Relative Clauses — English Bac STM

Dans le programme du Bac STM

English carries a coefficient of 2 in the Bac Sciences et Technologies Mécaniques (STM) stream. The core subjects are Mathematics and Engineering Sciences (coefficient 7 each), then Physics-Chemistry (coefficient 5). English and Philosophy (coefficient 2) form the margin where candidate rankings and honours are settled. Mastering the structure of a piece of writing matters more here than memorising it.

À l'épreuve

Three parts: Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing (about 180 words). Reading technical drawings and function diagrams builds the same skill an essay needs: breaking an argument into parts and rebuilding it as a coherent plan.

Objectifs d'apprentissage

Apply this grammar point accurately in the Language section and in the guided writing of the Bac STM English exam (coefficient 2)
Choose the right relative pronoun by function (who / whom for people, which for things, whose for possession, where for a place)
Distinguish a defining clause from a non-defining clause
Know when that can replace who / which and when it is forbidden
Omit the object relative pronoun correctly in a defining clause

Notions clés

Choosing the relative pronoun

who / whom for people (who as subject, whom as object, more formal), which for things, that for people or things but only in defining clauses, whose for possession, where for a place, when for a time.

Defining clauses

They specify which person / thing is meant and are essential to the meaning: no commas, that is possible, and the object relative pronoun can be omitted. E.g. “The book (that) I read was great.”

Non-defining clauses

They add extra, non-essential information: set off by commas, that is impossible, and the relative pronoun can never be omitted. E.g. “My brother, who lives in Paris, is a doctor.”

Erreurs fréquentes

Using that after a comma (non-defining clause): “My car, that is red, …” is wrong — use which.

Omitting the subject relative pronoun: “The man is here lives next door” is wrong — a subject pronoun is needed (who / that): “The man who lives next door is here.”

Confusing whose (possession) with who's (contraction of who is): two different words despite the identical pronunciation.

Exemple corrigé

Énoncé

Join the two sentences with the right relative pronoun: “This is the house.” / “I grew up in this house.”

Correction

Identify the function. “this house” is a place complement in the second sentence.

Choose the pronoun. where replaces a place complement introduced by a preposition: “This is the house where I grew up.”

Alternative with which. You can also keep the preposition explicit: “This is the house which I grew up in.”

Le cours, puis l'entraînement.

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3 exercices pour t'entraîner

Exercice 1

Easy

Complete with who or which: “The scientist ___ discovered penicillin was Alexander Fleming.”

Voir la correction

who — the scientist is a person, subject of the verb discovered.

Exercice 2

Medium

Join with whose: “I met a woman. Her son is a famous actor.”

Voir la correction

“I met a woman whose son is a famous actor.” — whose replaces the possessive adjective her before the noun son.

Exercice 3

Hard

Correct: “My sister, that works in London, is visiting us next week.”

Voir la correction

that is forbidden in a non-defining clause (set off by commas): “My sister, who works in London, is visiting us next week.”

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Questions fréquentes

When can I omit the relative pronoun?

Only in a defining clause where the pronoun works as an object: “The book (that) I read” (that is the object of read). You can never omit a subject relative pronoun or a pronoun in a non-defining clause.

Can which replace that everywhere?

which replaces that in defining clauses about a thing, but only which (never that) is possible in a non-defining clause, the one set off by commas.

How do I recognise a non-defining clause in writing?

It is always set off by commas and could be removed without changing the essential meaning — it only adds extra information, often about a proper noun or an already-identified noun.

English is far from my mechanical specialism — how do I approach it?

Treat it as a system with inputs and outputs: the input is a prompt, the processing is analysis then discussion, the output is a conclusion that settles the question. Learn that flow, apply it to the 31 chapters with two examples each, and one weekly session is enough to raise the mark.

Is this grammar point actually tested on the Bac STM English paper?

Yes — in the Language section as gap-fill, sentence-joining or error-correction, and indirectly in Writing, where the same structures decide whether a sentence is marked as accurate. One rule, two examples and one typical mistake per point is enough to cover both.