English Assignment Relative clauses in English 1. INTRODUCTION Relative clause is an important matter in English grammar. We use relative clauses to give additional information about something without starting another sentence. By combining sentences with a relative clause, our text becomes more fluent and we can avoid repeating certain words. Relative clauses are mentioned in many of English grammar books. However, most of them only discuss a part of relative clauses. Therefore, learners become confused when they hear and read many types of relative clause. Nowaday, English becomes international language, writing and speaking English grammatically is very necessary, especially when we use relative clauses. For all these reasons, I have chosen the topic “Relative clauses in English ”. The aims of this study are : - To present and classify all the cases of relative pronoun in English. - To suggest some sorts of exercises with the hope to prevent the errors. Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A. 1 English Assignment Relative clauses in English 2. DEVELOPMENT 2.1. Definition - A relative clause is a dependent clause that modifies a noun or pronoun. It decribes, identifies, or gives further information about noun or pronoun. It is a subordinate clause that begins with a question word (e.g. who, which, where) or the word that. A relative clause is also called an adjective clause. E.g: The school where I taught is called Alboraya English Centre. My sister, who lives near London, is coming to visit me soon. 2.2. Forms of relative clauses 2.2.1. Relative pronouns and relative adverbs 2.2.1.1 Relative Pronouns We use the relative pronouns to refer to a noun mentioned before and of which we are adding more information. As the relative pronouns relate to another noun preceding it in the sentence, they connect a dependent clause to an antecedent (a noun that precedes the pronoun.) Therefore, relative pronouns acts as the subject or object of the dependent clause. Subject and object pronouns cannot be distinguished by their forms - who, which, that are used for subject and object pronouns. You can, however, distinguish them as follows: - If the relative pronoun is followed by a verb, the relative pronoun is a subject pronoun. Subject pronouns must always be used. - If the relative pronoun is not followed by a verb (but by a noun or pronoun), the relative pronoun is an object pronoun. Object pronouns can be dropped in defining relative clauses, which are then called Contact Clauses. Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A. 2 English Assignment Relative clauses in English For example: - The chef who won the competition studied in Paris. * Here, "who" relates back to (or is relative to) the noun "Chef". "Who" also acts as the subject of the dependent clause and the verb "won". - The shirt that Carl bought has a stain on the pocket. * Here, "that" relates back to (or is relative to) the noun "shirt". "That" is also the object of the verb "bought". Relative pronoun Usage Example Who subject or object pronoun for people I told you about the woman who lives next door. Which subject or object pronoun for animals and things Do you see the cat which is lying on the roof? Which referring to a whole sentence He couldn’t read, which surprised me. Whose possession for people, animals and things Do you know the boy whose mother is a nurse? Whom object pronoun for people, especially in non-defining relative clauses (in defining relative clauses we colloquially prefer who) I was invited by the professor whom I met at the conference. That subject or object pronoun for people, animals and things in defining relative clauses (who or which are also possible) I don’t like the table that stands in the kitchen. Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A. 3 English Assignment Relative clauses in English 2.2.1.2. Relative Adverbs A relative adverb can be used instead of a relative pronoun plus preposition. This often makes the sentence easier to understand. E.g. This is the shop in which I bought my bike. → This is the shop where I bought my bike. Relative adverb Meaning Usage Example when in/on which refers to a time expression I’ll never forget the day when I met you. where in/at which refers to a place The building where he live is very old. why for which refers to a reason I don’t know the reason why you didn’t go to school yesterday. In defining relative clauses why and when, unlike where can be omitted. E.g: I'd like to know the reason (why) he decided not to come. - February is the month (when) many of my colleagues take skiing holidays. - BUT! She always had wanted to go to a place where she could speak her native tongue. When, where and why are not omitted in non-defining relative clauses. Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A. 4 English Assignment Relative clauses in English 2.2.2. Defining Relative Clauses and Non-Defining Relative Clauses 2.2.2.1 Defining Relative Clauses Defining relative clauses (also called identifying relative clauses or restrictive relative clauses) give detailed information defining a general term or expression. The purpose of a defining relative clause is to clearly define who or what we are talking about. Without this information, it would be difficult to know who or what is meant. Defining relative clauses are not put in commas. E.g: The team that wins will receive a cup and 1,000 €. The woman who lives in apartment No. 34 has been arrested. * Object pronouns in defining relative clauses can be dropped. (Sentences with a relative clause without the relative pronoun are called Contact Clauses.) E.g: The boy (who/whom) we met yesterday is very nice. Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A. 5 English Assignment Relative clauses in English 2.2.2.2 Non-Defining Relative Clauses Non-defining relative clauses (also called non-identifying relative clauses or non-restrictive relative clauses) give additional information on something, but do not define it. In this type of relative clause, the information is not essential; it could be deleted without making the sentence ungrammatical and it would still be clear who or what we are talking about. Correct punctuation is essential in non-defining relative clauses. If the non- defining relative clause occurs in the middle of a sentence, a comma is put before the relative pronoun and at the end of the clause. If the non-defining relative clause occurs at the end of a sentence, a comma is put before the relative pronoun. E.g: - My parents, who are retired, come to Spain every year. - I used to live in London, where I was born and went to school. * Note: ‘That’ may not be used in non- defining relative clause. * Object pronouns in non-defining relative clauses must be used. E.g: Jim, who/whom we met yesterday, is very nice. * Non-defining clauses can be introduced by expressions like "all of", "many of" + relative pronoun: Person Thing all of + whom + which any of + whom + which few of + whom + which both of + whom + which each of + whom + which Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A. 6 English Assignment Relative clauses in English either of + whom + which half of + whom + which many of + whom + which most of + whom + which much of + whom + which none of + whom + which one of + whom + which two of etc… + whom + which For example: − There were a lot of people at the party, many of whom I had known for years. − He was carrying his belongings, many of which were broken. * Relative sentence :The relative pronoun "which" at the beginning of a non-defining relative clause, can refer to all the information contained in the previous part of the sentence, rather than to just one word. For example: • Chris did really well in his exams, which was a big surprise. ( the fact that he did well in his exams was a big surprise. ) • An elephant and a mouse fell in love, which is most unusual. ( the fact that they fell in love is unusual. ) 2.3. SOME NOTES Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A. 7 English Assignment Relative clauses in English 2.3.1. Reducing relative clauses to adjective phrases: Relative clauses with who, which, that as subject pronoun can be replaced with a participle. This makes the sentence shorter and easier to understand. - Relative clauses with active meaning can be reduced by present participial phrase. Eg: Those people who are taking photos over there come from Sweeden.  Those people taking photos over there come from Sweeden. - Relative clauses with passive meaning can be reduced by past participial phrase Eg:1. The boy who was given a present is my son.  The boy given a present is my son. 2.3.2. Some cases must use “that” It is preferable to use that (not which) after the following words: all, any(thing), every (thing), few, little, many, much, no(thing), none, some(thing), after superlatives and after the structure “ It is ….” . When using the pronoun to refer to the object, that can be omitted. E.g: - Answers all questions that I asked you - There were only a few that really interested him. - There's something that you should know. - It was the best film that I've ever seen. Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A. 8 English Assignment Relative clauses in English - It is the teacher that decides what to read 2.3.3. Relative clauses and prepositions If the relative pronoun is used as the object of a preposition, the prepositions can come before the relative pronoun. In this case, only whom and which may be used. A preposition is never immediately followed by that or who. However, it much more common to place prepositions at the end of the relative pronoun, especially in everyday usage. Example: - She is the woman about whom I told you. ( formal ) = She is the woman whom I told you about. (informal ) - The music to which we listened last night was good. ( formal ) = The music which we listened to last night was good. ( informal ) 2.4 Some suggested exercises: A. Complete the following sentences with WHO, WHICH, WHOSE, WHOM, THAT or WHERE. 1. Whales and dolphins both make sounds……… in some ways are similar to a language. 2. People…….work with dolphins are often surprised at how intelligent they are. 3. One scientist…… has studied dolphins carefully is John Lilly. Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A. 9 English Assignment Relative clauses in English 4. Lilly was the director of an institute…….became famous for its research. 5. Another person…….work has become well known is Roger Fouts. 