relative_clause_input_and_exercises

Relative Clauses : 

16 April 2009 which? who? Relative Clauses

Which is better? : 

16 April 2009 Which is better? Which sentence is true? Pubs in the UK, which banned smoking, are now very popular. 2. Pubs in the UK which banned smoking are now very popular.

Which is true? : 

16 April 2009 Which is true? 1. Milk, which contains chemicals, is dangerous. 2. Milk which contains chemicals is dangerous.

Who on earth is William Shakespeare? : 

16 April 2009 Who on earth is William Shakespeare? 1. William Shakespeare, who is one of the most famous British writers, died on his birthday. 2. William Shakespeare who is one of the most famous British writers died on his birthday.

Who is the Queen? : 

16 April 2009 Who is the Queen? Is the information in the middle of the sentence necessary? Which sentence is correct? 1. Queen Elizabeth ll, who lives at Buckingham Palace, is expected to live to a very old age, like her mother. 2. Queen Elizabeth ll who lives at Buckingham Palace is expected to live to a very old age, like her mother.

Exercises : 

16 April 2009 Exercises Which of these sentences is correct? 1 a) Everest which is the highest mountain in the world was not climbed until 1953. b) Everest, which is the highest mountain in the world, was not climbed until 1953. 2 a) We need someone who can read Chinese. b) We need someone, who can read Chinese.

Exercises, continued : 

16 April 2009 Exercises, continued 3 a) Could you let us know the dates, which would suit you best? b) Could you let us know the dates which would suit you best? 4 a) The girls who worked hard were given a bonus. b) The girls, who worked hard, were given a bonus. 5 a) We got in through the window, which somebody had left open. b) We got in through the window which somebody had left open. (Adapted from Coe,1983)

Defining relative clauses = No commas : 

16 April 2009 Defining relative clauses = No commas A defining relative clause identifies which person or thing we mean exactly. You cannot leave information in defining relative clauses out of a sentence: It’s the book that I read yesterday. * It’s the book. (this sentence is incomplete) You can omit the pronoun in these clauses if it is the OBJECT: It’s the book I read yesterday.

Non-defining relative clauses = with commas : 

16 April 2009 Non-defining relative clauses = with commas This kind of clause gives additional information about a person or thing. The sentence still makes sense without the non-defining relative clause: The lectures, which I don’t enjoy, last for an hour. The lectures last for an hour. (Adapted from Prodromou,1999)

Summary : 

16 April 2009 Summary Defining Essential information You’re the man (that) I saw last week. Non-Defining Extra information The new Woody Allen film, which I saw last week, is very good. Use commas Always use relative pronouns, e.g. who/whom (people); which (things) No commas Can omit pronoun if it is the OBJECT of the verb in the relative clause That can replace which/who (infml)

Relative Adverbs:Time : 

16 April 2009 Relative Adverbs:Time Time That was the year when/that I got my MA. (The year in which...) 11 September 2001 was the day when/that people’s attitude towards terrorism changed. (The day on which...) The adverb (when) can be omitted. (adapted from: Foley & Hall:20030

Relative Adverbs: Place : 

16 April 2009 Relative Adverbs: Place Place: in/on/at + which or in/on/that + that That’s the factory where they make chemicals. (The factory in which...) That’s the spot where the battle took place. (The spot on which...) The adverb (where) cannot generally be omitted.

Relative Adverbs: Reason : 

16 April 2009 Relative Adverbs: Reason Reason I will explain the reasons why the outbreak occurred. (I will explain the reason for which...) The adverb (why) can be omitted. (Adapted from Prodromou,1999)

Formal/Informal : 

16 April 2009 Formal/Informal Non-Defining relative clauses (i.e. with commas) are more common in written English because they are quite heavy and formal. In spoken English we would probably use two sentences. Compare: Kjellen’s article, which was published in 2004, sheds some light on the matter of participatory observation. [written] with Kjellen’s article is good. It came out in 2004. [spoken]

Formal/Informal - prepositions and relative clauses : 

16 April 2009 Formal/Informal - prepositions and relative clauses Which is more formal of these sentences? 1. The people to whom the questionnaire was given were randomly selected. or 2. The people the questionnaire was given to were randomly selected. Preposition before rel. pronoun = more formal Preposition at end of clause = less formal

Exercise : 

16 April 2009 Exercise Make these sentences more formal: The house Shakespeare lived in is in Stratford upon Avon. No one knows who Guy Fawkes revealed the plot to. The village we went to to do our research was without water or electricity. The people we worked with were cooperative and informative.

Exercise : 

16 April 2009 Exercise Students enter Masters Programmes may face a number of problems. May was angry that she had been given a book to read it was out of print. A fellow student saw this felt sorry for May and offered her his own book. The tutor gave the student a book, the book was written 20 years ago. Experts all agree that dreams cause great anxiety and stress are called nightmares. There are other authorities who consider any dream is sad and upsetting to be a nightmare. Adapted from: elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/eap/relativeclauses.htm

References : 

16 April 2009 References CILL available from: http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/eap/relativeclauses.htm (accessed 20/01/2007) Coe, N et al (1983) Writing Skills. Cambridge, CUP Foley,M & D.Hall (2003) Advanced Learners’ Grammar. Harlow, Longman MET 1995 Vol 4 No 4 Prodromou, L (1999) Grammar and Vocabulary for First Certificate. Harlow, Longman