Relative Clauses
Rules with Examples
Clause
A group of words that has a Subject and a Verb.
Example:
Ram wants to be a doctor. (Ram: Subject; wants: Verb)
Ram wants to be a doctor but Shyam wants to be an engineer. (Ram: Subject; wants: Verb | Shyam: Subject; wants: Verb)
Main Clause:
A main clause is like the boss of a sentence. It can stand alone and makes complete sense by itself.
Example:
The sun was shining brightly.
In this sentence, "The sun was shining brightly" is the main clause because it gives us a complete idea.
Subordinate Clause:
A subordinate clause is like a helper. It has some information but can't stand alone. It needs the main clause to make complete sense.
Example:
While I was reading a book, the phone rang.
In this sentence, "While I was reading a book" is a subordinate clause. It adds information, but you need the main clause "the phone rang" to understand the full idea.
Nore:
In the sentence "While I was reading a book, the phone rang," the subordinate clause is "While I was reading a book." This is because it doesn't express a complete thought on its own. It provides additional information but needs the main clause to make sense.
On the other hand, "the phone rang" is the main clause because it can stand alone as a complete idea. It gives the primary information about what happened. The subordinate clause is dependent on the main clause to form a complete sentence.
Relative Clause
A relative clause is a part of a sentence that gives extra information about a noun. It starts with words like "who," "which," "that," "whose," or "whom." This extra information helps you understand the noun better by providing details or descriptions.For example, in the sentence "I have a friend who likes to play video games." In this sentence, the relative clause is: "who likes to play video games," and it tells us more about the friend.
| Questions | Answers | Usage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When | कब | अब, जब, तब | Time |
| Where | कहाँ | यहाँ, वहाँ, जहाँ | Place |
| Why | क्यों | इसलिए | Reason |
| How | कैसे | ऐसे, वैसे, जैसे | Procedure, Manner |
| Who | कौन | मैं, तुम, ये, वो, जो | Person (Subject) |
| Whom | किसको | इसको, उसको, जिसको | Person (Object) |
| Whose | किसका | इसका, उसका, जिसका | Possession |
| Which | कौनसा | ये वाला, वो वाला, जो | Choices |
| What | क्या | यह, वह, जो | Things |
| that |
Antecedent: In the context of a relative clause, the term "antecedent" refers to the noun or pronoun to which the relative pronoun in the clause refers. It is the word that the relative pronoun replaces or describes more specifically.
For example, in the sentence "The book that you lent me is really interesting," the antecedent is "book." The relative pronoun "that" refers back to 'book' and gives more information about the antecedent, connecting the information in the relative clause to the main clause.
Main Clause: The main clause, also known as an independent clause, is a group of words in a sentence that contains a subject and a predicate and can stand alone as a complete sentence. It expresses a complete thought and does not depend on another clause to make sense.
In sentences with relative clauses, the main clause is the part of the sentence that contains the primary information, while the relative clause provides additional information about a noun in the main clause.
EXAMPLE 1
1. The girl is coming here. She is my sister. (who)
Rules
1. पहले देखो who किसके लिए आता है।
Ans: Subject के लिए
2. अब हमने second sentence में subject ढूंढना है।
Ans: She
3. She की जगह who आ जाएगा।
Ans: who is my sister.
4. She Pronoun है तो इसके लिए First Sentence में Noun ढूंढना पडेगा।
Ans: The girl
5. Cross Check कर लो कि The girl ही noun है । इसके लिए The girl को She की जगह रख कर देखो - The girl is coming here. The girl is my sister. Sense बन रही है तो यह ठीक है।
6. इसके बाद नीचे दिए गए steps का use करो:
Steps:
a. 1st Sentence - Remaining Part - Noun को छोडकर
b. Noun
c. Pronoun
d. 2nd Sentence
पहले Noun, फिर Pronoun, उसके बाद 2nd Sentence; 'b', 'c' और 'd' steps हमेशा एक साथ ही आएंगे; 'a' step पहले भी आ सकता है और बाद में भी।
Ans: The girl who is my sister is coming here.
The girl (b); who (c); is my sister (d); is coming here (a)
EXAMPLE 2
2. The boy is a beggar. You gave him food. (whom)
Rules
1. पहले देखो whom किसके लिए आता है।
Ans: Object के लिए
2. अब हमने second sentence में object ढूंढना है। Object को ढूंढने के लिए हमें Main Verb ढूंढनी होती है; Main Verb से पहले Subject और बाद में Object.
Ans: him
3. him की जगह whom आ जाएगा।
Ans: who is my sister.
4. him Pronoun है तो इसके लिए First Sentence में Noun ढूंढना पडेगा।
Ans: The boy और A beggar दोंनो Nouns हैं लेकिन जो पहले आता है वही लिखते हैं। The boy ✔
5. इसके बाद नीचे दिए गए steps का use करो:
Steps:
a. 1st Sentence - Remaining Part - Noun को छोडकर
b. Noun
c. Pronoun
d. 2nd Sentence
पहले Noun, फिर Pronoun, फिर 2nd Sentence; 'b', 'c' और 'd' steps हमेशा एक साथ ही आएंगे; 'a' step पहले भी आ सकता है और बाद में भी।
Ans: The boy whom you gave food is a beggar.
The boy (b); whom (c); you gave food (d); is a beggar (a)
EXERCISE 1
Questions:
1. Fill in the blank with a relative pronoun:
I have a cat ________ sleeps on my bed.
2. Identify the relative clause in the sentence:
The book that I borrowed from the library is very interesting.
