Relative Clauses: Unlocking the Secrets of Descriptive Language

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Relative Clauses: Unlocking the Secrets of Descriptive Language

Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to use relative clauses to create descriptive sentences.

This slide sets the learning objective for the lesson. Make sure to explain it clearly to the students.

Definition of Relative Clauses

Relative clauses are clauses starting with the relative pronouns who, whom, whose, that, where or which. They are used to add information to a sentence.

Introduce the concept of relative clauses and provide examples. Encourage students to take notes.

Identifying Relative Clauses

Relative clauses can be identified by the relative pronouns and the fact that they add information to a sentence. For example: The book, which is on the table, is mine.

Provide examples of relative clauses and explain how to identify them.

Commas and Relative Clauses

When a relative clause is used to add non-essential information to a sentence, it should be separated by commas. For example: My brother, who is a doctor, lives in New York.

Explain the use of commas with relative clauses and provide examples.

Types of Relative Clauses

There are two types of relative clauses: defining and non-defining. 

a) Defining relative clauses:  provide essential information to a sentence and are not separated by commas. 

b) Non-defining relative clauses provide extra, non-essential information and are separated by commas.

Explain the difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses and provide examples.

Relative pronouns 

(betrekkelijke voornaamwoorden)

who: for people/sometimes animals

which: refers to things

where: refers to...

that: restrictive clauses, for things

whom: refers to people (of an object pronoun)

whose: refers to people (indicates possession 

Defining relative clauses give us...

1. Extra information
2. Essential information

Non-defining relative clauses give us...

1. Extra information
2. Essential information

Relative Clauses:
The village in .........I lived had really changed

1. that
2. which
3. whom
4. who

Relative clauses:
Xander's best friend,... is older than he is, is working as a teacher

1. who
2. that
3. whom
4. which

Relative clauses:
The man ... car was stolen was on the news

1. which
2. whose
3. that
4. who

What do commas do in non-defining relative clauses?

1. Replace the relative pronoun
2. Introduce the non-defining relative clause
3. Set off the non-defining relative clause
4. Indicate a defining relative clause

Practice: Defining Relative Clauses

Complete the sentence with a defining relative clause: The person _____ helped me was my best friend.

Have students complete the sentence with a defining relative clause. Provide feedback and correct answers.

Complete the sentence with a defining relative clause: The person _____ helped me was my best friend.

Complete the sentence with a non-defining relative clause: My favorite teacher, _____ , is retiring next year.

Writing Exercise

Write a paragraph describing your favourite place using at least two relative clauses.

Encourage students to use relative clauses in their writing. Provide feedback and corrections.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.