What is a relative clause?
A relative clause can be used to give additional information about a noun.
They are introduced by a relative pronoun like 'that', 'which', 'who', 'whose', 'where' and 'when'. For example:
I won’t stand by the man who smells of slime.
In this example, the relative clause is ‘who smells of slime’. It provides more information about the man. The relative pronoun, ‘who’, is used to connect these clauses in the sentence.
Watch: Relative clauses
Learn about relative clauses with this video from Bitesize KS2 English.
TOURIST ONE: I knew she'd be here. I saw a scaly tail.
TOURIST TWO: Turned out to be a part of Nessie.
NARRATOR: A relative clause adds to a sentence by using a pronoun.
You saw a scaly tail, 'that' turned out to be a part of Nessie.
Let's try again.
You found Nessie on that tree. You found the lake.
So you could say, you found Nessie on that tree 'which' is by the lake.
The relative pronoun is 'which', because you're talking about the tree where Nessie is. It's relative to the tree.
And the relative clause 'which is by the lake', is adding to what you know already.
NESSIE: (Sneeze)
TOURIST ONE: Argh!
What is a subordinate clause?
Relative clauses can be used to create complex sentences as they are a type of subordinate clause.
A subordinate clause is a part of a sentence that adds additional information to the main clause.
Relative clauses come directly after the noun they are referring to.
This might be at the end of a sentence or embedded into the middle of a sentence.
If a relative clause is embedded in the middle of a sentence, it is sometimes, but not always, surrounded by commas.
Relative pronouns
Relative clauses are introduced by a relative pronoun. The relative pronoun used depends on the person or type of thing you are writing about.
Relative pronouns include:
- ‘Who’ (a person or people)
- ‘Which’ (an object, a place or animals)
- ‘That’ (an object, a place or a person)
- 'When’ (a time)
- ‘Where’ (a place)
Example
Two simple sentences:
Milly played her ukulele to her sister Martha. She was in her bedroom.
Below, the relative pronoun, ‘who’, is used to create a relative clause so these two simple sentences can be connected.
‘She was in her bedroom’ is extra information, so this forms the relative clause.
Relative clause sentence:
Milly, who was in her bedroom, played her ukulele to her sister Martha.
Watch: Relative clauses with Super Movers
Relative clauses with Max and Harvey
SPEAKER 1: Hey Max, guess what?
SPEAKER 2: What?
SPEAKER 1: This song is called Relative Clauses!
SPEAKER 2: That's so amazing, we're relatives, it's perfect!
SPEAKER 1: Yeah! Let's all sing and dance with the people in front of us!
SPEAKER 2: Come on guys, let's all join in!
SPEAKER 1: Teachers too!
SONG LYRICS: ♫ Ayeeee oh ayeeee oh. Aye oh aye oh aye oh! Aye oh aye oh aye oh!
Ayeeee oh ayeeee oh. Aye oh aye oh aye oh! Aye oh aye oh aye oh! ♫
A clause is a group of words.
It has a subject, it has a verb.
It can be alone or in company.
Maybe it's all you really need.
A relative clause, let it all come out,
To say who or what you’re writing about.
Like "the girl was nice" could be:
The girl, who spoke to you, was nice.
♫ Aye oh aye oh aye oh. I use a relative clause to make it clear.
Aye oh aye oh aye oh. What I’m writing about, so the world can hear. ♫
The day when the sun shined.
The boy who had a good time.
The beautiful beach where we always play.
A relative clause can help, OK.
The sand which was so soft.
The man whose shoes fell off.
The biggest ice cream that I've ever seen.
A relative clause – come sing with me!
♫ Ayeeee oh ayeeee oh. Aye oh aye oh aye oh! Aye oh aye oh aye oh!
Ayeeee oh ayeeee oh. Aye oh aye oh aye oh! Aye oh aye oh aye oh! ♫
The beach, which is by the sea, is beautiful today.
The shop, where they sell ice creams, is open by the bay.
The sun, that is in the sky, is shining down on me.
The boy, who has brown hair, is running to the sea.
And I look at these phrases again and I hope that you can see,
We don’t always need so many words to say just what we mean.
We can take out! Take out! Take out! When it’s an object of the clause.
We can take out! Take out! Take out! We don’t need those extra words!
"The shells that we collected" could be "the shells we collected".
"The rocks that I picked up" could be "the rocks I picked up".
"The chairs which we sat on" could be "the chairs we sat on".
It works both ways and you can always say,
A relative clause can help, OK!
The day when the sun shined.
The boy who had a good time.
The beautiful beach where we always play.
A relative clause can help, OK.
The sand which was so soft.
The man whose shoes fell off.
The biggest ice cream that I've ever seen.
A relative clause – come sing with me!
♫ Ayeeee oh ayeeee oh. Aye oh aye oh aye oh! Aye oh aye oh aye oh!
Ayeeee oh ayeeee oh. Aye oh aye oh aye oh! Aye oh aye oh aye oh! ♫
Watch: Where to place relative clauses in a sentence
Watch this video to understand how relative clauses can be placed in different positions within a sentence.
Find out where relative clauses can be placed in a sentence.
NARRATOR: A relative clause is a type of subordinate clause that modifies a noun.
For example: 'Mr and Mrs Selfie arrived in the car that they had bought this morning.'
It often does this by using a relative pronoun such as 'who' or 'that' to refer back to the noun it changes.
For example:
Mr and Mrs Selfie want a nicer house and they think Auntie Eileen is an old woman who doesn't need such a big house.
In this sentence, 'who doesn't need such a big house' is a relative clause that modifies the noun 'woman'.
Mr and Mrs Selfie want Eileen's house but she doesn't want to move.
They have a pamphlet that outlines the wonderful world of old age care homes.
'That outlines the wonderful world of old age care homes' is a relative clause that describes the noun 'pamphlet'.
The kind of pamphlet you would give to a relative, especially if you wanted them to move out.
Unfortunately for Mr Selfie, Eileen is the kind of relative that you never want to cross.
'That you never want to cross' is a relative clause that modifies the noun 'relative'.
Just remember, a relative clause is a type of subordinate clause that modifies a noun.
Just like Mr Selfie's relative modified him.
Activity 1
Activity 2
Activity 3
Activity 4
Activity 5
Look at this picture of a bear.
Think about what the bear might be able to hear, smell, feel or taste as it hides.
Write three sentences about the picture that include both:
- a relative clause
- one of the five senses
Examples
'The tall trees, that were shielding the bear, creaked and moaned.'
'The cute bear, who could taste honey on his lips, felt the tree dance in the wind as he hid behind it.'
Teaching resources
Looking for extra activities to support your english lessons? There are more resources available, including videos on Shakespeare and reading and writing.
BBC Bitesize for Teachers has thousands of free, curriculum-linked resources to help deliver lessons - all arranged by subject and age group.
Play our fun English game Crystal Explorers! game
Use grammar, punctuation and spelling skills to explore jungles, caves and tombs on your mission.
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