In the excerpt below, we could delete that are because: In Europe, you can always return items that are no longer required back to the point of pur...

In the excerpt below, we could delete that are because: In Europe, you can always return items that are no longer required back to the point of purchase.


The relative pronoun restricts or defines the concept of items.
The relative pronoun plays the role of object in the restrictive relative clause.
The relative pronoun introduces omissible information in the main clause.
The relative pronoun plays the role of subject in the restrictive relative clause.
The relative pronoun followed by verb to be can be deleted, according to what Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman (1999) call the relative pronoun + be deletion rule.