A relative clause gives more information about a noun. It can begin with the words who, which, or that.
There. That’s it. Sounds pretty simple.
I mean, it is, but there are some rules to go along with it.
I find relative clauses to be one of the hardest dress-ups for students to use in our IEW® writing classes.
There is often something they miss.
Sometimes kids will take a complete sentence, add the word who or which, and think they’re done.
But they’re not.
Depending on where they add that word, they may have just turned a complete sentence into an incomplete one.
Today, we’re going to look at how to write relative clauses, what makes them clauses, and how to check that they fit into a complete sentence.
We’ll focus on who and which first. Next week, we’ll talk about commas and what happens when we use that.
Let’s go back to “The Ant and the Grasshopper” for our examples.
A relative clause needs a subject and a verb.
Last week, I discussed the difference between a phrase and a clause. A clause must have a subject and a verb, but it cannot always stand alone as a complete sentence.
Notice that we’re calling this a relative clause.
That means it needs a subject and a verb too.
Here’s the tricky part: In the examples we’re using today, who or which serves as the subject of the clause. These words are relative pronouns that refer back to the noun being described.
Then we need a verb.
Let’s look at this sentence:
The rich green leaves blew in the breeze.
I can add a relative clause:
The rich green leaves, which sparkled in the sunlight, blew in the breeze.
In this clause, which refers to the leaves and serves as the subject. Sparkled is the action verb.
I can also use a linking verb:
The leaves, which were green, blew in the breeze.
Again, which is the subject. The linking verb were connects the subject to the adjective green, which describes the leaves.
Or I can use a helping verb with a main verb:
The rich green leaves, which were sparkling in the sunlight, blew in the breeze.
This time, were is the helping verb, and sparkling is the main verb.
Different verbs. Same idea.
The relative clause needs a subject and a verb.
A relative clause gives more information about a noun.
Grasshopper, who joyfully played music all summer, was not prepared for winter.
The relative clause is who joyfully played music all summer.
What noun does it describe?
Grasshopper.
It tells us more about what he did all summer. And since we’re treating Grasshopper as a character in our fable, we’re using who.
This is one way grammar instruction can help children build stronger writing skills. They learn how to add meaningful details to their sentences.
Put the relative clause right after the noun it describes.
Keeping the clause close to its noun helps your reader understand what you mean.
Look at this example:
Throughout the summer months, Ant worked hard, who gathered food for the winter.
Something doesn’t sound right.
The clause who gathered food for the winter is supposed to tell us more about Ant. But we’ve placed it after hard.
And hard isn’t even a noun here. It’s an adverb telling us how Ant worked.
Let’s move the clause next to Ant:
Throughout the summer months, Ant, who gathered food for the winter, worked hard.
Now we know exactly who gathered the food.
Check that the rest of the sentence is complete.
For the examples we’re practicing today, try taking out the relative clause. You should still have a complete sentence.
Let’s start here:
When winter arrived, Grasshopper had no food.
We cannot simply add who before had and call it done:
When winter arrived, Grasshopper who had no food.
The relative clause who had no food does give us more information about Grasshopper.
But the sentence is now incomplete.
Take out that clause, and look at what remains:
When winter arrived, Grasshopper.
Grasshopper what?
We’re still waiting to hear what happened to him.
Let’s finish the sentence:
When winter arrived, Grasshopper, who had no food, was starving.
Now remove the relative clause:
When winter arrived, Grasshopper was starving.
There it is. A complete thought.
The relative clause has its own verb, but the main part of the sentence still needs one too.
Try it!
Try combining two sentences about the same noun.
Sentence combining is a simple way to practice writing relative clauses.
Look at these two sentences:
Grasshopper played music all summer.
Grasshopper was starving when winter arrived.
Both sentences tell us something about Grasshopper. We can turn one of those ideas into a relative clause:
Grasshopper, who played music all summer, was starving when winter arrived.
We’ve kept both ideas and combined them into one sentence.
And if we remove the relative clause, we still have:
Grasshopper was starving when winter arrived.
It works!
Or choose a noun and tell your reader more about it.
Start with a complete sentence:
Ant diligently worked all summer.
Now choose a noun. What else could you tell your reader about it?
We have two nouns to work with: Ant and summer.
Let’s try Ant:
Ant, who was determined to prepare for winter, diligently worked all summer.
What about summer?
Ant diligently worked all summer, which was one of the hottest in history.
Both relative clauses add information about a noun.
Both contain a subject and a verb.
And both can be removed while leaving a complete sentence behind.
Let's sum this up
The next time your child is revising a writing assignment, choose one sentence together.
Find a noun, and ask, “What else could we tell our reader about this?”
Then help your child build a relative clause.
Check these three things:
- Does the clause give information about a noun?
- Is it placed right after that noun?
- Does the clause have a subject and a verb, while leaving the main sentence complete?
We want kids to understand how the words work together so they can use them in their own writing.
Next week, we’ll look at comma rules for relative clauses and add that to our practice. The examples today use commas, but not every relative clause needs them. We’ll explore why.
Until next time! Happy writing!
Ready to put this into practice?
Identifying a relative clause is one thing. Using it in your own writing takes practice!
In Writing Ready with Fables, your child will learn grammar through familiar stories, explore concepts through interactive activities, and use those skills to revise their own retelling.
“The Ant and the Grasshopper” begins with nouns, verbs, and adjectives before introducing relative clauses. Each fable builds on what your child has already learned, one step at a time.
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Need to practice the building blocks first?
Before your child can write a relative clause, it helps to understand the nouns and verbs that make it work.
If those skills still need some practice, my free “The Ant and the Grasshopper” grammar resource is a great place to start.
Your child will practice nouns, verbs, and adjectives through story-based activities, with answer keys and links to teaching videos to help you along the way.
👉🏼 Download your free grammar resource here!
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