Lesson 2: Omitting Relative Pronouns & Adverbial Clauses

Fluency Focus: At the B2 level, sounding natural is just as important as being grammatically correct. When writing emails or guiding tours around Siem Reap or Battambang, native speakers frequently drop words to streamline their sentences.

We often omit relative pronouns (like who, which, or that) when they are the object of the clause. Let's look at how to refine your sentence structures.

warning Professional Tip

You cannot omit the relative pronoun if it is the subject of the clause. For example, you can say "The temple (that) we visited is ancient," because "we" is the subject. But you cannot say "The temple is ancient is Angkor Wat"—it must be "The temple that is ancient is Angkor Wat" because "that" is acting as the subject.

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Advanced Clause Structures

Omitted Pronoun

The guest I met...

Instead of: "The guest whom I met..."

Example: The guest I met at the Bamboo Train was from France.

Omitted Pronoun

The hotel we booked...

Instead of: "The hotel which we booked..."

Example: The boutique hotel we booked in Siem Reap has a great pool.

Omitted Pronoun

The scarf she bought...

Instead of: "The scarf that she bought..."

Example: The silk scarf she bought at the market is beautiful.

Adverbial Clause

Although it rained...

A clause of concession showing a contrast.

Example: Although it rained heavily, the bicycle tour continued.

Adverbial Clause

Since the road...

A clause of reason explaining 'why' (similar to 'because').

Example: Since the road to the temple was closed, the guide took a different route.

Adverbial Clause

While we were riding...

A clause of time showing an ongoing background action.

Example: While we were riding through the villages, we saw local farmers harvesting rice.

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Knowledge Check

mail Email to a Client

Which sentence sounds the most natural because it correctly omits the relative pronoun?

(Hint: We can omit the pronoun when it is the object of the clause, not the subject.)

report Tour Delay Report

Fill in the blank with the correct adverbial clause: "___ the bus broke down, we arrived late."

(Hint: We need a word that shows the reason 'why'.)

psychology Identifying the Error

Why is this sentence incorrect: "The driver drove us is very friendly."?

(Hint: Look at the professional tip at the beginning of the lesson.)

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Study Resources

Lesson Summary & Review

Let's review the key concepts covered in the interactive module above to ensure you are ready to build perfect English sentences.

Omitting Relative Pronouns

In spoken and informal written English, we often drop the relative pronouns (who, which, that) to make our sentences flow more naturally.

• You can drop it if it is the object of the relative clause. (e.g., "The hotel [that] we booked is nice.")
• You CANNOT drop it if it is the subject of the relative clause. (e.g., "The hotel that has a pool is nice.")

Adverbial Clauses

Adverbial clauses are groups of words that function as an adverb. They tell us when, why, or under what conditions something happened.

• Concession (Although/Even though): Shows a contrast. (e.g., "Although it rained, we went out.")
• Reason (Since/Because/As): Explains why. (e.g., "Since the road was closed, we turned back.")
• Time (While/When/As): Explains when. (e.g., "While we were riding, we saw a monkey.")