SILGLOBALGlossary of
Linguistic Terms

Glossary term R

Relative Clause

Definition

A relative clause is a clause which describes the referent of a head noun or pronoun. It often restricts the reference of the head noun or pronoun.

Discussion

A relative clause is not necessarily a constituent of the noun phrase containing the head noun it modifies.

Examples

The plumber arrived who we had called earlier. (Who we had called earlier has been extraposed from its normal position after plumber and is not a member of the noun phrase containing plumber.)
 
(English)
  • The man who went
  • Passengers leaving on Flight 738

 

Kinds

More specific concepts within relative clause.

External Relative Clause Internal Relative Clause Nonrestrictive Relative Clause Restrictive Relative Clause

See also

Referent Head Noun Pronoun

Sources 8

  1. Comrie 1989, 142–144
  2. Hartmann and Stork 1972, 5, 195
  3. Pei and Gaynor 1954, 6
  4. Crystal 1980, 303
  5. Thompson and Longacre 1985, 172
  6. Keenan 1985, 141-142
  7. Mish 1991, 994
  8. Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech, and Svartvik 1985, 1245
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