Relative clauses 2 — omission
Omit the relative pronoun when it is the object of the clause (the book I read).
A — Sample sentences
Words like gardening, photography, knitting, genre, rewarding, and take up.
1) Object relative — pronoun can be omitted
The thing/person I saw = The thing that I saw. No subject gap after the pronoun.
- The book I read last week was a thriller genre.
- The friend I met at the photography club loves jazz.
- The hobby she took up in spring is gardening.
- The music he listens to every evening is classical.
2) Subject relative — pronoun cannot be omitted
The person who called = must keep who / that because it is the subject.
- The woman who teaches knitting is very patient.
- The club that organises DIY workshops is popular.
- The neighbour who grows vegetables shares them every autumn.
- The podcast which discusses creative hobbies has millions of listeners.
3) With prepositions — formal vs everyday
Everyday: the friend I went with. Formal: the friend with whom I went.
- The genre I am keen on is science fiction.
- The colleague I play tennis with every Saturday is competitive.
- The course I signed up for was time-consuming but rewarding.
- The photographer whose work I admire lives nearby.
Try it: Omit or keep?
Choose the correct sentence.
- The film ___ I watched was a documentary.
(a) (no pronoun needed) (b) which is (c) who - The teacher ___ runs the painting class is creative.
(a) (omit) (b) who (c) whom - The hobby ___ he gave up was too time-consuming.
(a) (omit) (b) where (c) who - The podcast ___ has the most listeners is about jazz.
(a) (omit) (b) that (c) whose
Check your answers in the course — it marks them instantly. This is one of the unit's 4 exercises; the other 3 are in the General English course too.
Practise this unit in the course →