Relative clauses Revision

Relative clauses Revision

By M Mena

​B2.2 EOI

​There are two types of relative clauses

• ​defining relative clauses: to give essential information about a person, a thing or a place. The sentence doesn't usually make sense without the relative clause. They are not separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.

• non defining relative clauses​: to give extra (non essential information in a sentence. If this clause is omitted, the sentence still makes sense. They are separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.

​Relative Clauses : Definiton and types of relative clauses

​We use relative clauses to describe or give extra information about something we have already mentioned. We often use relative pronouns (e.g. who, where, that, which, whose) to introduce relative clauses.

1. We use the relative pronoun who for people, which for things /animals. We use the relative adverbs where for places, when for time and why for reason . We can use that instead of who or which.

2. ​We use whose to mean "of who" or "of which".

3. ​When the relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause, you do not need another subject. ie.The man who robbed you is called Peterson.

4. We can oftenleave out the word that introduces the relative clause when it is the object of the clause. ie This is the DVD I told you about the other day.​

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​Defining relative clauses

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1. ​In non-defining relative clauses, you cannot replace other pronouns with that.

2. ​You also cannot leave out the relative pronoun in non-defining relative clauses, in the way you sometimes can in defining relative clauses. The pronoun is required, even when it is the object of the verb in the relative clause.

3. ​Non-defining relative clauses are always separated from the rest of the sentence by commas, unlike defining relative clauses, which have no punctuation.

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​Non-defining relative clauses

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Multiple Choice

Do your really understand_____ I told you?

• which

• what

• that

Multiple Choice

Mr Dean, ____had recently been fired, had a long list of misconducts.

• who

• which

• that

Multiple Choice

I like the scene_____ Louise meets Thelma.

• which

• that

• where