Relative Clauses in English: Defining & Non-Defining

What Is a Relative Clause?

It’s a clause that describes a noun: The man who lives next door is a doctor.

هي جملة تُوصِّف اسمًا: الرجل الذي يسكن بجوارنا طبيب.

Defining vs Non-Defining

Remember: Non-defining = commas and which/who (not that).

Relative Pronouns & Adverbs

Subject vs Object • Zero Relative

• Subject: the pronoun is the subject → who/which/that required.
  The woman who lives next door is a vet.
• فاعل: الضمير هو الفاعل → يجب وجود who/which/that.

• Object: the pronoun is the object → you can drop it in defining clauses.
  The book (which/that) I bought is great. → The book I bought… ✓
• مفعول به: يمكن حذف الضمير في الجُمل المحدِّدة: The book I bought…

You cannot drop the pronoun when it’s the subject: ✗ The man Ø called → ✓ The man who/that called.

That vs Which • Who vs Whom • Whose

• That vs which: In defining clauses, use that or which. In non-defining, use which (not that).
• Who vs whom: whom is formal object. In everyday English, use who or drop it (object, defining).
• Whose works for people and things: a company whose products…

• that / which: مع الجُمل غير المحدِّدة (بين فواصل) نستخدم which فقط.
• whom رسمي؛ في الكلام اليومي نستخدم who أو نحذف الضمير عند كونه مفعولاً (في المحدِّدة).
• whose لِلملكيّة مع الأشخاص والأشياء.

Prepositions (Formal vs Natural)

Natural (most common): put the preposition at the end → The person (who) I spoke to.

Formal: preposition + which/whom → The person to whom I spoke.

الأشيع وضع حرف الجر في النهاية؛ والصيغة الرسمية تأتي قبله which/whom.

Reduced Relative Clauses

• Present participle (active): Students studying English… (= who are studying)
• Past participle (passive): Books written by Orwell… (= which were written)
• Infinitive: the first person to arrive (= who is the first person that arrives)

• V-ing للمعنى النشط، V-ed/V3 للمعنى المبني للمجهول، وto + verb مع كلمات مثل first/only/best.

40+ Examples (EN ⇄ AR)

• The man who lives upstairs is a pilot.
• الرجل الذي يعيش في الطابق العلوي طيّار.
• The woman whom I met was very kind. (who / Ø)
• المرأة التي قابلتُها كانت لطيفة جداً.
• The car that he bought is fast. (Ø possible)
• السيارة التي اشتراها سريعة.
• My phone, which I lost yesterday, was found.
• هاتفي، الذي فقدته أمس، عُثر عليه.
• Students who study regularly improve quickly.
• الطلاب الذين يدرسون بانتظام يتحسّنون بسرعة.
• The café where we met is closed now.
• المقهى الذي التقينا فيه مغلق الآن.
• The day when we moved was rainy. (that/Ø)
• اليوم الذي انتقلنا فيه كان ممطرًا.
• The reason why I’m here is to help. (that/Ø)
• السبب الذي أنا هنا لأجله هو المساعدة.
• The house whose roof is red is mine.
• البيت الذي سقفه أحمر هو لي.
• People waiting outside should come in.
• الناس المنتظرون بالخارج عليهم الدخول.
• The questions asked were difficult.
• الأسئلة المطروحة كانت صعبة.
• He’s the only person to understand the issue.
• هو الشخص الوحيد الذي فهم المشكلة.
• The teacher to whom I spoke was helpful. (formal)
• المعلّم الذي تحدثت إليه كان متعاونًا.
• The teacher (who) I spoke to was helpful. (natural)
• المعلّم الذي تحدثت إليه كان متعاونًا.
• The dog that barks at night is ours.
• الكلب الذي ينبح ليلًا لنا.
• My brother, who lives abroad, is visiting.
• أخي، الذي يعيش في الخارج، سيزورنا.
• That’s the park where we play football.
• ذلك هو المنتزه الذي نلعب فيه كرة القدم.
• The film which won the prize is on now.
• الفيلم الذي فاز بالجائزة يُعرض الآن.
• The email (that) you sent was clear.
• البريد الإلكتروني الذي أرسلته كان واضحًا.
• The company whose logo is blue is famous.
• الشركة التي شعارها أزرق مشهورة.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ My sister, that lives in Dubai, is a doctor. → ✓ My sister, who lives in Dubai, is a doctor. (non-defining → not that)
• ✗ The book which I bought it is new. → ✓ The book which I bought is new. (no double object)
• ✗ The man Ø called me. → ✓ The man who/that called me. (can’t drop subject)
• ✗ Wrong commas in defining clauses → No commas for defining information.

• لا نستخدم that مع الجُمل غير المحدِّدة (بين فواصل).
• لا نكرر المفعول: لا نقول which I bought it.
• لا يمكن حذف الضمير إذا كان فاعلًا.

Exercises

1) Choose the correct word (who / which / that / where / whose)

1. The street ____ I live on is quiet.
2. The student ____ answered first won a prize.
3. The company ____ products we love is hiring.
4. The movie ____ we watched was funny.
5. The café ____ opened last week is crowded.

2) Defining or Non-Defining? Add commas if needed

1. My father who is a doctor works late.
2. The people who live next door are friendly.
3. Paris which is in France is beautiful.

3) Combine the sentences (drop the object pronoun if possible)

1. I met a woman. You recommended her. → The woman ____
2. This is the book. I told you about it. → This is the book ____

4) Formal vs natural (move/preposition)

1. The tutor to ____ I spoke… / The tutor (who) I spoke ____ …

1-Minute Quiz

Related Lessons

Pronouns Overview • Questions (Yes/No & Wh-) • Word Order Basics • Passive Voice Basics