DEFINING/NON DEFINING RELATIVE SENTENCES
DEFINING
Have a look at these examples:
- I talked to the man who gave you the present.
- I gave you the letter which came this morning
Problem
They define , give us essential information about the man and the letter. Which man ? The one who gave you a present. Which letter? the one that arrived this morning.
Who gave you the present and which came this morning are "defining relative clauses". They tell us which person or thing the speaker mean.
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.
Defining relative clauses with who, that and which
We use who for people and which for things.
- I talked to the man who gave you the present.
- I gave you the letter which came this morning.
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.
So we have the following possibilities for this sentence:
Peter is the boy *whom I saw in the restaurant yesterday. (Very formal) Peter is the boy who I saw in the restaurant yesterday (less formal than "whom")
Peter is the boy that I saw in the restaurant yesterday (less formal than "who")
Peter is the boy I saw in the restaurant yesterday (informal)
*whom (for people) is a relative pronoun that can be used instead of "who" when it is the object of the verb in a relative clause. It is very formal and not very common in everyday speech.
I met a woman whom I know
WHERE is used for places and WHEN is used for times
The supermarket where I normally buy is closed
Tell me the time when we can meet
After the word "reason" , we can use WHY or THAT in a relative clause.
The reason why/that I am angry is because you don´t work enough
NOTE: We can leave out "when" and "why/that". Tell me the time we can meet
We can leave out "where" if we use a preposition.
The hotel where we stayed was near the sea
The hotel we stayed at was near the sea
WHOSE is used to talk about possession and it substitutes the possessive adjectives (his,her, my...)
I saw a girl . Her beauty took my breath away
I saw a girl whose beauty took my breath away
They are the students. Their teacher is in hospital with a broken leg
They are the students whose teacher is in hospital with a broken leg
We can use a preposition before which and whom eg. in which, with whom in a defining relative clause
That the village in which he was born
The girl at whom I was looking was very pretty
But in everyday speech , it is more normal to put the preposition at the end of the clause and to leave out the relative pronoun.
That the village he was born in
The girl I was looking at was very pretty
Exercises
Leaving out who and which
Transformations
whose,when ,where, why
Prepositions
Multiple choice
NON-DEFINING
Problem
Emma's hometown , which is in the west of Madrid, is a beautiful village.( which is in the west of Madrid does not tell us which hometown : we already know that it´s Emma's hometown).
These kind of clauses are more common in a formal style, especially in writing. When we write these clauses, we put commas (,) at the beginning of the clause ( and often at the end of it ,too).
Non- defining relative clauses do not tell us which person or thing the speaker means: these clauses give more information about a person or a thing already identified.
Emma' s mother , who is 59, has just broken her right foot ( who is 59 does not tell us which woman: we already know that it is Emma's mother.
We use who for people and which for things. That cannot be used. Peter's parents, who are both doctors, live next door. (Not : that are both doctors) We cannot leave out "who" or "which". These pronouns cannot be omitted. She gave me the book, which I had lent her. (Not: ... the book, I lent her)
We can use all these pronouns in non-defining relative clauses. Brenda Smith, whose husband is the actor Sean Mann, is a good friend of mine We are going on holiday in May, when the weather isn´t so hot. We use whom instead of who when it is the object of a verb in a non-defining. Brenda Smith, whom/who I met when I was at school , is married to Sean Mann.
In formal style we can use a preposition before which and whom, but in everyday speech it´s more common to put the preposition at the end of the clause and to use who instead of whom. Remember that we cannot leave out the relative pronoun even when it´s the object of the relative clause She´s studying Japanese , about which I know very little She´s studying Japanese , which I know very little about Mr Smith, to whom I talked, was not in the office. Mr Smith, who I talked to, was not in the office.
Exercise
ExerciseComplete the sentences below with a relative pronoun.
Write the name of …
1. a place ____ you’d really like to visit.
2. someone ____ you haven’t seen for several years
3. the month ____ you usually go on holidays
4. something _______ you never leave home without
5. someone ____ music you particularly enjoy.
6. someone _____ music you can’t stand
7. a place _____ where you always feel relaxed
8. something _____ you often forget.
Which relative pronouns can you omit?
how to talk about
relationships
phrasal verbs about relationships: fall for someone
Meaning: to get attracted to someone (usually physically), to be smitten by someone Example:
He has fallen for that girl in the supermarket.