6. Fouts, ……. has studied the behaviuor of other animals, taught a chimpanzee sign-language. 7. This is the kind of language………is used by deaf and dumb people. 8. “Dumb” is the word used in English for someone…….is unable to speak. 9. The chimpanzee, …… name was Washoe, learned about 160 signs. 10. My father, …… is a doctor, is fifty years old now. 11. The place……. I went to school is a quiet town. 12. My brother, …….has a moustache, is studying architecture. 13. The man……… I saw on TV is a famous writer. 14. The day……….we left on our trip was Friday 13 th . 15. The time…… I broke my leg is one of my worst memories. 16. My car,……… I’ve had since 1998, is a white Honda. 17. The hotel Tyrol, …… I stayed wheen I was in Italy, was a really nice hotel. 18. I’m working for film …… main office is in London. 19. The firm …… employs five hundred people makes video recorders. 20. The work …… increases a lot when the boss is away is always interesting. B. Filling the gap with the suitable relative pronoun. Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A. 10 [...]... 7 2.4 Some suggested exercises: 9 3 Conclusion 18 4 References 18 Answer keys 19 Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A 22 English Assignment Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Relative clauses in English Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A 23 ... c I went to it d that I went 8 I read a book about Picasso, ………… Spanish painter a a b is a c who a d that is a 9 I have seventeen students, most of …… speak English very well Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A 12 English Assignment a who b those Relative clauses in English c whom d which 10 “Is Dr Brown the person ……… you wish to speak?” a that b whom c to that d to whom... don’t b who doesn’t c which don’t d which doesn’t 18 The people …… the acrobat turn circles in the air were horrified when he missed the hands of his partner a watched b watch Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh c watching d were watching Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A 13 English Assignment Relative clauses in English 19 “Will everyone like the book?” “No Only people ……… Interested in anthropolory.”... next year 11 Craig is hoping that Donna will be at the party Len has invited Craig 12 The new manager at the plastics factory wants Donna to work late Noone likes the new manager Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A 14 English Assignment Relative clauses in English 13 The woman at number 35 is behaving rather strangely Donna spoke to the woman yesterday 14 Brenda is a friend... There were several large holes in the road Three of them had to be repaired urgently 5 There were some vegetables left over I was able to use a few of them in some soup for supper Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A 15 English Assignment Relative clauses in English 6 The lectures were attended by over two hundred students Few of them completed the assignments set by the professor... north of Dundee, is the oldest inhabited and most striking of all the castles in Scotland The tower was built in the 14th century, but most of the present building dates from the Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A 16 English Assignment Relative clauses in English 17th century The castle was well-known to many kings and queens including Mary Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth... has been able to find D who visits the quiet little chapel E which stands in the Valley of Strathmore F who hanged himself there G who was once seen H which open by themselves Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A 17 English Assignment Relative clauses in English I whose mother and sister were born there J where King Duncan was murdered 3 CONCLUSION It is undeniable that... my study will be some help for those who are interested in this English grammar item 4 REFERENCES 1 Thai Hoang Nguyen, Do Van Thao Advanced English Grammar Education Publisher Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A 18 English Assignment Relative clauses in English 2 Azar, B.S Understanding and Using English Grammar Youth Publisher 3 Murphy, R English Grammar in Use OUP 4 Thomson,... which 11 which/that 12 which 13 which/that 14 who 15 which 1D 4A 6C 9C C 2B 3C 5D 7B 8A 10D 11A 12B 13C 14D 15B 16C 17A 18C 19D 20A D 1 I called to Luis, who waved at me he saw me Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A 19 English Assignment Relative clauses in English 2 The detective who/that solved the mystery knew all the answers 3 I met an old friend who/that told me all about... giving a concert at Webley Hall 20 The Earls of Euston, after whom Euston Station is named, were landowners in London E 1 She had invited a hundred guests, none of whom I knew Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A 20 English Assignment Relative clauses in English 2 Growling in the corner were two big dogs, both of which looked extremely dangerous 3 The manager called in my . of exercises with the hope to prevent the errors. Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A. 1 English Assignment Relative clauses. relative clauses, which are then called Contact Clauses. Student : Nguyen Trung Thanh Supervisor : Nguyen Quang Ngoan, M.A. 2 English Assignment Relative clauses