Relative Clauses

1. Relative Clauses

2. We use relative clauses to: Give information about a person, a thing, a place or a time. Do you know the girl who is dancing with Peter?

3. There are two types of relative clauses. I. Defining relative clause II. Non -defining relative clause

4. Defining relative clause: ~ tells us which person or thing we mean. ~ the information the clause contains is necessary / essential to identify the person, thing, place or time we are talking about.

5. Defining relative clause: Try to combine these two sentences: The old man lives next door. He seldom has visitors. The old man who lives next door seldom has visitors.

6. Defining relative clause: Try to combine these two sentences: Did you see the book? It was on the table this morning. Did you see the book which / that was on the table this morning?

7. Defining relative clause: Try to combine these two sentences: I’ve got a friend. His brother is a famous fashion designer. I’ve got a friend whose brother is a famous fashion designer.

8. Defining relative clause: Try to combine these two sentences: We stayed at a hotel. The hotel was very far from the airport. The hotel where we stayed was very far from the airport.

9. Defining relative clause: We can use the following relative pronouns: who, which, that, whose, where, when

10. WHO • Forpeople. I knowthemanwhowrotethatbook. • Formal: whom. Thepeoplewithwhom I stayedwereverynice. WHICH • Forthings. Can be omittedifit’snotsubject • Haveyouseenthe film whichwon the Oscar? WHOSE • Toexpresspossession. Cannot be omitted • Sheknewthefamilywhosehousewebought. WHERE • For places. Sometimes can be omitted • Thisisthe office whereI work. WHEN • Toexpress a moment in time. Can be omitted • I don’trememberthedaywhenyoufirstcametovisit me.

11. When can we use THAT?: ALWAYS with defining relative clauses as a substitute of who, which or when when and can be omitted if it is not thesubject of the sentence. The shirt (which/that) I like costs £30 The man who/that gave the speech is very famous. NEVER with non-defining relative clauses (clauses between commas).

12. Prepositions go at the end of the relative clause The restaurant (which/that) we went to on Sunday was closed. I found the company (that/which) you were looking for

13. Non-defining relative clause: ~ doesn’t try to tell us which person or thing we mean ~ we already know which person or thing is meant ~ we use it to give extra information; information which is non-essential

14. Non-defining relative clause: Example: My father, who works in a bank, may be able to help you with these forms. ~ separated by commas from the rest of the sentence, often one at the beginning of the clause and the other at the end

15. Non-defining relative clause: Try to combine these two sentences: Tom moved to Canada. He was born in Hong Kong. Tom, who was born in Hong Kong, moved to Canada.

16. Non-defining relative clause: Try to combine these two sentences: Peter is an actor. His father is a doctor. Peter, whose father is a doctor, is an actor.

17. Non-defining relative clause: Try to combine these two sentences: York is a quiet city. She lives in York. York, where she lives, is a quiet city.

18. Non-defining relative clause: We can use the following relative pronouns: X who, which, whose, where, that the relative pronouns cannot be deleted.

19. Exercises: Complete these sentences with who, whom, which, that or whose whose 1. A nurse is a woman ________ job is to look after sick people. which 2. Valladolid, ________ is also known as Pucela, is a pretty place.

20. Exercises: which 3. I have lost her address, ________ I wrote down on a piece of paper. which 4. Mary’s cat, ________ she chose from the RSPCA, has run away. 5. I am grateful to Tom, _______ helped us when we moved. who

21. Exercises: Join each pair of sentences with a relative pronoun. Add commas where necessary. 1. The car did not stop. It knocked down the boy. The car which knocked down the boy did not stop.

22. Exercises: 2. There is someone here. He wants to speak to you. There is someone here who wants to speak to you.

23. Exercises: 3. The letter has just arrived. It was sent by surface mail. The letter which was sent by surface mail has just arrived.

24. Exercises: 4. Mr. Lee saw the shark. He was swimming at the beach. Mr. Lee, who was swimming at the beach, saw the shark.

25. Exercises: 5. Can you lend me the article? You mentioned it yesterday. Can you lend me the article which you mentioned yesterday?

26. Exercises: 6. Mary screamed for help. She was bitten by the shark. Mary, who was bitten by the shark, screamed for help.

27. The End