Breakdown of El estudiante hizo el bloqueo, el cual evitó el golpe.
el estudiante
student
hacer
to do / to make
evitar
to avoid
el cual
which / who (masculine singular)
el golpe
blow
el bloqueo
block
Questions & Answers about El estudiante hizo el bloqueo, el cual evitó el golpe.
Why use el cual here instead of just que?
In non-defining relative clauses (ones set off by a comma that add extra information), you can use el cual instead of que to sound more formal or precise. While que would also be grammatically correct here, el cual makes the sentence sound more like written or elevated speech.
Why is it el cual and not lo cual?
El cual refers specifically to a masculine singular noun mentioned right before it, which here is el bloqueo (the block). If you used lo cual, it would refer to the entire previous idea or situation (the fact that the student made the block). Both make sense logically, but el cual emphasizes that the physical block itself avoided the blow.
Is hizo the best verb here, or is there a specific verb for 'to block'?
Do I really need the comma before el cual?
Yes. When el cual (or its variations) is used as the subject of a relative clause, it is almost always in a non-defining clause, which must be separated by a comma. If you wanted to make a defining clause without a comma (the block that avoided the blow), you would have to use que instead of el cual.
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