B1business

Relative Clauses - Business English

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A relative clause adds information about a noun. Most often it begins with a relative pronoun: who or whom for people, which for things, that for either, and whose for possession. You can also use the relative adverbs where and when for places and times. Use a defining relative clause when the information is essential to identify the noun, with no commas: "The colleague who handles our international accounts is on leave." Use a non-defining clause, set off by commas, when the information is extra: "Our finance director, who joined last year, is leading the review." A key rule: never use that in a non-defining clause, and never put commas around a defining one. You can drop the pronoun when it is the object of the clause: "The report (that) we discussed yesterday is ready" and "The client (whom) we met last week was impressed." But you cannot drop it when it is the subject: in "the software which we use" you can remove which, yet in "the software which crashed" you cannot. A common pitfall is doubling the subject: write "the manager who is leading the meeting", not "the manager who he is leading the meeting". Choose where for a place ("the office where we meet"), not which, unless you mean the building itself as an object.

Let's practise. Type each answer and press Enter, I'll check it with you.

  1. The manager is leading the meeting is currently in London.
  2. This is the quarterly report we discussed yesterday.
  3. The client we met last week was very impressed with our proposal.
  4. I need to find the colleague handles the international accounts.
  5. The software we use for project management is very efficient.
  6. Do you remember the presentation Sarah gave this morning?
  7. The office our headquarters is located is in downtown Tokyo.
  8. Mr. Tanaka is the director oversees the entire production department.
  9. The deadline we agreed upon has been moved to Friday.
  10. I have a meeting with the consultant specializes in digital marketing.
  11. The email you sent me earlier contains several errors.
  12. The negotiation took place in Berlin was quite successful.
  13. This is the department most of the creative work happens.
  14. The employees work overtime are eligible for a bonus.
  15. I cannot find the file contains the budget projections.
  16. The vendor we chose for the event is very reliable.
  17. The strategy the CEO proposed was implemented immediately.
  18. He is the specialist we hired to improve our cybersecurity.
  19. The conference we attended last month was very informative.
  20. That is the boardroom the board members meet every Tuesday.
  21. The feedback we received from the clients was mostly positive.
  22. She is the assistant manages the CEO's busy schedule.
  23. The project we are working on is due by the end of the month.
  24. The person you should contact is the head of Human Resources.
  25. The laptop I bought for my new employee is still in the box.

Common questions

What is the difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses?

A defining relative clause identifies which noun you mean and takes no commas: "The candidate who interviewed first got the job." Remove it and the sentence loses essential meaning. A non-defining clause adds extra, non-essential detail and is enclosed in commas: "Our CEO, who founded the firm, will speak." Never use "that" in a non-defining clause.

When can I leave out the relative pronoun?

You can omit the pronoun when it is the object of the relative clause: "The email (that) you sent contains errors" and "The client (whom) we met was happy" are both fine. You cannot omit it when it is the subject: "The manager who leads the team" must keep "who". Omission only works in defining clauses, never in non-defining ones.

Should I use 'who' or 'whom' in professional writing?

Use "who" for the subject (the person doing the action): "the director who oversees production". Use "whom" for the object (the person receiving the action): "the consultant whom we hired". In everyday speech "who" is widely accepted for both, but "whom" still looks polished in formal emails and reports, especially after a preposition: "the colleague to whom I reported".