He was not her usual type, but she fell for him after dating for two months.
To Take To Someone/Something
Meaning: to be attracted to somebody/something (not in a physical or emotional way), to like something or someone, to be good at something from a very early stage Example:
I’ve taken to that neighbour quite well. He’s a nice guy and he’s nice to talk to.
I’ve really taken to Sarah, she’s quite a good worker, she really works diligently.
Jack has taken to swimming like a duck to water.
To Let Someone Down
Meaning: to disappoint someone by doing something they hadn’t expected, to not be there when they wanted; to not live up to someone’s expectations Example:
This book didn’t let me down despite bad online reviews. He missed three chances of scoring a goal and let the team down..
To Grow Apart
Meaning: to lose a close connection with someone, to gradually develop different interests and hobbies, to become less close to someone over a period of time. Example:
They grew apart and decided to take a rest from each other.
Over time, Emily and Daniel grew apart because they were too busy with their careers.
To Stand By Someone
Meaning: to support someone (especially in difficulties), to be there for someone, to give someone some assistance. Example:
A parent will always stand by their child no matter what.
We expect that our friends will stand by us in times of trouble.
To Split Up
Meaning: to become separated, to end a relationship. Example:
The famous pop singer and his wife have decided to split up after being together for two years.
After a few years, they grew apart and split up.
And of course then if you have an argument with your partner as we all do from time to time you need
To Make Up
Meaning: to become friends again, to reconcile. Example:
The couple made up after a particularly bad argument.
Kate realised her mistake and made up with her best friend.
After many long years without contact, the two brothers made up and forgot about their differences.
To Get in Touch
Meaning: To contact somebody. Example:
I need to get in touch with Peter and tell him the good news.
Keep in touch
Meaning: To maintain contact with somebody. Example:
It was nice meeting you, let’s keep in touch.
Lose Touch
Meaning: To stop contact with somebody. Example:
Over the years we have lost touch with each other. I haven’t seen her in years.
Catch up
Meaning: To update after a long time. Example:
I haven’t seen you in ages, we should catch up soon!
Get on/Along
Meaning: To have a good relationship with someone else. Example:
We get along very well with my colleagues.
DAY 7 DEFINING AND NON DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES + RELATIONSHIPS
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Transcript
DEFINING/NON DEFINING RELATIVE SENTENCES
DEFINING
Have a look at these examples:
Problem
They define , give us essential information about the man and the letter. Which man ? The one who gave you a present. Which letter? the one that arrived this morning.
Who gave you the present and which came this morning are "defining relative clauses". They tell us which person or thing the speaker mean.
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.Defining relative clauses with who, that and which We use who for people and which for things.
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. So we have the following possibilities for this sentence: Peter is the boy *whom I saw in the restaurant yesterday. (Very formal) Peter is the boy who I saw in the restaurant yesterday (less formal than "whom") Peter is the boy that I saw in the restaurant yesterday (less formal than "who") Peter is the boy I saw in the restaurant yesterday (informal) *whom (for people) is a relative pronoun that can be used instead of "who" when it is the object of the verb in a relative clause. It is very formal and not very common in everyday speech. I met a woman whom I know
WHERE is used for places and WHEN is used for times The supermarket where I normally buy is closed Tell me the time when we can meet After the word "reason" , we can use WHY or THAT in a relative clause. The reason why/that I am angry is because you don´t work enough NOTE: We can leave out "when" and "why/that". Tell me the time we can meet We can leave out "where" if we use a preposition. The hotel where we stayed was near the sea The hotel we stayed at was near the sea
WHOSE is used to talk about possession and it substitutes the possessive adjectives (his,her, my...) I saw a girl . Her beauty took my breath away I saw a girl whose beauty took my breath away They are the students. Their teacher is in hospital with a broken leg They are the students whose teacher is in hospital with a broken leg
We can use a preposition before which and whom eg. in which, with whom in a defining relative clause That the village in which he was born The girl at whom I was looking was very pretty But in everyday speech , it is more normal to put the preposition at the end of the clause and to leave out the relative pronoun. That the village he was born in The girl I was looking at was very pretty
Exercises
Leaving out who and which
Transformations
whose,when ,where, why
Prepositions
Multiple choice
NON-DEFINING
Problem
Emma's hometown , which is in the west of Madrid, is a beautiful village.( which is in the west of Madrid does not tell us which hometown : we already know that it´s Emma's hometown). These kind of clauses are more common in a formal style, especially in writing. When we write these clauses, we put commas (,) at the beginning of the clause ( and often at the end of it ,too).
