Subjects - Relative Clauses
If you do not know the grammar of relative clauses please see this lesson first.
Review of relative clauses
A relative clause adds information to something in the sentence. It starts with a relative pronoun. For example:
​
I went to the shop.
​
I went to the shop which is near the school.
​
We added information to the noun 'school' using the relative pronoun 'which'.
Subjects
Subjects are what the sentence is about.
​
I went to the shop.
​
She enjoyed the film.
​
The bus was very late.
Subjects and relative clauses - Explain
We can make our subjects more detailed by adding relative clauses to them.
​
For example, if you say 'The bus was very late' the speaker may know which bus. However, if you want to be more specific you can add a relative clause:
​
The bus which comes from London was very late.
​
The original subject and the relative clause combine to make a larger subject.
​
The original noun (bus) must be a general noun and not specific. If it is specific then you do not need a relative clause.
Examples
The man is very clever.
​
But which man? Add a relative clause to the subject.
​
The man who is wearing blue jeans is very clever.
The woman looks really young.
​
But which woman? Add a relative clause to the subject.
​
The woman who is wearing a dress looks really young.
I think the painting is beautiful.
​
But which painting? Add a relative clause to the subject.
​
I think the painting that has a blue background is beautiful.
The picture is by a famous artist.
​
But which picture? Add a relative clause to the subject.
​
The picture which is on the far right is by a famous artist.
Practice
The boy who is holding the basketball is going to win.
boy / holding the basketball
is going to win
Answer
The child who is eating spaghetti will make a mess.
child / eating spaghetti
will make a mess
Answer
The man who is doing DIY needs to be careful.
man / doing DIY
needs to be careful
Answer
The television which is in the middle should be bigger.
television / in the middle
should be bigger
Answer
The book that you're holding is expensive.
book / you're holding
is expensive
When do you not use this grammar?
You do not use this grammar when the subject can be recognised by a more common name.
The cake which is at the back looks the nicest.
​
It is easier to say:
​
The chocolate cake looks the nicest.
The food that has the white dots on it looks the nicest.
​
It is easier to say:
​
The fish looks the nicest.
look...
Subject + look + adjective
We use this grammar when we don't know that the subject is the adjective but we think it is.
It looks cold.
This book looks interesting.
It looks hot.
That food looks delicious.
It looks horrible.
The place looks beautiful.
I look amazing.
I look silly.
Fashion
The boy who is wearing the red shorts looks cool.
The woman who is wearing the long necklace looks very happy.
Answer
The woman who is wearing the straw hat looks stylish.
woman / straw hat
stylish
Answer
The man who is wearing the navy suit and blue tie looks well-dressed.
man / navy suit and blue tie
well-dressed
Answer
The woman who is wearing the strappy top looks fashionable.
woman / strappy top
fashionable
Removing the relative pronoun
Sometimes, if you are speaking informally, and the relative pronoun is obvious (person = who) you can remove the relative pronoun.
The woman who is wearing the strappy top looks fashionable.
The woman who is wearing the strappy top looks fashionable.
The woman wearing the strappy top looks fashionable.
The man who is doing DIY needs to be careful.
The man who is doing DIY needs to be careful.
The man doing DIY needs to be careful.
With
We can use the preposition 'with' to say what the person possess.
-
The woman with the green top
-
The woman with blonde hair
-
The woman with long sleeves
-
The woman with the yellow top
-
The woman with brown hair
-
The woman with the necklace
We can use these as the subjects of our sentences:
​
-
The woman with the green top looks cool.
-
The woman with the yellow top looks happy.
-
The woman with blonde hair looks unhappy.
-
The woman with with necklace looks pleased.
Answer
The woman with the straw hat looks stylish.
woman / straw hat
stylish
Answer
The man with the navy suit and blue tie looks well-dressed.
man / navy suit and blue tie
well-dressed