Relative Clauses

This handout will help you understand what relative clauses are and how they work, and will especially help you decide when to use “that” or “which.”

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What is a relative clause?

A relative clause is one kind of dependent clause. It has a subject and verb, but can’t stand alone as a sentence. It is sometimes called an “adjective clause” because it functions like an adjective—it gives more information about a noun. A relative clause always begins with a “relative pronoun,” which substitutes for a noun, a noun phrase, or a pronoun when sentences are combined.

 

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