đ§ What is a Relative Clause?
It gives extra information about a noun.
đ Structure:
Noun + relative word + extra info
Relative words:
- who (people)
- which (things)
- that (people/things)
- where (place)
- when (time)
đĸ 1. âWHOâ (for people)
â Examples:
- The man who lives next door is a doctor.
- The student who studies hard will succeed.
đĩ 2. âWHICHâ (for things)
â Examples:
- The book which I read was interesting.
- The car which he bought is expensive.
đĄ 3. âTHATâ (people + things)
đ More common in speaking
â Examples:
- The girl that I met was friendly.
- The movie that we watched was boring.
đŖ 4. âWHEREâ (place)
â Examples:
- This is the school where I studied.
- I visited a city where people are very friendly.
đ 5. âWHENâ (time)
â Examples:
- I remember the day when I met him.
- That was the year when I moved to Dhaka.
đ´ 6. Defining vs Non-Defining (VERY IMPORTANT)
â Defining (important info â no comma)
- The man who is wearing a hat is my uncle.
đ Without clause â meaning incomplete
â Non-defining (extra info â use comma)
- My uncle, who is wearing a hat, is here.
đ Extra info only
đĨ IELTS Advantage
Instead of:
- I met a man. He is very kind. â
â Better:
- I met a man who is very kind.
đ This = higher band score
â Common Mistakes (Bangladeshi Students)
1. Wrong relative word
- The person which came â
â The person who came
2. Extra pronoun
- The man who he is talking â
â The man who is talking
3. Missing relative word
- The book I read was good â (OK in speaking)
But in writing, better: - The book that/which I read was good
4. Using âwhereâ wrongly
- The day where I met him â
â The day when I met him
đ¯ IELTS BAND 7+ TIP
Use relative clauses to:
- Combine sentences
- Avoid repetition
- Show grammar range
đ Pro Trick (High Level)
Use âwhichâ for ideas (Task 2):
- Governments invest in education, which improves society.
đ This is a Band 8 style sentence