Relative clauses — Foreign languages, 14–17 years
A relative clause adds information to a noun inside the same sentence. Relative words such as who, which and that help connect the extra information, but languages differ in which forms they allow and where they place them.
Adding a description inside a sentence
A relative clause tells you more about a noun without starting a separate sentence. In «The scientist who discovered the comet won a prize», «who discovered the comet» identifies or describes the scientist. The clause is attached to the noun it explains.
Why join the information?
Speakers often need to identify a person or object while saying what it did, has or is like. Two short sentences can sound repetitive, so relative clauses package the details into one clear relationship. Punctuation can show whether the detail identifies the noun or is merely extra information.
Building one sentence
Begin with «I met a student». Add the fact «She won the robotics prize». The repeated person becomes «who»: «I met a student who won the robotics prize». The relative clause follows «student», and the whole sentence now tells us which student you met.
Attaching it to the wrong noun
A long sentence can make the nearest noun feel like the one being described, so «I spoke to the teacher of the student who won» may be misread. Grammatically, «who won» usually attaches to «student», not «teacher». If the teacher won, rewrite: «I spoke to the teacher who won the prize, the student’s teacher».
Useful in real writing
Relative clauses are common in news reports, applications and explanations: «The phone that I ordered arrived today» gives the reader a precise link between the object and the action. They help you fit important detail into a sentence, but several nested clauses can make writing harder to follow.
Keep exploring
Other languages
Loading MyLeoNes™…