UNIT 3c
2. GRAMMAR
DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
who (/ that)
with people
A waiter is somebody who works in a restaurant.
which (/ that)
with things
A pencil is something which you can use to write.
where
with places
A school is a place where you can learn and study.
that
= who / which
· A waiter is somebody that works in a restaurant.
· A pencil is something that you can use to write.
(that is more informal, and who / which are more formal)
A relative clause if formed by:
1. a main clause:
A waiter (subject) works (main verb) in a restaurant.
2. a subordinate clause:
is (verb) somebody who
with people
A waiter is somebody who works in a restaurant.
which (/ that)
with things
A pencil is something which you can use to write.
where
with places
A school is a place where you can learn and study.
that
= who / which
· A waiter is somebody that works in a restaurant.
· A pencil is something that you can use to write.
(that is more informal, and who / which are more formal)
A relative clause if formed by:
1. a main clause:
A waiter (subject) works (main verb) in a restaurant.
2. a subordinate clause:
is (verb) somebody who
1. Defining relative clauses with who, that and which
We use who for people, which for things and where for places.
I talked to the man who gave you the present.
I gave you the letter which came this morning
We can also use "That" instead of who or which in defining relative clauses. It is more informal.
I talked to the man that gave you the present.
I gave you the letter that came this morning
Note that who, which or that replace the pronoun.
I talked to a man. He gave you a present.
I talked to the man who gave you a present
NOT: I talked to the man who he gave you a present
2. Leaving out Who, That and Which
The relative pronouns "who","that" or "which" can be the object or the subject of a defining relative sentence.
Compare:
Peter is the boy who came yesterday
who is the subject of "came": He came yesterday
Peter is the boy who I saw in the restaurant yesterday
who is the object of "saw", not the subject : I saw him in the restaurant yesterday. ("I" is the subject)
When , in a defining relative sentence, the relative pronoun is the object , we often leave it out.
We use who for people, which for things and where for places.
I talked to the man who gave you the present.
I gave you the letter which came this morning
We can also use "That" instead of who or which in defining relative clauses. It is more informal.
I talked to the man that gave you the present.
I gave you the letter that came this morning
Note that who, which or that replace the pronoun.
I talked to a man. He gave you a present.
I talked to the man who gave you a present
NOT: I talked to the man who he gave you a present
2. Leaving out Who, That and Which
The relative pronouns "who","that" or "which" can be the object or the subject of a defining relative sentence.
Compare:
Peter is the boy who came yesterday
who is the subject of "came": He came yesterday
Peter is the boy who I saw in the restaurant yesterday
who is the object of "saw", not the subject : I saw him in the restaurant yesterday. ("I" is the subject)
When , in a defining relative sentence, the relative pronoun is the object , we often leave it out.
When we talk about relative clauses, there are two types:
· defining relative clauses
· non-defining relative clauses
You can hear about both types of clauses in these videos, but remember that for this unit you only have to learn what defining relative clauses are:
· defining relative clauses
· non-defining relative clauses
You can hear about both types of clauses in these videos, but remember that for this unit you only have to learn what defining relative clauses are:
Defining relative clause:
The information is important in specifying what is being discussed.
My brother who works as a police officer lives in New York.
(I have more than one brother, and I'm talking about the one who is a police officer.)
The students who passed the test had a party.
(Not all the students passed the test, and only the ones who passed the test had the party.)
Non-defining relative clause:
The information is unnecessary or extra. (They always use commas.)
My brother, who is a police officer, lives in New York.
(I only have one brother, and he is a police officer.)
The students, who passed the test, had a party!
(All the students passed the test and all of them had a party.)
The information is important in specifying what is being discussed.
My brother who works as a police officer lives in New York.
(I have more than one brother, and I'm talking about the one who is a police officer.)
The students who passed the test had a party.
(Not all the students passed the test, and only the ones who passed the test had the party.)
Non-defining relative clause:
The information is unnecessary or extra. (They always use commas.)
My brother, who is a police officer, lives in New York.
(I only have one brother, and he is a police officer.)
The students, who passed the test, had a party!
(All the students passed the test and all of them had a party.)
3. VOCABULARY
Useful expressions. Explaining a word you don't know
1. It's somebody who...
2. It's the person who...
3. It's a place where you go...
4. It's a thing which you use...
5. It's a kind of machine...
6. It's the opposite of...
7. It's like a/an... but...
8. It's similar to...
9. It's how you feel when...
10. It's what you do when...
11. For example you do this to the...
Useful expressions. Explaining a word you don't know
1. It's somebody who...
2. It's the person who...
3. It's a place where you go...
4. It's a thing which you use...
5. It's a kind of machine...
6. It's the opposite of...
7. It's like a/an... but...
8. It's similar to...
9. It's how you feel when...
10. It's what you do when...
11. For example you do this to the...