Which Sentences Contain Relative Clauses?

In the English language, a relative clause is a type of subordinate clause that modifies a noun or noun phrase. It begins with a relative pronoun, such as “who,” “which,” or “that,” and provides extra information about the noun or noun phrase. In this article, we’ll take a look at some examples of sentences that contain relative clauses and discuss how to identify them.

Examples of Sentences with Relative Clauses

Let’s start with some examples of sentences with relative clauses. Here are a few examples of sentences that contain relative clauses:

• The girl who was wearing a red dress is my sister.
• I love the book which my friend recommended.
• The car that is parked outside is mine.

As you can see, each of these sentences contains a relative clause. The relative clause in each sentence begins with a relative pronoun, such as “who,” “which,” or “that,” and provides extra information about the noun or noun phrase. In the first sentence, the relative clause “who was wearing a red dress” provides extra information about the noun “girl,” and in the second sentence, the relative clause “which my friend recommended” provides extra information about the noun “book.”

Identifying Relative Clauses

So how can you identify relative clauses in sentences? The easiest way to spot a relative clause is to look for the relative pronoun. As we mentioned earlier, the relative pronoun is typically “who,” “which,” or “that,” but there are other relative pronouns, such as “whose” and “whom.” When you spot a relative pronoun, you can be sure that you’ve found a relative clause.

Another way to identify relative clauses is to look for a dependent marker. A dependent marker is a word or phrase that indicates that the clause is dependent on the main clause. For example, if you see a word such as “where,” “when,” or “while,” you can be sure that it’s part of a dependent clause. In the examples we looked at earlier, the relative pronouns act as dependent markers, indicating that the clause is dependent on the main clause.

Subordination

Once you’ve identified a relative clause, it’s important to remember that it’s a type of subordinate clause. That means that it’s dependent on the main clause, and it can’t stand alone as a sentence. In other words, if you take away the main clause, the relative clause won’t make any sense. In the examples we looked at earlier, if you remove the main clause, the relative clauses will no longer make any sense:

• Who was wearing a red dress?
• Which my friend recommended?
• That is parked outside?

As you can see, without the main clause, the relative clauses don’t make any sense. This is why relative clauses are considered to be subordinate clauses: they’re dependent on the main clause for their meaning.

Conclusion

In summary, relative clauses are a type of subordinate clause that modifies a noun or noun phrase. They begin with a relative pronoun, such as “who,” “which,” or “that,” and provide extra information about the noun or noun phrase. To identify relative clauses, look for the relative pronoun or a dependent marker, such as “where,” “when,” or “while.” Finally, remember that relative clauses are dependent on the main clause, and can’t stand alone as a sentence.