1. Week 16 Relative Clauses– An Introduction and Overview
Joe Ratermann

2. Review
Before discussing complex sentences, it is important to understand the following:
What is a phrase?
What is a clause? (dependent / independent)
What is a sentence?

3. COMPLEX SENTENCES What is a phrase?
A phrase is a group of connected words that is not a complete thought. A phrase is part of a sentence but cannot stand alone because it is missing either a subject or a main verb.
For example (e.g.):
The bird
with her friend
works in an office

4. Review
What is a clause?
There are two types of clauses: dependent and independent.
Independent clauses can stand alone as complete sentences.
Eg. The birds sing beautifully.
Dependent clauses cannot stand alone as complete sentences.
Eg. that sing beautifully.

5. Review What is a sentence?
A sentence is a group of words with a subject and verb that is a complete thought. Because it can stand alone, it is also known as an independent clause.
Examples:
The bird sings beautifully.
She went with her friend to a restaurant.
My father works in an office.

6. Review
Phrase– a group of words that are not complete thoughts and cannot stand alone Clause– a group of words with a subject and verb. Clauses can be either independent or dependent. Sentence– a group of words with a subject and a verb that is a complete thought.

7. These Independent Clauses = Sentences
An independent clause is a group of words with a subject and verb. It is a complete thought that CAN stand alone as a sentence.
For example:
The bird sings beautifully.
She went with her friend to a restaurant.
My father works in an office.
These Independent Clauses = Sentences

8. Clauses Dependent Clauses
A dependent clause is a group of words with a subject and verb. However, it is NOT a complete thought; therefore, it is not a sentence.
For example:
The bird that sits in the tree
After she went with her friend to a restaurant
My father, whom I love deeply

9. Clauses
We know that an independent clause (sentence) has a subject, a main verb, and is a complete thought. • A dependent clause, of which there are several types, is missing one of those key elements. To be used correctly in English, a dependent clause needs to be attached to an independent clause. • When a sentence has an independent clause AND at least one dependent clause, we call it a COMPLEX SENTENCE.

10. Relative Clauses
The type of dependent clause in complex sentences that we will look at today is the relative clause.
Definition: A relative clause gives more information about someone or something referred to in a main clause. It is also known as an adjective clause There are two types of relative clauses– defining and non-defining.
A Defining Relative Clause (The textbook– “Type 1” clause):
Provides information necessary to specify which person or thing we mean, or which type of person or thing we mean.
An Extra-Information Relative Clause (The textook– “Type 2” clause):
Provides extra information about a noun, but is not necessary to explain which person or thing we mean.

11. Relative Clauses
Examples: (D) = defining (Type 1) (N) = extra information (Type 2) The bird that is sitting in the tree sings beautifully. (D) She went with her friend to the restaurant that John owns. (D) My father, whom I love dearly, works in an office. (N)

12. Examples of complex sentences using relative clauses:
from the reading “Cultural Childhoods”, (Real Communication textbook) p.22-23):
“Today, a four year old who can tie his or her shoes is impressive.”
(p.22) Sentence with a defining relative clause (without the relative clause, we would not know which four-year olds the author means.)
“The Beng, who’ve been extensively studied by another anthropologist, Alma Gottlieb, believe in a spirit world where children live before they are born and where they know all human languages and understand all cultures.”
(p.23) Sentence with one non-defining and one defining relative clause. Which is the defining and which is the non-defining? Why?

13. Relative Clauses
Relative clauses are characterized by the use of a relative pronoun that introduces additional information. These pronouns are used in both defining and non-defining relative clauses. Below is a list of the most common relative pronouns: who whom which that where when what why whose of which, of whom

14. Function in the clause ↓
Relative Clauses
Relative Pronouns in Defining Relative Clauses
Function in the clause ↓
Reference to
People
Things / concepts
Place
Time
Explanation
Subject
who, that
which, that
Object
(that, who, whom)
(which, that)
where
when
what/why
Possessive
whose
whose, of which

15. Relative Clauses
The relative pronoun that can only be used in restrictive clauses. It can also be substituted for who (referring to persons) or which (referring to things) in informal English. Whereas that is often used while speaking, who and which are more common in formal written English.

16. (café would have already been identified in formal writing)
Relative Clauses
Examples:
Conversational, Informal: William Kellogg was the man that lived in the late nineteenth century and had some weird ideas about raising children.
Written, Formal: William Kellogg was the man who lived in the late nineteenth century and had some weird ideas about raising children.
Conversational, Informal: The café that sells the best coffee in town has recently been closed.
Written, Formal: The café, which sells the best coffee in town, has recently been closed.
(café would have already been identified in formal writing)

17. Create Defining Relative Clauses
I’m thinking of the student in our class ____________________
I’m thinking of a teacher in our school ____________________
I’m thinking of a place at our school ____________________
I’m thinking of the time _______________________________
I’m thinking of the child ____________________ (use possessive)

18. Create Extra Information Relative Clauses
Cecilia ____________________________________________
The cat in the yard ___________________________________
Our business _______________________________________
My mother _________________________________________
Dalian ____________________________________________

19. ESL Tips on the Use of Relative Pronouns
Although there is no one single rule to cover all the cases, the following summary may be helpful if you need to make a quick decision:
Do not use that presenting non-essential, additional information (that is, in extra-information relative clauses); use who or which instead;
Use who to refer to people;
Use which to refer to things or to refer to the previous clause as a whole;
If you choose between who or that, use who in writing;
If you choose between which and that, use which in writing;
Do not put a comma before that.

20. Relative Clauses
Now, let’s look at Units 91– 95 in the Murphy textbook in order to get a better understanding and some practice with relative clauses.

21. Links
Quia quiz--relative pronouns and clauses Relative Pronouns– Choose Relative Clauses-- Omitting the pronoun Relative Clauses– Defining or Non-Defining?

22. HOMEWORK Quia quiz: available after 9:00 a.m. on Saturday
Word Order: Units 98, 108,109
Exercises: Do all of them for these three Units.
Vocabulary Lists: _______________________
Student – Teachers _________________________

23. Sources
Most of the material in this presentation is original. Some, however, was retrieved from and adapted for use by Joe Ratermann from various sources including:
• Focus on Grammar 4, 4th Ed., Fuchs and Bonner, (2012), Pearson Education ESL
• Real Communication 3 – An Integrated Course, McMillan Publishers Ltd., 2009
• J. McDonald, St. Petersburg, FL ( (Feb, 2012)
• The website (Feb, 2012)
• The website (Feb, 2012)