3. Complete the sentence with the correct relative pronoun:
This is the house ___________ my grandparents lived when they were young.
4. Combine the sentences using a relative pronoun:
Mary lost her keys. I found them.
5. Choose the correct relative pronoun:
The person ________ called you is waiting outside.
6. Identify the antecedent of the relative pronoun in the sentence:
The car which was parked in front of the house is mine.
7. Create a sentence with a relative clause to describe the underlined noun:
The mountain climbers reached the summit.
8. Turn the sentence into a relative clause:
The movie was interesting. I watched it last night.
9. Fill in the blank with the appropriate relative pronoun:
I know a girl ____________ brother is a famous musician.
10. Combine the sentences using a relative pronoun:
The dog is very friendly. Its owner lives next door.
Answers:
1. that
2. that I borrowed from the library
3. where
4. Mary lost her keys, which I found.
5. who
6. car; mine
7. The mountain climbers who reached the summit were very skilled.
8. The movie that I watched last night was interesting.
9. whose
10. The dog whose owner lives next door is very friendly.
EXERCISE 2
Questions:
1. Identify the relative clause in the following sentence: "The car that is parked in the driveway belongs to my neighbor."
Answer: The relative clause is "that is parked in the driveway."
2. Rewrite the sentence using a relative pronoun: "The girl is wearing a red dress. The girl is sitting next to me."
Answer: "The girl who is sitting next to me is wearing a red dress."
3. Identify the relative pronoun and its antecedent: "The book that you lent me is really interesting."
Answer: Relative pronoun: "that"; Antecedent: "book."
4. Fill in the blank with the appropriate relative pronoun: "I visited the city _____ my grandparents live."
Answer: "where"
5. Combine the sentences using a relative pronoun: "She bought a house. The house has a big garden."
Answer: "She bought a house which has a big garden."
6. Identify the relative clause in the sentence: "The dog, which was black, ran across the yard."
Answer: The relative clause is "which was black."
7. Rewrite the sentence using a relative pronoun: "The computer belongs to Tom. The computer is on the desk."
Answer: "The computer which is on the desk belongs to Tom."
8. Fill in the blank with the appropriate relative pronoun: "I know a person _____ brother is a famous actor."
Answer: "whose"
9. Combine the sentences using a relative pronoun: "She ate the cake. The cake had strawberries on top."
Answer: "She ate the cake that had strawberries on top."
10. Identify the relative pronoun and its antecedent: "The teacher who teaches English is Mrs. Smith."
Answer: Relative pronoun: "who"; Antecedent: "teacher."
EXERCISE 3
Questions:
1. Identify the relative clause in the following sentence: "The cat, which is sleeping on the couch, belongs to Sarah."
Answer: The relative clause is "which is sleeping on the couch."
2. Rewrite the sentence using a relative pronoun: "The boy is playing with the toy. The toy is red."
Answer: "The boy is playing with the toy that is red."
3. Identify the relative pronoun and its antecedent: "The teacher who is standing at the front of the class is Mrs. Johnson."
Answer: Relative pronoun: "who"; Antecedent: "teacher."
4. Fill in the blank with the appropriate relative pronoun: "She lives in the house _____ has a blue door."
Answer: "that"
5. Combine the sentences using a relative pronoun: "I met a man. The man repaired my car."
Answer: "I met a man who repaired my car."
6. Exercise: Identify the relative clause in the sentence: "The movie, which won several awards, was directed by Steven Spielberg."
Answer: The relative clause is "which won several awards."
7. Rewrite the sentence using a relative pronoun: "The cake belongs to Mary. The cake has chocolate frosting."
Answer: "The cake that belongs to Mary has chocolate frosting."
8. Exercise: Fill in the blank with the appropriate relative pronoun: "He is the student _____ won the science competition."
Answer: "who"
9. Combine the sentences using a relative pronoun: "She read a book. The book was recommended by her friend."
Answer: "She read a book that was recommended by her friend."
10. Identify the relative pronoun and its antecedent: "The house that Jack built is now a museum."
Answer: Relative pronoun: "that"; Antecedent: "house."
EXERCISE 4
Questions:
1. Identify the relative clause in the sentence: "I have a friend whose sister is a doctor."
Answer: The relative clause is "whose sister is a doctor."
2. Rewrite the sentence using a relative pronoun: "The movie was boring. We watched the movie last night."
Answer: "The movie that we watched last night was boring."
3. Fill in the blank with the appropriate relative pronoun: "I have a friend _____ can speak five languages."
Answer: "who"
4. Combine the sentences using a relative pronoun: "The house is beautiful. My parents live in the house."
Answer: "The house in which my parents live is beautiful."
5. Identify the relative pronoun and its antecedent: "This is the girl whose painting won the competition."
Answer: Relative pronoun: "whose"; Antecedent: "girl."
6. Rewrite the sentence using a relative pronoun: "I met a person. The person has a pet snake."
Answer: "I met a person who has a pet snake."
7. Fill in the blank with the appropriate relative pronoun: "I have a friend _____ dog is very friendly."
Answer: "whose"
8. Combine the sentences using a relative pronoun: "The book is on the shelf. I want to read the book."
Answer: "The book that I want to read is on the shelf."
9. Identify the relative clause in the sentence: "The car, which was parked in front of the house, had a flat tire."
Answer: The relative clause is "which was parked in front of the house."
10. Rewrite the sentence using a relative pronoun: "The scientist made a discovery. The discovery will change the way we understand biology."
Answer: "The scientist made a discovery that will change the way we understand biology."