Relative clauses
Apprentissage rapide
Advanced relative clauses refine style through preposition fronting, sentential which, quantifier constructions, and reduced participle clauses.
À retenir
- Place prepositions before relative pronouns in formal style, using which for entities and whom for individuals.
- Use of which and of whom following quantifiers like both, all, none, many, and neither to link dependent evaluations smoothly.
- Use sentential which set off by commas to comment on the entirety of the preceding independent clause.
Exemples
- 1The legal framework within which international shipping operates was established decades ago.
- 2The department hired four senior software developers, three of whom hold advanced degrees in mathematics.
Piège courant à éviter
Duplicating prepositions by fronting one before the pronoun and stranding another at the clause terminus, as in the room in which I slept in.
Approfondir
La règle
Formal relative clauses
Advanced relative clauses elevate written English from casual phrasing to academic and journalistic elegance.
Preposition first
In formal registers, prepositions frequently precede their relative pronouns rather than stranding at the end of the clause: the framework within which we operate instead of the framework we operate within. Only which (for things) and whom (for people) can appear directly after a fronted preposition.
None of which, two of whom
Another key advanced pattern is the partitioned relative clause, combining quantifiers or partitives with of which or of whom: She presented three solutions, none of which proved feasible or They interviewed twelve candidates, two of whom held doctorates.
Sentential which and reduced clauses
Furthermore, which can function sententially, referring back to the whole proposition of the main clause rather than a single noun (The meeting was adjourned abruptly, which surprised everyone present). Finally, defining relative clauses are frequently reduced to participle phrases to maintain concise prose: The documents that belong to this file becomes The documents belonging to this file.
Anatomie de la phrase
Des phrases de cette leçon, découpées dans l'ordre qu'exige l'anglais.
SujetThe legal frameworkPropositionwithin which international shipping operatesAuxiliairewasVerbeestablishedTempsdecades ago.
SujetSheVerbesubmittedObjetseveral innovative proposals,Propositionnone of which received formal consideration from the board.
SujetThe scholarsPropositionto whom the manuscript was sentVerbeverifiedObjetits authenticityTempswithin forty-eight hours.
Guide visuel
How to read this B2 topic
At B2, the form often changes the focus: agent, emphasis, register, implication, or stance.
1. Decide what is foregrounded
Passive, cleft, inversion, and participle clauses all move attention.
What matters is the evidence.
2. Check register
Some options are grammatical but too informal, too heavy, or unnatural.
Not only did she win, but she broke the record.
3. Watch compressed clauses
Advanced English often removes repeated subjects and auxiliaries.
Having finished, we left.
Decision path before answering
Use these checks before choosing between close options.
- 1Mark the subject, main verb, object, and any connector.
- 2Underline the time expression or discourse clue.
- 3Reject any option with the wrong agreement, tense, article, pronoun case, or word order.
- 4Read the whole sentence once more for naturalness and register.
Contrasts that often decide the answer
Event or background
Simple forms move events forward; continuous forms show an action in progress.
I left while she was talking.
Fact or stance
Modals, hedges, and reporting structures show how certain or responsible the speaker sounds.
This may indicate a problem.
Clause or compressed phrase
Advanced writing often compresses full clauses into participle, noun, or prepositional phrases.
Having reviewed the data, we revised the plan.
Exemples
- 1The legal framework within which international shipping operates was established decades ago.
- 2The department hired four senior software developers, three of whom hold advanced degrees in mathematics.
- 3She submitted several innovative proposals, none of which received formal consideration from the board.
- 4The director resigned without prior consultation, which triggered immediate speculation across the industry.
- 5The historical archives, many of which had sustained water damage, were painstakingly restored by conservators.
- 6The scholars to whom the manuscript was sent verified its authenticity within forty-eight hours.
- 7The company launched an ambitious restructuring program, the outcome of which remains highly uncertain.
- 8The laboratory contains sensitive diagnostic instruments, the maintenance of which requires certified technicians.
- 9The treaty establishes clear guidelines according to which maritime disputes must be arbitrated.
Exceptions
The pronoun that can never follow a preposition directly in relative clauses (The tool with that he worked is invalid; it must be with which). Likewise, whose can modify inanimate objects in formal English (A country whose economy depends on oil) to avoid the clumsier the economy of which.
Erreurs fréquentes
Preposition twice
Erreur
The house in which she grew up in
Correct
The house in which she grew up
What instead of sentential which
Erreur
He passed the examination, what delighted his parents.
Correct
He passed the examination, which delighted his parents.
What cannot refer back to a whole preceding clause.
Récap
L'essentiel de la leçon sur une carte, avant de te tester.
À retenir
- Place prepositions before relative pronouns in formal style, using which for entities and whom for individuals.
- Use of which and of whom following quantifiers like both, all, none, many, and neither to link dependent evaluations smoothly.
- Use sentential which set off by commas to comment on the entirety of the preceding independent clause.
Erreurs fréquentes
Erreur: The house in which she grew up in
Correct: The house in which she grew upErreur: He passed the examination, what delighted his parents.
Correct: He passed the examination, which delighted his parents.
Teste-toi
Take five paragraphs containing fragmented descriptive sentences and combine them using fronted prepositional relative clauses.
Points de grammaire associés
Poursuivez votre apprentissage avec d'autres notions de ce niveau.