Relative Pronouns in Defining Clauses

Relative pronouns that are used most commonly are who/whom, whoever/whomever, whose, that, and which. In certain cases, what, when, and where are used as relative pronouns as well. These pronouns can introduce relative clauses, which can be defining (restrictive) or non-defining (non-restrictive).

Difference of defining and non-defining clauses

All the relative clauses explain the information about some word, idea, or phrase in the principal clause. In non-defining clauses, such information is not essential. In defining clauses, as the name suggests, the information is quite important. Let us compare:

• The man that came to see my parents was my school teacher. (The information in the subordinate clause introduced by the pronoun ‘that’ is important - My school teacher came to see my parents.)
• The man, who also believed in ghosts, was standing by the crossroads and waiting for someone. (The information in the subordinate clause is not essential at all. It just complements the main idea of the sentence: The man was standing by the crossroads and waiting for someone.)

Defining Clauses: Characteristic Features

Normally, we cannot omit the information told in the relative clause. Even if, after omitting, the sentence is grammatically correct, its meaning will change completely.
e.g.,

• ✔️ A bear is a big animal that lives in the forests and the mountains. (We now know that a bear lives in the forests and mountains - it is a kind of definition for this animal).
• ✔️ A bear is a big animal. (There is no extended definition here, so we do not have much information about the bear as an animal.)

Defining relative clauses consist of a pronoun (which can be omitted in certain situations), a verb, and other common elements of the sentence, such as a subject or object of a verb or an adverbial modifier.
e.g.,

• ✔️ This is the house where I lived when I was a child.
• ✔️ I like people who are open-minded and optimistic.

- We never use commas to separate the relative clause from the main sentence.

Use of Relative Pronouns

	Person	Thing	Place	Time	Reason / Explanation
Subject	who / that	which / that
Object	who / whom / that	which / that	where	when	what / why
Possessive	whose	whose

‘That’ in Defining Relative Clauses

The relative pronoun ‘that’ is used in relative clauses to specify what has been said in the principal clause. It cannot be used in non-defining relative clauses.

• ✔️ The man that is speaking now is a very interesting person.
• ❌ The man, that we talked about, is my neighbor and a very interesting person.

Other relative pronouns used in defining relative clauses are ‘who’, ‘whom’, and ‘which’, and they can be replaced by ‘that’.
e.g.,

• ✔️ The dress which I bought yesterday is perfect. - The dress that I bought yesterday is perfect.
• ❌ The man who came with me yesterday is my cousin. - The man that came with me yesterday is my cousin.

‘Whom’ in Modern English

‘Whom’, however, is a very formal relative pronoun. It is not commonly used in modern spoken English, and it can be easily replaced by ‘who’ or ‘that’. Or it can even be omitted.
e.g.,

• ✔️ The girl whom you saw with me was my former classmate.
• ✔️ The girl who / that you saw with me was my former classmate.
• ✔️ The girl you saw with me was my former classmate.

When We Can Omit a Relative Pronoun

Defining relative clauses allow omitting relative pronouns in certain cases. Relative pronouns can be omitted when they are an object of the clause.
e.g.,

• ✔️ The woman that you spoke about has just come to the reception.
• ✔️ The woman you spoke about has just come to the reception.

However, if a relative pronoun plays the role of the subject in the relative clause, it cannot be omitted.
e.g.,

✔️ The woman that was speaking to me at the reception was my ex-girlfriend. (Here, ‘that’ is a subject of a relative clause.)

Specific Uses of ‘That’

The most common use of ‘that’ in defining relative clauses is observed when it follows the words ‘all’, ‘everything’, ‘anything’, and ‘something’. In these cases, ‘that’ can also be omitted when it is an object of the clause.
e.g.,

• ✔️ There was something in his words that worried me. (Subject)
• ✔️ Everything that I heard from him worried me very much. - Everything I heard from him worried me very much. (Object)

The relative pronoun ‘that’ is often used after superlatives. In most cases here, it is not a subject of the relative clause, so it can be omitted.
e.g.,

• ✔️ It is the tastiest food (that) I have ever tried.
• ✔️ It was the most uncommon experience (that) I have ever encountered.

Conclusion

These are the essential things you need to know about using relative pronouns in defining (restrictive) relative clauses when you write an essay. You cannot omit the relative clause here without a considerable change in the meaning.

The relative pronoun ‘that’ is used in defining clauses to substitute for ‘who’, ‘whom’, and ‘which without any change in meaning.

Relative pronouns can be omitted if they are objects of a relative clause. Remember that defining relative clauses are never separated by commas.