Omitting relative pronouns

2013

Picture: desudjia.com

I was asked recently by a student whether, in a certain sentence, she could omit the relative pronoun that. Over my long teaching career, I've been asked the same question many times. Though I always know the answer, I can't always explain why.

The reason? My native-speaker grammatical knowledge is unconscious and ingrained. The rule about omitting relative pronouns is one I kept having to look up, and each time, I managed to forget it again.

Now I've done the research one more time, I've decided to post the rules and exceptions, along with some examples, for easy reference. Here they are:

1. If the relative pronoun is the object of the relative clause, it is usually omitted, as shown in the following examples:

     The girl (who/m) I was telling you about is the one sitting over there.
     Where is the food (that) you bought?
     The groceries (which) I bought are on the counter.
     This is the book (that) I lost last week.
     Do you have the same instructor (that/who/m) you had last term?

There are two exceptions to the above pattern. Both involve restrictive and non-restrictive clauses.* The first exception is when the relative pronoun begins a non-restrictive clause.

     The new coffee shop, which is near the corner of Broadway and Commercial, is nicer than the old one.
     The staff members, who were delayed by an interruption to SkyTrain service, were all late for work.    

The other exception is when the relative pronoun is the subject of a restrictive clause.

     The only man who got off the train at Metrotown stepped on my foot on his way to the door.
     It's a wonderful book, but I'm afraid I've forgotten the name of the author.
     Those who attend all the classes and do all the assignments usually pass the course.   

2.  If the relative clause contains the verb to be with a present or past participle, then both these verb parts can be left out.

     He's the man (who is) talking to our new neighbour.
     Anyone (who is) caught cheating will be given a zero grade and subjected to disciplinary action.
     Tom bought the necktie (which was) on sale.
     The delegates (who were) drinking coffee in the hall were asked to return to the conference room.

If you understand all these rules, try taking a quiz from the Frankfurt International School here. More detailed information on relative clauses here.

*Unclear on restrictive and non-restrictive clauses? Check back tomorrow.