Unit 11

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Unit 11

Relative clauses

Defining and non-defining clauses

Exercise 1.2 (page 80)

Listen to the commentary. Number the photos in the order they are mentioned.

1

2

3

4

5

A

B

C

D

E

Exercise 1.3

Listen again and fill in gaps.

Gap 2

Gap 3

Gap 4

Gap 5

Gap 6

Exercise 1.4

In pairs / groups of three:
What do the words in the gaps refer to?

Write down one answer for each gap. Number them please :)

What do the words in
the gaps refer to?

Answers

2. Gugliemo Marconi

3. 1901

4. wireless telegraphs

5. a method

6. 1952

Relative clauses

First of all, we need to decide what relative pronouns are and how we can use them before we take a look at relative clauses.

What do you remember or
know of relative pronouns?

Relative pronouns

Relative pronouns are words that refer to something else in the sentence.

The most common relative pronouns are:

• who
• (in/by) which
• whom
• whose
• that
• where
• when
• why

Relative pronouns

How do we use them again?

• who (people)
• (in/by) which (things)
• whom (people, with a preposition in front of it, like at/to)
• whose (possession)
• that (sometimes substitutes who or which)
• where (places)
• when (time)
• why (reason)

summary

Choose the correct option:
The person to ... I was talking was very nice.

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

Choose the correct option:
It was a period ... many people died.

1. when
2. in which
3. where
4. that

Choose the correct option:
Those are the people ... cat recently died.

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

Choose the correct option:
I sold my laptop ... I had bought two years ago.

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

Choose the correct option:
Our teacher, ... worked in England in 2010, has been teaching at JFC since 2019.

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

Relative clauses

Relative clauses are a part of a sentence, that uses a relative pronoun to give extra information about something else in the sentence.

• A laptop which is not often cleaned will probably have more trouble starting.
  
  
• I sold my laptop, which I had bought two years ago.

Relative clauses

There are two types of relative clauses.

• defining relative clauses
• non-defining relative clauses

Defining relative clauses

In a defining relative clause, the information added specifies a person, thing or animal.

• The museum which we visited in Barcelona is the oldest museum in Europe.
• I left the laptop which I asked you to repair on my desk.

Defining relative clauses

We often need this information to be complete in our communication. 

• If we leave them out, people might ask questions like: 
• “Which museum?”
• “Why did you do that?”

The museum which we visited in Barcelona is the oldest museum in Europe.

I left the laptop which I asked you to repair on my desk.

Defining relative clauses

In a defining relative clause, the relative pronoun acts as a subject or object.
If it acts a subject we cannot leave it out:

• There were many people who wanted to know what happened.
  
• A laptop which is not often cleaned will probably have more trouble starting.

Defining relative clauses

In a defining relative clause, the relative pronoun acts as a subject or object.
If it acts an object we can leave it out:

• The museum (which) we visited in Barcelona is the oldest museum in Europe.
• I left the laptop (which) I asked you to repair on my desk. 

Non-defining relative clauses

In a non-defining clause, the information added doesn’t necessarily specify anything.

• Our teacher, who worked in England in 2010, has been teaching here since 2019.
  
• The laptop, which I bought two years ago, has never been cleaned before.
  
  
• The information added is not necessarily related to the message one is trying to convey.

Non-defining relative clauses

A non-defining clause is preceded (and followed) by a comma.

• I visited my old university, where I graduated from in 2012.
  
• I sold my laptop, which I had bought two years ago.
• Our teacher, who worked in England in 2010, has been teaching here since 2019.
• The laptop, which I bought two years ago, has never been cleaned before.

Formality

Sometimes we can write more formally, by using other relative pronouns or combinations of prepositions and relative pronouns:

• The girl who I was speaking with was her sister.
  The girl to whom I was speaking was her sister.
  
  
• It was a period when they met infrequently.
  It was a period during which they met infrequently.
  
  
• He devised an experiment where sparks were generated.
  He devised an experiment in which sparks were generated.

I think I understand relative pronouns and clauses and how to use them.

Yes

Mostly. but I don't need any help.

Mostly, but I still would like some help.

Not at all and need some help.

Continue

In pairs / groups of three:
Continue working on exercises 3.1 - 3.4 on page 186

Check the answers with the key in the back of your book.

Want some extra practice because you are awesome?

Do the exam practice on page 86 as well!