Relative clauses

Relative clauses

Relative clauses tell us more about people and things:

• Lord Thompson, who is 76, has just retired.

• This is the house which Jack built.

• Marie Curie is the woman that discovered radium.

Multiple Select

Relative clauses are clauses starting with the relative pronouns...

• Who

• Their

• That

• Whose

• Which

Who, which and that

• WHO --> people

• WHICH --> animals or things

• THAT --> both

Multiple Select

There are 2 types of relative clauses:

• Defining

• Modifying

• Non-defining

• Non-modifying

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is a defining relative clause?

• Send me the photo which/that I took of you yesterday.

• The Queen, who loves skydiving, will be 93 in April.

Defining relative clauses

• They have essential information about the noun.

• If we omit the relative clause, the sentence would not make sense.

Multiple Select

We cannot omit the relative clause in...

• Lord Thompson, who is 76, has just retired.

• This is the house which Jack built.

• Marie Curie is the woman that discovered radium.

Defining relative clauses

• We can substitute the relative pronouns ‘which’ and ‘who’ for ‘that’.

Multiple Select

Which sentences are correct?

• The phone that has the most features is also the most expensive.

• Lord Thompson, that is 76, has just retired.

• This is the video that I wanted to show you.

• We had fish and chips, that I always enjoy.

• Marie Curie is the woman that discovered radium.

Defining relative clauses

• We can omit the relative pronoun if it functions as an object.

Multiple Select

You can omit the relative pronunoun in...

• This is the house that Jack built.

• The assistant that we met was really kind.

• The assistant who helped us was really kind.

• That’s the woman who stole my coat.

Test time!

Multiple Select

The woman ___ called said she'd ring again later.

• who

• which

• that

• -

Multiple Select

One of the people ________ I admire the most is Jane Austen.

• who

• that

• whose

• -

Multiple Select

That's the man ___ daughter is a professional footballer.

• who

• which

• that

• whose

Multiple Select

Where's the book ___ Paul lent you?

• Who

• Which

• That

• -

Multiple Select

I'm looking for something ___ will clean glass.

• who

• which

• that

• -

Multiple Select

The day ___ they met was her birthday.

• who

• when

• whose

• where

Multiple Select

The park ___ I go running is really peaceful.

• where

• that

• which

• whose

Multiple Select

That's exactly the information ___ I needed!

• that

• who

• which

• -

Non-defining relative clauses

• They have extra information about the noun.

• If we omit the relative clause, the sentence still makes sense.

• We use commas.

• 
  

Multiple Select

You can omit the relative clause in...

• The shoes which I bought last week are very uncomortable.

• These shoes, which I bought last week, are very uncomfortable.

• My sister, who lives in New York, is pregnant.

• My sister who lives in New York is pregnant.

Non-defining relative clauses

• We cannot substitute the relative pronouns "which" and "who" for ‘that’.

• •We cannot omit the relative pronoun.

Multiple Select

Choose the correct sentences

• My dog, which is called Pancake, is a vegetarian.

• My dog, that is called Pancake, is a vegetarian.

• My sister, that lives in New York, is pregnant.

• My sister, who lives in New York, is pregnant.

• The Palace hotel, that many celebrities stay, is being closed down.

OTHER RELATIVE PRONOUNS

When, where and whose

• WHEN --> time.

  Summer is the season when I'm happiest

• WHERE --> place.

  That's the stadium where Real Madrid play

• WHOSE --> the person that something belongs to. (possession)

  In a village of La Mancha, whose name I have no desire to call to mind.

Whom

• We sometimes use whom as the object of a verb or preposition:

  
  

• This is George, whom you met at our house last year.

  (whom is the object of met)

  
  

• This is George’s brother, with whom I went to school.

  (whom is the object of with)

Whom

• But nowadays we normally use who.

• The use of whom is those cases is considered rather formal and old-fashioned.

  
  

• This is George, who you met at our house last year.

• This is George’s brother, who I went to school with.

Multiple Select

Chose the sentences which are most likely to be used nowadays:

• This is George, who you met at our house last year.

• This is George,whom you met at our house last year.

• This is George’s brother, with whom I went to school.

• This is George’s brother, who I went to school with.

Relative pronouns with prepositions

When who(m) or which have a preposition, the preposition can come:

• at the beginning of the clause:

• I had an uncle in Germany, from whom I inherited a bit of money.

• We bought a chainsaw, with which we cut up all the wood.

When who(m) or which have a preposition, the preposition can come:

• or at the end of the clause:

• I had an uncle in Germany, who(m) I inherited a bit of money from.

• We bought a chainsaw, which we cut all the wood up with.

But when that has a preposition, the preposition always comes at the end:

• I didn't know the uncle that I inherited the money from.

• We can't find the chainsaw that we cut all the wood up with.