Grammar: ✨ Grammar Essentials: 🧩 Parts of Speech & 🏗️ Sentence Structure (Advanced) (B2) - Lesson 4: Omitting Relative Pronouns (in defining object clauses)

✨ Lesson 4: Omitting Relative Pronouns

You have learned how to use relative clauses to make your sentences more complex. Now, we will learn a skill that will make your English sound much more natural and fluent¹: knowing when you can omit² (leave out) the relative pronoun.

This is only possible in defining relative clauses³, and only under one very specific condition.

The Golden Rule: Object Pronouns Can Be Omitted

You can only omit a relative pronoun (who, which, that) when it is the object of the verb in the relative clause. If the relative pronoun is the subject, you can NEVER omit it.

Case 1: Pronoun as Subject (CANNOT Omit)

"The woman who works at the bank is my cousin."

Analysis: Look at the clause 'who works at the bank'. The pronoun 'who' is followed directly by the verb 'works'. 'Who' is the subject, doing the action. Therefore, you cannot omit it.

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Case 2: Pronoun as Object⁴ (CAN Omit)

"The woman (who/whom) I met yesterday is my cousin."

Analysis: Look at the clause '(who) I met yesterday'. Notice there is a new subject ('I') between the pronoun and the verb ('met'). Here, 'who' is the object (the person I met). Therefore, you can omit it.

Natural Form: "The woman I met yesterday is my cousin."

Examples in Context

Listen to how much more natural these sentences sound without the relative pronoun.

With Pronoun: "The coffee that I drank this morning was from a café in Battambang."
Without Pronoun: "The coffee I drank this morning was from a café in Battambang."

With Pronoun: "The movie which we watched last night was very scary."
Without Pronoun: "The movie we watched last night was very scary."

🧠 Practice Quiz: To Omit or Not to Omit?

For each sentence, decide if you can omit the relative pronoun.

1. In which sentence can you omit 'who'?
   a) The man who lives upstairs is very noisy.
   b) The man who I live upstairs from is very noisy.
   Answer: b. In sentence b, 'who' is the object ('I' is the subject of the clause). In sentence a, 'who' is the subject of 'lives'.
2. Rewrite this sentence, omitting the pronoun if possible: "This is the best food that I have ever eaten."
   Answer: This is the best food I have ever eaten. (Possible because 'I' is the subject of the clause.)
3. Rewrite this sentence, omitting the pronoun if possible: "The bus that goes to Phnom Penh is leaving now."
   Answer: Cannot be omitted. ('that' is the subject of the verb 'goes'.)
4. Which sentence is INCORRECT due to a missing pronoun?
   a) The university I attend is in Battambang.
   b) The man spoke to me was very polite.
   Answer: b is incorrect. It should be "The man who spoke to me..." because the pronoun is the subject.

📝 Homework: Combine & Omit

Combine these sentences, and omit the relative pronoun if it's possible.

1. You recommended a restaurant. We went to it last night.
   Answer: We went to the restaurant (that/which) you recommended last night.
2. The girl is very clever. She sits next to me in class.
   Answer: The girl who sits next to me in class is very clever. (Cannot omit 'who'.)
3. The university is very old. My brother studies at it.
   Answer: The university (that/which) my brother studies at is very old.

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Fluent: (Adjective) - ស្ទាត់ជំនាញ (stuat'chŭm'néanh) - Able to speak or write a language easily and smoothly. ↩
2. Omit: (Verb) - លុបចោល (lŭp'chaol) - To leave out or not include something. ↩
3. Defining Relative Clause: (Noun Phrase) - ឃ្លាភ្ជាប់កំណត់ (khléa ph'choăp kâm'nât) - A clause giving essential information to identify which person/thing we mean. It does not use commas. ↩
4. Object: (Noun) - កម្មបទ (kâm'mâ'bât) - In grammar, the noun or pronoun that receives the action of a verb. ↩
5. Subject: (Noun) - ប្រធាន (prâ'téan) - In grammar, the noun or pronoun that performs the action of a verb. ↩