PRACTICE We can use relative clauses to add information that defines the subject or object of a sentence (defining relative clauses ) or just provides more information about them (non-defining relatives clauses) Have a look at page for grammar notes Complete the sentences, changing a relative clause in the boxes: *they didn’t show up *we saw him coming out of our neighbour’s flat last night *the Tour Guide Magazine recommended it *she’s just finished her second cooking book *who got injured at the swimming pool * where I studied as a girl *Richard brought her to dinner *the police took him to prison last week * his car broke down *we exchanged them during our chat * everybody was talking about her * who organised our Drama Club We stayed at the hotel ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… A few people we invited to our party……………………………………………………………………………………………………… The pickpocket………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… has just been released Paul didn’t seem to like the man ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… I enjoyed talking to the old lady………………………………………………………………………………………………………… The recipes ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… will probably appear in her next book Everybody at the party tried to help the young lady ……………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… The man ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………… is her brother What was the name of the actor ……………………………………………………………………………………… ? 10 Who’s the actress ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ? 11 The teacher ……………………………………………………………………………… is leaving for Germany next week 12 The school ………………………………………………………………………….…………………………….has been renovated 1 Change the sentence in brackets to build non-defining relative clauses Model: She had to talk to the doctor ( He told her to start a fitness programme.) She had to talk to the doctor, who told her to start a fitness programme I often go to São Paulo (My cousins live in São Paulo) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… The hotel offers a shuttle bus service (The shuttle bus can take you to and from the airport) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Visit our top class hairdresser’s (You can have your hair done there) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… My boss called her doctor for an appointment (Her blood pressure has been too high lately) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… My best friend didn’t show up at my birthday party (My boy friend decided to propose to me at the occasion.) …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… He made a lot of suggestions None of them was considered suitable to solve our problems ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… She couldn’t come to our engagement party ( It was a pity) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… This is a photo of our new friends ( We travelled to Paris with them) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Jackie’s wedding was last Saturday in Rio ( My husband and I were invited to the wedding) …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10 The author will talk about that novel at Regency tomorrow (You showed great interest in it) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 11 That man sitting next to your brother is a famous foreign writer (His latest book is going to be read tonight) …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 12 That drunk driver had crossed two sets of red light before being stopped (His licence had expired three months before the incident) …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… GRAMMAR NOTES Relative clauses can be introduced by: • • • who (whom), which, that, whose no relative pronoun where, why and when DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES Defining relative clauses define which person, place or thing you’re talking about In defining relative clauses … a) use :who/that for people ; that/which for things; whose for possessives ; where for places; when for time b) leave out who, that or which when these words are the object of the clause, as in The man (that) you were talking to used to be my boss The man = object // you = subject She found the diaries (that) her grandmother had written fifty years before The man (who(m)) she met at the party is my brother c) never use commas: ‘ That’s a small town where supernatural events are part of everyone’s lives.’ d) never leave out whose I can see the couple whose farm my grandfather bought twenty years ago e) leave out where if you add a preposition at the end: ‘ This is the town where my brother was born.’ ‘ This is the town my brother was born in f) If the clause contains a continuous or passive verb form you can leave out who, that, which and the auxiliary That clause is called a reduced relative clause • Everyone who’s taking a train should buy their ticket in advance • Everyone taking a train should buy their ticket in advance NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES Non-defining relative clauses add non-essential information to the clause and can be used in the middle or at the end of a clause His grandfather, who is over 75, is still a good swimmer Next to their house there is a park, where many people watch birds in spring In non-defining relative clauses … a b c d never use that never leave out who, which, whose, where, when always use commas who or which can refer to a whole sentence: There are many long sections in the test, which makes it difficult to it in 90 minutes Non-defining relative clauses are more common in written English, especially in stories It is almost a general rule for the preposition to come before the relative pronoun in a nondefining relative clause The teacher, with whom the parents decided to discuss the young man’s future, listened very carefully to their comments The omission or insertion of commas may represent a difference in meaning*: a They have two children who are still at school ( Defining: they have other children) b They have two children, who are still at school ( Nondefining: they only have two children) *Graver B.D (1990) Advanced English Practice., 5th ed Hong Kong: Oxford University Press pp 104-127 I) We stayed at the hotel the Tour Guide Magazine recommended A few people we invited to our party didn’t show up The pickpocket the police took to prison last week has just been released *Paul didn’t seem to like the girl Richard brought to dinner I enjoyed talking to the old lady who has just finished her second cooking book The recipes we exchanged during our chat will probably appear in her next book Everybody at the party tried to help the young lady who got injured at the swimming pool The man we saw coming out of our neighbour’s flat is her brother *What was the name of the actor whose car broke down? 10 Who’s the actress everybody was talking about? 11 The teacher who organised our Drama Club is leaving for Germany next week 12 The school where I studied as a girl has been renovated • Relative Sentences and can be interchangeable I often go to Sao Paulo, where my cousins live He made a lot of suggestions, * none of which were/was considered suitable to solve our problems II) The hotel also offers a shuttle bus service, which can take you to and from the airport Visit our top class hairdresser’s, where you can have your hair done My boss, whose blood pressure has been too high lately, called her doctor for an appointment My best friend didn’t show up at my birthday party, when my boy friend finally decided to propose to me She couldn’t come to our engagement party, which was a pity This is a photo of our new friends, with whom we travelled to Paris Jackie’s wedding, to which my husband and I were invited, was last Saturday in Rio 10.The author of that novel, in which you showed great interest, will talk about it at Regency tomorrow 11 That man sitting next to you brother is a famous foreign writer, whose latest book is going to be read tonight 12 The drunk driver, whose licence had expired two months before the incident, had crossed two sets of red light before being stopped *‘When we use none of with a plural noun or pronoun, the verb can be singular (more formal) or plural (more informal).’ Swan, Michael Practical English Usage Oxford: OUP, 1996:371