You mean 'The Daily Grind,' which is on Elm Street? It's really good. The barista making your coffee often has cool tattoos."
A

A

"Remember that old movie theater where we used to go as kids?"
B

B

"Oh, the one whose marquee was always flashing? They tore it down last year, which was a real shame."

Quick FAQ

Q

Is "that" always interchangeable with "which" in defining relative clauses?

In informal English, yes, "that" and "which" are often interchangeable for things in defining clauses. However, "that" is generally preferred, especially for objects. For people, use "who" or "that". Remember, for non-defining clauses (with commas), you *must* use which for things, and who for people.

Q

Can I always reduce a relative clause?

Not always. You can only reduce a relative clause if the relative pronoun (who, which, that) is the subject of the clause and the verb is active (use -ing) or passive (use past participle). You cannot reduce clauses where the relative pronoun is the object (e.g., "The book that I read was good").

Q

What's the main difference between "where" and "in which"?

Both can indicate location. "Where" is a more common and informal relative adverb. "In which" is a more formal and often more precise structure, especially common in academic or formal writing. For example, "The city where I live is bustling" vs. "The study described the conditions in which the experiment was conducted."

Cultural Context

Native English speakers frequently use these structures to create flow and avoid repetitive sentences. While formal structures like "to whom" or "in which" are common in academic writing or official communications, everyday conversation often opts for simpler phrasing ("the person I spoke to" instead of "the person to whom I spoke"). Reduced relative clauses are particularly prevalent in both spoken and written English, making communication more efficient and dynamic. Mastering these nuances will help you sound truly fluent and adaptable in various contexts.

Key Examples (8)

1

I have a friend whose brother is a famous musician.

Whose: Showing Possession
2

She found a dog whose collar had a phone number.

Whose: Showing Possession
3

The coffee shop where we study has the best Wi-Fi.

Relative Adverbs (where, when, why)
4

I remember the exact moment when the idea finally clicked.

Relative Adverbs (where, when, why)
5

The student who submitted their assignment on time got extra points.

Defining vs. Non-Defining Relative Clauses (Commas and Meaning)
6

My best friend, who lives in Vancouver, is visiting next month.

Defining vs. Non-Defining Relative Clauses (Commas and Meaning)
7

The dog `running` in the park is super fast.

Shorten Your Sentences: Reduced Relative Clauses
8

The email `sent` yesterday got lost in spam.

Shorten Your Sentences: Reduced Relative Clauses

Tips & Tricks (4)

💡

The Substitution Test

If you are unsure if 'whose' is correct, try replacing the whole clause with 'his' or 'her'. If it works, 'whose' is your word.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Whose: Showing Possession
💡

The 'In Which' Test

If you can replace the word with 'in which' or 'at which', then 'where' or 'when' is correct. If you can't, you probably need 'which' or 'who'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Adverbs (where, when, why)
🎯

The Delete Test

If you aren't sure if you need commas, try deleting the clause. If the sentence still identifies the noun perfectly, use commas. If it becomes vague, don't.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Defining vs. Non-Defining Relative Clauses (Commas and Meaning)
🎯

The 'Be' Test

If you're unsure if a reduction is correct, try putting 'who is' or 'which was' back in. If it makes sense, your reduction is likely correct!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Shorten Your Sentences: Reduced Relative Clauses

Key Vocabulary (5)

antecedent the word a pronoun refers back to restrictive essential for meaning (defining) non-restrictive providing extra information (non-defining) participle verb form used in reduced clauses prepositional relating to prepositions

Real-World Preview

users

The Networking Event

Review Summary

  • Noun + whose + noun
  • Noun + where/when/why
  • Noun, [extra info], verb
  • Noun + [V-ing/V3]
  • Preposition + whom/which

Common Mistakes

Do not use a personal pronoun after 'whose'. 'Whose' already functions as the possessive pronoun.

Wrong: The woman who her bag was stolen.
Correct: The woman whose bag was stolen.

When using a formal structure, the preposition moves before the pronoun, and the redundant pronoun at the end is removed.

Wrong: The house that I live in it.
Correct: The house in which I live.

Do not repeat the subject after a relative clause. The relative pronoun is already the subject.

Wrong: My brother, who lives in London, he is a doctor.
Correct: My brother, who lives in London, is a doctor.

Next Steps

You have done an amazing job navigating these complex structures. Keep practicing, and you will see your fluency soar!

Write a short biography of a famous person using all relative clause types.

Continue to: Mastering Verb Patterns and Actions

Quick Practice (10)

Fill in the blank with the correct participle.

Anyone ___ (want) to leave early must ask for permission.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: c
This is an active reduction of 'Anyone who wants'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Shorten Your Sentences: Reduced Relative Clauses

Find and correct the mistake in the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Whose the keys are these?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Whose keys are these?
You must remove the article 'the' after 'whose'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Whose: Showing Possession

Find the error in the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

The painting, that was stolen last week, has been found.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
You cannot use 'that' in a non-defining clause (after a comma). Use 'which' instead.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Defining vs. Non-Defining Relative Clauses (Commas and Meaning)

Choose the correct sentence.

Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: c
Since you likely have a specific brother in mind, this is extra info needing commas. 'That' cannot be used with commas.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Defining vs. Non-Defining Relative Clauses (Commas and Meaning)

Correct the error in the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

The person for who I bought this gift is my sister.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: for whom
After the preposition 'for', we must use 'whom' for a person.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Formal Relative Clauses (in which, to whom)

Fill in the blank with 'whose' or 'who's'.

I don't know ___ going to the party tonight.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: who's
The sentence means 'who is going', so we use the contraction 'who's'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Whose: Showing Possession

Fill in the blank with 'who', 'which', or 'that'. If more than one is possible, choose the most common.

The laptop ___ I bought yesterday is already broken.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
'That' is the most common relative pronoun for defining clauses involving things.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Defining vs. Non-Defining Relative Clauses (Commas and Meaning)

Correct the mistake in the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

I don't know the reason because he is angry.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: the reason why
We use 'why' after 'reason', not 'because'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Adverbs (where, when, why)

Choose the correct reduced form for a passive sentence.

The car ___ (repair) yesterday is working now.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Since the car was repaired by someone else (passive), we use the past participle 'repaired'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Shorten Your Sentences: Reduced Relative Clauses

Fill in the missing preposition and pronoun.

The house ___ ___ I grew up is now a museum.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: in which
We grow up 'in' a house, and a house is a thing, so we use 'in which'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Formal Relative Clauses (in which, to whom)

Score: /10

Common Questions (6)

You can use whose for both! While it is the possessive of 'who', it is perfectly standard to say 'the house whose roof...' or 'the company whose profits...'.
Whose is possessive (belonging to whom). Who's is a contraction for 'who is' or 'who has'. They sound the same but have different meanings.
Yes, in many cases 'that' can replace 'when' in restrictive relative clauses, e.g., 'The day that we met'. However, 'when' is more precise.
No, at a B2 level you should use 'where' for abstract places like 'situations', 'stages', or 'points in a discussion'.
Yes, you can. However, in American English, 'that' is much more common. In British English, 'which' is used more frequently in defining clauses, but 'that' is still very common.
This is a formal rule of English grammar. 'That' is considered a restrictive pronoun, meaning its job is to limit or define. Non-defining clauses don't limit; they just add, so 'who' or 'which' are required.
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