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Welcome to this explainer.

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Listen, if you've got a massive English grammar exam looming on the horizon

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and you're feeling just a little bit panicked, take a deep breath.

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You are in exactly the right place.

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Today, we are running a rapid-fire, highly-focused review session

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so you can completely master English relative clauses.

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We're going to lock this knowledge down just in time for test day.

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So, welcome to class, everyone.

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I'm your teacher for today, and my absolute top priority

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is making sure we secure that top grade. Now, I know relative clauses trip up even the best

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students because, honestly, the rules can feel totally arbitrary. But I promise you,

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by the end of this review, these notoriously tricky rules are going to be completely demystified.

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We're breaking them down logically so you don't just memorize them, you actually understand them.

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Here's the syllabus for our quick cram session. We'll hit defining versus non-defining clauses,

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then the pronouns for defining clauses pronouns for non-defining clauses and we'll wrap up with

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some advanced wh words all right let's jump right into section one defining versus non-defining

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clauses let's dive into the absolute bedrock of all this if you get this difference everything

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else today is just going to click into place the english language draws a really hard line here

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defining clauses they give you essential information if you yank a defining clause

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out of a sentence, the whole structure basically collapses. It literally won't make sense anymore

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or it'll mean something entirely different. It defines your subject. But non-defining clauses,

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well, they're just extra. A little bonus detail. If you cross a non-defining clause out,

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the main sentence survives just fine. Oh, and hey, if you're sitting there thinking,

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I need English subtitles to keep track of this grammar, definitely flip those on right now so

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you can see exactly how these sentences are built as we go. Right. And here is a massive exam

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survival tip for you. Examiners absolutely love testing this. Your biggest clue is the punctuation.

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With defining clauses, the essential ones, we do not use commas. The information is just too

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important to block off. But for non-defining clauses, that extra bonus info, we always use

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commas. Actually, think of those commas like little handles. You can grab those handles,

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lift that extra information right out, and the rest of the sentence won't even care that it's gone.

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Moving smoothly on to section two, pronouns for defining clauses.

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Okay, so here is a huge pro tip for your exam. You don't always have to use the pronoun. In

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defining clauses, we can actually drop words like who, which, or that if another noun or pronoun

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comes right after them. So instead of writing, she is the girl that I met yesterday, it sounds

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so much more natural and fluent to just say, she is the girl I met yesterday. Leaving it out is a

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really elegant way to show the examiner you've mastered the language. Let's map out exactly what

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goes where. Who is for people, like, that is the man who lives next door. Where is for places,

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when is for time, which is for things, and whose shows possession, like, she is the girl whose

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mother is a teacher. But look at that bottom row. That is kind of our super pronoun here.

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For defining clauses, that can step in and replace both who and which. People or things,

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it works, so saying, that is the man that lives next door is 100% correct. We also have a few

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specialized defining pronouns. What is for abstract things, like, that is what I really want to do.

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Why is for reasons, but pay very close attention to whom. We use this for people, just like who,

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but it's reserved strictly for formal situations and usually follows a preposition.

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She's the girl with who I spoke yesterday. Drop a whom correctly into your exam essay,

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and your teacher will absolutely be handing out bonus points for advanced vocabulary.

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Alright, let's switch gears.

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Section 3. Pronouns for Non-Defining Clauses

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Okay, please burn this rule into your memory.

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This right here is the ultimate trap on any grammar test.

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In a non-defining clause, remember the ones with the commas,

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absolutely never use the word that. Ever. No way.

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That is strictly VIP for those essential defining clauses we just talked about.

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If you see a comma, that needs to leave the room.

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And here's another strict rule for these extra info clauses.

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Remember that cool trick we just learned where we could drop the pronoun in a defining clause?

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Yeah, you can do that here.

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You cannot omit the pronoun.

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It has to stay glued right where it is.

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Because this clause is floating extra information,

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it desperately needs that pronoun to anchor it to the rest of the sentence.

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Check out how every single example of a non-defining clause

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is framed by those all-important commas.

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Peter, who is my cousin, is very intelligent.

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We use who for people, where for places, when for time.

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But see how those commas isolate the extra thought?

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If we rip out who is my cousin, we're left with Peter is very intelligent,

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which makes total sense.

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And notice how the word that is completely missing from this lineup.

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Almost at the finish line.

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Section 4.

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Advance WH words.

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If you're looking to push your grade from a solid B to an A+, this is how you do it.

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Mastering these compound WH words will guarantee top marks.

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You've definitely seen these before.

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Whoever, whichever, whatever, wherever, and whenever.

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You just take a standard pronoun and slap an ever onto the end.

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They make your writing incredibly fluid.

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But, and it's a big but, examiners love testing these

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because they actually pack two completely different functional meanings.

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Let's break down that dual nature, because context is literally everything here.

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Sometimes, these words just mean any.

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Like, take whatever you want.

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That just means take anything.

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It's wide open.

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But other times, they mean it doesn't matter.

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Take this sentence.

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She's never happy, whatever I do.

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Here, whatever doesn't mean anything, it means it literally does not matter what I do.

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Spotting that subtle shift is a total game changer for your reading comprehension.

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Well, look at that.

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We've covered a ton of ground today, and you are officially armed with the rules.

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But before I let you go absolutely crush that exam, let's do a quick pop quiz.

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This table, which is broken, was from my grandmother.

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Based on everything we just covered about essential versus extra information,

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where do the commas go?

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Do we even need them?

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Think about whether the fact that the table is broken defines the table

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or if it's just a sad little bonus detail.

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Work that out and you are going to be more than ready for test day.

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Thanks for joining this explainer.

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And seriously, best of luck.

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You've got this.