Non- defining relative clauses do not tell us which person or thing the speaker means: these clauses give more information about a person or a thing already identified. Emma' s mother , who is 59, has just broken her right foot ( who is 59 does not tell us which woman: we already know that it is Emma's mother.
We use who for people and which for things. That cannot be used. Peter's parents, who are both doctors, live next door. (Not : that are both doctors) We cannot leave out "who" or "which". These pronouns cannot be omitted. She gave me the book, which I had lent her. (Not: ... the book, I lent her)
We can use all these pronouns in non-defining relative clauses. Brenda Smith, whose husband is the actor Sean Mann, is a good friend of mine We are going on holiday in May, when the weather isn´t so hot. We use whom instead of who when it is the object of a verb in a non-defining. Brenda Smith, whom/who I met when I was at school , is married to Sean Mann.
In formal style we can use a preposition before which and whom, but in everyday speech it´s more common to put the preposition at the end of the clause and to use who instead of whom. Remember that we cannot leave out the relative pronoun even when it´s the object of the relative clause She´s studying Japanese , about which I know very little She´s studying Japanese , which I know very little about Mr Smith, to whom I talked, was not in the office. Mr Smith, who I talked to, was not in the office.
Exercise
ExerciseComplete the sentences below with a relative pronoun. Write the name of … 1. a place ____ you’d really like to visit. 2. someone ____ you haven’t seen for several years 3. the month ____ you usually go on holidays 4. something _______ you never leave home without 5. someone ____ music you particularly enjoy. 6. someone _____ music you can’t stand 7. a place _____ where you always feel relaxed 8. something _____ you often forget. Which relative pronouns can you omit?
how to talk about
relationships
phrasal verbs about relationships: fall for someone
Meaning: to get attracted to someone (usually physically), to be smitten by someone Example: He has fallen for that girl in the supermarket. He was not her usual type, but she fell for him after dating for two months.
To Take To Someone/Something
Meaning: to be attracted to somebody/something (not in a physical or emotional way), to like something or someone, to be good at something from a very early stage Example: I’ve taken to that neighbour quite well. He’s a nice guy and he’s nice to talk to. I’ve really taken to Sarah, she’s quite a good worker, she really works diligently. Jack has taken to swimming like a duck to water.
To Let Someone Down
Meaning: to disappoint someone by doing something they hadn’t expected, to not be there when they wanted; to not live up to someone’s expectations Example: This book didn’t let me down despite bad online reviews. He missed three chances of scoring a goal and let the team down..
To Grow Apart
Meaning: to lose a close connection with someone, to gradually develop different interests and hobbies, to become less close to someone over a period of time. Example: They grew apart and decided to take a rest from each other. Over time, Emily and Daniel grew apart because they were too busy with their careers.
To Stand By Someone
Meaning: to support someone (especially in difficulties), to be there for someone, to give someone some assistance. Example: A parent will always stand by their child no matter what. We expect that our friends will stand by us in times of trouble.
To Split Up
Meaning: to become separated, to end a relationship. Example: The famous pop singer and his wife have decided to split up after being together for two years. After a few years, they grew apart and split up. And of course then if you have an argument with your partner as we all do from time to time you need
To Make Up
Meaning: to become friends again, to reconcile. Example: The couple made up after a particularly bad argument. Kate realised her mistake and made up with her best friend. After many long years without contact, the two brothers made up and forgot about their differences.
To Get in Touch
Meaning: To contact somebody. Example: I need to get in touch with Peter and tell him the good news.
Keep in touch
Meaning: To maintain contact with somebody. Example: It was nice meeting you, let’s keep in touch.
Lose Touch
Meaning: To stop contact with somebody. Example: Over the years we have lost touch with each other. I haven’t seen her in years.
Catch up
Meaning: To update after a long time. Example: I haven’t seen you in ages, we should catch up soon!
Get on/Along
Meaning: To have a good relationship with someone else. Example: We get along very well with my colleagues.