關係子句牽涉甚廣，文法書也都有清楚詳盡的解說，這裡主要想討論的是關係子句的分類問題。關於關係子句的分類，文法書大多把它分為「限定用法」和「非限定用法」兩類，殊不知這種過於專業的用語可能也是某些學習者對關係子句感到困擾的部份原因。
另一方面，關係子句的分類卻很重要，因為它會影響到是否該使用逗點，該使用哪個關係詞和關係詞能否省略。因此，我想出了一種分類方法，其成效也從103到106學年度我在慈濟大學英美語文學系的大一寫作課中得到印證。我的方式很平易近人，就是把關係子句分為確定修飾對象的（限定用法）和補充說明修飾對象的（非限定用法）兩種。
- 確定修飾對象的關係子句：這是指關係子句所修飾的名詞（先行詞）原本相當不清楚，經由子句的進一步描述才變得明確。例如：
•Children who hate ice cream are uncommon.
如果把關係子句who hate ice cream去掉，句子就是：Children are uncommon。這個句子仍是對的，我們也都看得懂，但它的語意就變得很模糊。儘管我們不會認為那是在說所有的小孩都uncommon，但究竟uncommon的是哪些小孩呢？從這個未確定修飾對象的句子我們實在看不出來，於是這個關係子句就很關鍵，因為就是它讓我們知道不多見的是那些討厭冰淇淋的小孩。
其它例子：
•The woman who visited me in the hospital was very kind.
•Dogs that like cats are very unusual.
•The doctor whom I was hoping to see wasn't on duty.
•The girl whom we met at the party is a singer.
•Cindy is a girl whose judgment I trust.
•This is the girl whose mother is from Canada.
•The flowers that grow in the garden are beautiful.
•An elephant is an animal that lives in hot countries.
•The umbrella that I bought last week is already broken.
•The weather that we had this winter was cold.
從上述這些例子可以讓我們進一步了解，在先行詞對象不明確的句子中，關係子句的角色至關重要，因此自然不能用逗點把它和主句區隔開來。我們知道，當用逗點把一串文字前後夾住時，這種逗點的作用就幾乎等於括弧，把可有可無的東西括在裡邊。至關重要的內容如何又變得可有可無，這無疑是不能成例的。
附帶一提：在傳統英文中，一般用關係代名詞who（主詞）和whom（受詞）指人，用which指物（較不正式的英文中who可代替whom做受詞用）。不過，現在（尤其是美式英文）則習慣把which留給對象明確的敘述，至於對象不明確的情況則通常用that 指人以外的東西。同時，that也可以取代who和whom。此外，做受詞用的關係詞也可以省略：
•The doctor I was hoping to see wasn't on duty.
•The girl we met at the party is a singer.
•The umbrella I bought last week is already broken.
•The weather we had this winter was cold.
•Is that the man she arrived with?
•It is a club many important people belong to.
注意：當句子的介系詞不是在子句句尾（arrived with、belong to），而是在關係詞之前，那麼關係詞不只不能省略，也不能改用that，也就是得用whom指人、 用which指物：
•Is that the man with whom she arrived?
•It is a club to which many important people belong.
- 補充說明修飾對象的關係子句：這是指關係子句所修飾的名詞（先行詞）夠清楚，因此關係子句所提供的資訊是額外的、可有可無的。例如：
•My dad, who is 54, works for Apple.
這個句子很清楚地表示要說的是老爸，不是別人。有了關係子句who is 54提供的資訊當然更好，但缺了也不要緊，讓人家知道老爸在蘋果工作才是重點。既然是可有可無的補充說明，當然得用類似括弧的逗點把它括起來，不然事情就大條啦！因為沒有了逗點的整句話等於表示，說話者有好幾個爸爸，所以必須向人家強調他究竟在說哪一個。這下子英文文法錯誤是小，讓人家笑掉大牙或甚至氣死老爸才真是要命呢！
再者，既然先行詞所指的對象已經明確，這時候該用什麼關係代名詞就得用－ 用who指人（較正式的受詞用法是whom）、用which指物，自然就不能再用that，也不能夠省略。
其它例子：
•My mother, who is 60, lives in London.
•My friend May, who went to the same school as I, has just written a best-selling novel.
•Many Halloween customs started with the Celts, who lived in Ireland and England hundreds of years ago.
•According to legend, Valentine's Day was named for St. Valentine, who was a Roman priest.
•James Stevenson, whom I met in England last year, told me about Boxing Day.
•Helen, whom Tom loves madly, is really beautiful.
•Yesterday I met a woman named Susan, whose husband works in London.
•Elephants, which are the largest land mammals, live in herds of 10 or more adults.
•Gorillas, which are large and originate in Africa, can sometimes be found in zoos.
•Roses, which are usually very expensive, are a typical gift for Valentine's Day.
•Paris, which has a long history, is a romantic city.
•I like The Da Vinci Code, which many people like, too.
•Boxing Day, which people celebrate in Canada, Great Britain, and other English-speaking countries, is almost unknown in the United States.
•Stratford-on-Avon, about which many people have written, is Shakespeare's birthplace.
•Stratford-on-Avon, which many people have written about, is Shakespeare's birthplace.
經由以上舉例我們不難了解：關係子句中的明確對象幾乎都具有「唯一」的特性。非得如此嗎？通常是的，但也非必然。
比較：
•The watch that my girlfriend had sent me was stolen.
•The watch, which my girlfriend had sent me, was stolen.
一般會採用第一種表達方式。因為我可能有好幾個手錶，所以對象不明確，得強調是女朋友送的那個被偷。不過，儘管我可能有10個以上的手錶，但在我心目中就是女朋友送的那個最重要。每回想到手錶，想到的就是那個—想到一份愛的信物；想到一顆浪漫的種子。這不只我知道，熟悉我的朋友同樣知道。不用多說，無須強調，強調了反成多餘。因此，我選擇了反應內心的、加上逗點的表達。
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