Relative clauses

Yesterday I was searching for something interesting to read at the library when I found this dictionary .

It’s not a typical dictionary.

Bierce’s dictionary does not contain normal definitions – his definitions are funny and cynical.

For example, look at this definition.

What do you think the missing word is?

But The Devil’s Dictionary is a … different kind of dictionary.

1881-1887

Ambrose Bierce

_______ is a person who puts metal in your mouth and takes coins out of your pocket.

Dentist is a person who puts metal in your mouth and takes coins out of your pocket.

Normal dictionary:

“ Dentist is a kind of a doctor who looks after people’s teeth.”

Think of normal definitions for these words or phrases:

a bank a boring person the brain

a star a friend a secret

Now match the words to the definitions from the Devil’s Dictionary .

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A star is a person who works all her life to become famous and then wears sunglasses so people don’t recognize her.

_______ is a person who works all her life to become famous and then wears sunglasses so people don’t recognize her.

___________________ is somebody who talks about himself when you want to talk about yourself.

_________ is a place where you can borrow money only if you can show that you don’t need it.

A bank is a place where you can borrow money only if you can show that you don’t need it.

A boring person is somebody who talks about himself when you want to talk about yourself.

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___________ is something which starts working when you get up in the morning and stops working when you get to work or school.

The brain is something which starts working when you get up in the morning and stops working when you get to work or school.

__________ is somebody who

A friend is somebody who dislikes the same people as you.

dislikes the same people as you.

A secret is something which you only tell one person.

__________ is something which you only tell one person.

What do we call the highlighted words in these sentences:

a) reflexive pronouns?

b) relative pronouns?

c) question words?

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A star is a person who works all her life to become famous and then wears sunglasses so people don’t recognize her.

A boring person is somebody who talks about himself when you want to talk about yourself.

A bank is a place where you can borrow money only if you can show that you don’t need it.

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The brain is something which starts working when you get up in the morning and stops working when you get to work or school.

A friend is somebody who dislikes the same people as you.

A secret is something which you only tell one person.

We use a relative pronoun in the beginning of a relative clause to give more information about a noun in the main sentence.

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A star is a person who works all her life to become famous and then wears sunglasses so people don’t recognize her.

A bank is a place where you can borrow money only if you can show that you don’t need it.

A boring person is somebody who talks about himself when you want to talk about yourself.

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The brain is something which starts working when you get up in the morning and stops working when you get to work or school.

A friend is somebody who dislikes the same people as you.

A secret is something which you only tell one person.

which / that

who / that

whose

(animals/things)

(people)

(possession)

Yippee!

This is Mr Simpson whose son moved to New York.

The old lady whom I met was one hundred and three years old.

The car which/that they bought was quite expensive.

when

why

where

(place)

(reason)

(time)

How are you doing?

The real reason why she came was to talk to my dad.

The town where I grew up is very small.

That was the year when I finished the university.

We don’t use WHAT as a relative pronoun!

Have you seen the book that Ron gave me?

NOT: Have you seen the book what Ron gave me?

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

Defining relative clauses give essential information about the noun they refer to. Without them the main clause doesn’t make sense .

The people are very noisy. (main sentence)

Jane made a cake. (main sentence)

Nobody liked it. (essential information)

They live in the flat above us. (essential information)

Nobody liked the cake that Jane had made .

The people, who live in the flat above us , are very noisy.

defining clause

defining clause

who/whom …

which …

that …

who/whom …

which …

that …

object

subject

The book is very good. (main clause)

The book won the prize.

The book is very good. (main clause)

You gave me this book .

object

subject

The book that won the prize is very good.

The book (that) you gave me is very good.

Non-defining relative clauses give us extra information about the noun to which they refer to.

The information is not essential because the main clause is complete without it.

London has over 6 million people.

London, which is the capital of Britain , has over 6 million people.

Who/Which are not omitted in non-defining relative clauses!

That cannot replace who or which .

(gives us more information about London, but we do not need this information to define London.

We can understand the first sentence without this extra information.)

He invited me to the party, which was very kind of him.

Peter, who works really hard, got a promotion.

NOT: Peter, that works really hard, got a promotion.

non-defining clause

Punctuation

,

,

Defining clause

Non-Defining clause

Note how the commas change the meaning of the sentence!

The boys in my class who enjoyed the film saw it again.

The boys in my class, who enjoyed the film, saw it again.

(only some boys in my class)

( all the boys in my class)

Complete the gaps with who , which or whose .

Check.

Alice in Wonderland, _________ is one of the most popular children’s books in the world, was written

Alice in Wonderland, which is one of the most popular children’s books in the world, was written

by Lewis Carroll, whose real name was Charles Dodgson.

by Lewis Carroll, _________ real name was Charles Dodgson.

Carroll, who had a natural talent as a story-teller, loved to entertain children, including Alice

Carroll, _______ had a natural talent as a story-teller, loved to entertain children, including Alice

Liddell, __________ father was a colleague of Carroll’s at Oxford University. One day Carroll took Alice

Liddell, whose father was a colleague of Carroll’s at Oxford University. One day Carroll took Alice

and her sisters for a trip on the river Thames, which flows through Oxford. After the trip, Carroll

and her sisters for a trip on the river Thames, __________ flows through Oxford. After the trip, Carroll

wrote in his diary that he had told the children a wonderful story, _________ he had promised to

wrote in his diary that he had told the children a wonderful story, which he had promised to

write down for them. He wrote the story, illustrated it with his own drawings, and gave it to the

write down for them. He wrote the story, illustrated it with his own drawings, and gave it to the

children. Later it was published.

children. Later it was published.

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