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What are relative clauses?

We use relative clauses to give additional information about something without starting another sentence. By combining sentences with a relative clause, your text becomes more fluent and you can avoid repeating certain words.

There are 2 types of Relatives Clauses:

o   DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSE: A defining clause specifies which person or thing we mean. It cannot be separated from the person or thing it describes.

By 4.30, there was only one painting which hadn’t been sold.

o   NON- DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSE: A non-defining clause contains extra information. In writing it is separated by commas, and in speech, if used at all, is usually indicated by intonation.

By 4.30, which was almost closing time, nearly all the paintings had been sold.

Important aspects on relative clauses.

Some important aspects in the study of the relative clauses are:

Relative clauses with WHICH / THAT:

WHICH and THAT are alternatives in a defining clause although WHICH is felt to be more formal.

By 4.30, there was only one painting that hadn’t been sold.

THAT is often used instead of WHO in everyday speech in defining clauses.

Do you know the girl that lives next door?

THAT cannot follow a preposition.

It was a service for which I will be eternally grateful.

THAT is not normally used to introduce a non-defining clause.

The train, which was already an hour late, broke down again.

A non-defining clause can comment on the whole situation described in the main clause.

There was nobody left on the train, which made me suspicious.

Phrases with WHICH, such as: AT WHICH POINT/TIME, IN WHICH CASE, BY WHICH TIME, IN WHICH EVENT; can be used in the same way.

I watched the play until the end of the first act, at which point I felt I had seen enough.

A warning sing “Overheat” may come on, in which case turn off the appliance at once.

Relative clauses with WHO/WHOM/WHOSE:

o   WHOM is the object form of WHO and is used formally in object clauses.

He was a person whom everyone regarded as trustworthy.

However, this is now felt to be excessively formal by most speakers and WHO is commonly used instead.

He was a person who everyone regarded as trustworthy.

o   WHOM has to be used if its follows a preposition.

To whom it may concern.

To whom am I speaking?

However, in everyday use, it is usual to avoid this kind of construction.

Who am I speaking to?

o   WHOSE means OF WHOM. It I used in both defining and non-defining clauses.

Several  guests, whose cars were parked outside, were waiting at the door.

Several  guests whose rooms had been broken into complained to the manager.

Relative clauses with WHEN/WHERE:

o   In non-defining clauses, WHEN and WHERE follow a named time or place.

Come back at 3.30, when I won’t be so busy.

I stopped in Maidstone, where  my sister owns a shop.

o   In defining clauses, WHEN follows words such as time, day, moment. WHERE follows words such as place, house, street.

There is hardly a moment when I don’t think of you, Sophia.

This is the street where I live.

Omitting the Relative Pronoun:

 This is common in defining object clauses especially in everyday conversartion.

I’ve found the keys (which/that) I’ve been looking for.

Senteces ending in a preposition or Phrasal verb: 

Another common feature of conversational English is to end a defining clause with a preposition.

That’s the house I used to live in.

I couldn’t remember which station to get off at.

He’s not someone who I really get on with.

Omitting WHICH/WHO + be:

It may be possible to reduce a verb phrase after WHO/WHICH to an adjectival phrase in a defining clause, especially to define phrases such as the only one, the last/first one.

Jim was the only one of his platoon who had not been taken prisioner.

Jim was the only one in his platoon not taken prisoner.

By 4.30, there was only one painting which had not been sold.

By 4.30, there was only one painting not sold.

Clauses beginning with what and whatever:

o   WHAT meaning the thing or things which can be used to start clauses.

I can’t believe what you told me yesterday.

What you should do is write a letter to the manager.

o   WHATEVER, WHOEVER, WHICHEVER can be used in a similar way.

You can rely on Helen to do whatever she can.

Whoever arrives first can turn on the heating.

Non-finite clauses containing an –ing form:

There are clauses without a main verb. The examples given here are non-defining. Note that the two clauses have the same subject.

o   Actions happening at the same time.

Waving their scarves and shouting, the fans  ran onto the pitch.

o   One action happening before another. This type of clause often explains the reason for something happening. Both these types of sentence might begin with on or upon.

On opening the letter, she found that it contained a cheque for 1,oooeuros.

Upon realizing there was no one at home, I left the parcel in the shed.

o   An event which is the result of another event.

I didn’t get wet, having  remembered to take my umbrella

o   Where a passive construction might be expected, this is often shortened to a past participle.

Having been abandoned by his colleagues, the Minister was forced  to resign.

Abandoned by his colleagues, the Minister was forced to resign.

Relative Clauses Practises

1.               PRACTISE YOUR LISTENING!! Listen to the song and fill in the blanks with the corresponding relative clause:

Going back to the corner ____________________, 

           

Gonna camp in my sleeping bag. I'm not gonna move, 
Got some words on cardboard got your picture in my hand, 
Saying if you see this girl can you tell her where I am, 
Some try to hand me money they don't understand, 
I'm not... broke I'm just a broken hearted man, 
I know it makes no sense, but what else can I do, 
How can I move on when I've been in love with you... 

Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me, 
And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I can be, 
Thinking maybe you'd come back here to the place _____________, 
And you'd see me waiting for you on the corner of the street. 

So I'm not moving 
I'm not moving 

Policeman says son you can't stay here, 
I said there's someone I'm waiting for if it's a day, a month, a year, 
Gotta stand my ground even if it rains or snows, 
If she changes her mind this is the first place she will go. 

Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me, 
And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I can be, 
Thinking maybe you'd come back here to the place ______________, 
And you'd see me waiting for you on the corner of the street. 

So I'm not moving 
I'm not moving 

I'm not moving 
I'm not moving 

People talk about the guy 
______________ on a girl 

Oohoohwoo 

There are no holes in his shoes 
But a big hole in his world 

Hmmmm 

Maybe I'll get famous as man who can't be moved, 
And maybe you won't mean to but you'll see me on the news, 
And you'll come running to the corner 
Causes you'll know it's just for you 

I'm the man ____________________ 
I'm the man ____________________ 

Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me, 
And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I can be, 
Thinking maybe you'd come back here to the place that we'd meet, 
And you'd see me waiting for you on the corner of the street. 

[Repeat in background] 

So I'm not moving 
I'm not moving 

I'm not moving 
I'm not moving 

Going back to the corner ______________, Gonna camp in my sleeping bag not I'm not gonna move.

2.               PRACTISE YOUR KNOWLEDGE IN RELATIVES CLAUSES!!

Here you are provided with some links which contained exercises.

 ·        The first one is about defining relative clauses. Click here to go to the first exercise. 
 ·    The second exercise is about non-defining clauses. Click here to go to this exercise.
·    The third exercise is about who/whom clauses. Click here to go to this exercise.
·    The fourth and fifth exercises are a general revision about relative clauses. Click here to go to the fourth exercise and here to go to the fifth one.