Joining sentences using RELATIVE PRONOUNS

How to join sentences using RELATIVE PRONOUNS:

1. Let's take these sentences to join: I´m looking for a woman. She is a computer designer.

There is always something, usually a PRONOUN, in the second sentences which refers to a NOUN in the first one:

I´m looking for a woman. She is a computer designer.

In this case SHE, in the second sentence, refers to the noun WOMAN, in the first.

So, we start writing the first sentence until we get to that NOUN:

I´m looking for a woman.............

It is now when we are going to introduce the second sentence, but as a relative clause; so we have to introduce the RELATIVE PRONOUN. In this case, the noun WOMAN refers to a person, so, the RELATIVE is WHO:

I´m looking for a woman WHO.......

and now we just have to write the second sentence, but without the pronoun..

I´m looking for a woman who IS A COMPUTER DESIGNER.

2. Sometimes the noun is not at the end of the first sentence:

The MAN was English. I wanted to meet HIM.

It doesn't matter, we start writing the first sentence until we get to that NOUN:

The MAN...... 

and then we introduce the relative pronoun and the second sentence without the pronoun him:

The MAN WHO I WANTED TO MEET.......

and finally, we continue with the rest of the first sentence

The man who I wanted to meet WAS ENGLISH.

3. The following sentence is like the second one, but now, the noun is not a person, but a thing. The RELATIVE pronoun is WHICH:

The body belonged to an old man. It was found last Sunday.
The body WHICH WAS FOUND LAST SUNDAY belonged to an old man

4. When in the second sentence we have a POSSESSIVE adjective:

A STUDENT came late. I borrowed HER pen.

In this case, HER refers to STUDENT. The RELATIVE pronoun is in this case WHOSE.

A student WHOSE....

We must write the NOUN followed by the Possessive, after WHOSE:

A student came late. I borrowed her PEN: A student WHOSE PEN...... and the rest of the second sentence:

A student whose pen I BORROWED.....

And finally, the rest of the first sentence:

A student whose pen I borrowed CAME LATE.

5. If it is THERE or HERE what we find in the second sentence, it is referred to a place, and the RELATIVE PRONOUN must be WHERE.

This is the CHURCH. We got married HERE.
This is the church WHERE we got married.

6. And sometimes, when it is THEN what we find in the second sentence, it refers to a TIME, and the RELATIVE pronoun must be WHEN.

In spring our garden is very colourful. The flowers come outthen
In spring, WHEN the flowers come out, our garden is very colourful.

In this case, it was a NON-DEFINING relative clause. The noun SPRING is already defined, it refers to the spring in general, not to a particular spring.

7. Remember, when the noun in the first sentence is already defined, the RELATIVE clause must be between commas:

William Shakespeare died in 1616. He was an English poet and playwright.
William Shakespeare, WHO WAS AN ENGLISH POET AND PLAYWRIGHT, died in 1616.

NOW you can try the sentences from our last exam:

1. The song was fantastic. They sang it every day before going to bed.

2. The Jones family lives next door to us. Their son plays music at all hours.

3. The office is in the centre of Manchester. I work there.

4. My sister Allison has got a boyfriend from Tokyo. She speaks Japanese.

And even more:

1 We bought a car. I didn't really like it.

2 I asked a policeman. He wasn't really helpful.

3 They built a wall. It fell down after a week.

4 She bought some clothes. They were beautiful.

5 The stereo doesn't work properly. I bought it two weeks ago.

6. You mother wasn't very polite. I spoke to her.

7 The children broke my window. They live next door.

8 The flight was delayed. I wanted to fly on it.

9 My friend Philip was in the police station. His car was stolen.

10 This is the story of a man. His wife suddenly loses her memory.