Page 198 - English Grammar in Use

Unit Relative clauses 2:
93 clauses with and without who/that/which

A Look at these example sentences from Unit 92:
The woman who lives next door to me is a doctor. (or The woman that lives …)

The woman lives next door to me who (= the woman) is the subject

Where are the keys that were on the table? (or … the keys which were …)
The keys were on the table that (= the keys) is the subject
You must use who/that/which when it is the subject of the relative clause. You cannot leave out
who/that/which in these examples.

B Sometimes who/that/which is the object of the verb. For example:
The woman who I wanted to see was away on holiday.
who (= the woman) is the object
I wanted to see the woman
I is the subject
Did you find the keys that you lost?
that (= the keys) is the object
you lost the keys
you is the subject
When who/that/which is the object, you can leave it out. So you can say:
The woman I wanted to see was away. or The woman who I wanted to see …
Did you find the keys you lost? or … the keys that you lost?
The dress Lisa bought doesn’t fit her very well. or The dress that Lisa bought …
Is there anything I can do? or … anything that I can do?
Note that we say:
the keys you lost (not the keys you lost them)
the dress Lisa bought (not the dress Lisa bought it)

C Note the position of prepositions (to/in/for etc.) in relative clauses:

Tom is talking to a woman. Do you know her? (2 sentences)

Do you know the woman Tom is talking to ? (or … the woman who/that Tom is talking to)
I slept in a bed. It wasn’t comfortable. (2 sentences)

The bed I slept in wasn’t comfortable. (or The bed that/which I slept in …)

Are these the books you were looking for? or
Are these the books that/which you were …
The man I was sitting next to on the plane talked all the time. or
The man who/that I was sitting next to …
Note that we say:
the books you were looking for (not the books you were looking for them)
the man I was sitting next to (not the man I was sitting next to him)

D We say:
Everything (that) they said was true. (not Everything what they said)
I gave her all the money (that) I had. (not all the money what I had)
What = the thing(s) that:
What they said was true. (= The things that they said)

186 Relative clauses 1 ➜ Unit 92 Relative clauses 3–5 ➜ Units 94–96 whom ➜ Unit 94B