Class 11 English Unit 11: Grammar: Relative Clauses Language Development Section

 

Grammar ( page 105)

Video: Relative clause:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j25CFx-4g0I&t=120s

A.   Study these examples

a.      The woman who lives next door works in a bank. (The woman lives next door. She works in a bank.)

b.     That grey thing, which you can see on the roof there, isn’t very traditional. (That grey thing isn't very traditional. You can see it on the roof there.)

The parts of the sentences in bold above are 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. In the first example 'who lives next door' is defining relative clause. Defining relative clauses give us essential information – information that tells us who or what we are talking about.

In the second example 'which you can see on the roof there' is non-defining relative clause that gives us extra information which isn't necessary. We use commas to separate them from the rest of the sentence, unless they come at the end of the sentence, when we use a comma and a full stop.

We can use the word ‘that’ instead of ‘who’ or ‘which’ in defining relative clauses, but not in non-defining relative clauses. For example, we can say “the town that I live in is beautiful” but we cannot say “Manigram, that I live in, is beautiful.”

The use of Comma in the sentence is non-defining clause but without comma is defining clause.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AfKYUwlClo&t=67s

B.    Complete the following sentences with correct relative pronouns and write whether the clauses are defining or non-defining. 

a.      That's the house where I was born. (defining)

b.     My aunt Nita, who is a journalist, is coming to visit next week. (non-defining)

c.      People who like outdoor activities will love our holidays. (defining)

d.     The early 1960s, when the Beatles first started, was a very exciting time in pop culture. (non-defining)

e.      My essay on Shakespeare, which I found quite difficult, got a really good mark in the end. (non-defining)

f.       The Mayans, who lived in Central America, built many stunning temples. (non-defining)

g.     That's the girl whose brother is in your class. (defining)

h.     The snake that was in the garden last week belongs to our next-door neighbour. (defining) 

Quiz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f52pMUwc1g&t=68s

C.    Join the following pairs of sentences with appropriate relative clause. 

a.      He is a musician. His albums have sold millions.

He is a musician whose albums have been sold millions.

b.     Amelia speaks English and Chines fluently. She is from Shanghai.

Amelia who is from Shanghai speaks English and Chinese fluently.

c.      That's the stadium. Real Madrid plays there.

That’s the stadium where Real Madrid plays.

d.     Dublin is my favourite city. It is the capital of Ireland.

Dublin, which is the capital of Ireland, is my favourite city.

e.      The person was really helpful. They spoke to him.

The person to whom they spoke was really helpful.

f.       This smartphone takes great photos. I bought it last week.

This smartphone which I bought last week takes great photos.  

Quiz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6si4iVtUoLU

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