Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 18 views

    4B - Defining, Non-Defining and Reduced Relative Clauses

    Uploaded by

    Ooll Lloo
    Defining relative clauses provide essential information about a person, thing, etc. Non-defining relative clauses add non-essential information. Reduced relative clauses can leave out words like "who", "that", or "which" when the relative clause contains a continuous or passive verb form.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    4B - Defining, Non-Defining and Reduced Relative Clauses

    Uploaded by

    Ooll Lloo
    18 views4 pages
    Defining relative clauses provide essential information about a person, thing, etc. Non-defining relative clauses add non-essential information. Reduced relative clauses can leave out words like "who", "that", or "which" when the relative clause contains a continuous or passive verb form.

    Original Description:

    Original Title

    4B - Defining, non-defining and reduced relative clauses

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Defining relative clauses provide essential information about a person, thing, etc. Non-defining relative clauses add non-essential information. Reduced relative clauses can leave out words like "who", "that", or "which" when the relative clause contains a continuous or passive verb form.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    18 views4 pages

    4B - Defining, Non-Defining and Reduced Relative Clauses

    Uploaded by

    Ooll Lloo
    Defining relative clauses provide essential information about a person, thing, etc. Non-defining relative clauses add non-essential information. Reduced relative clauses can leave out words like "who", "that", or "which" when the relative clause contains a continuous or passive verb form.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 4

    4B - Defining, non-defining and

    reduced relative clauses


    DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

    • Defining relative clauses give you essential information so that you know which person, thing,
    etc. the writer or speaker is talking about:

    The people who came to the church had no idea there was going to be a wedding.

    • In defining relative clauses we use:

    who (or that) for people: All those who/that were cruel to her are made to suffer.
    that (or which) for things: This is a wedding scenario that/which Cecelia might have written for
    one of her own novels!
    whose for possession: It's about a young woman whose husband dies.
    where for places: One day his wife was emptying a bin where King had thrown the manuscript.
    when for times: His first major success came when his manuscript for a book called 'Carrie'
    was accepted by a publisher in 1973.

    • We don't use commas with defining relative clauses.


    TIP

    • We can't use what in defining relative clauses:


    Did you get the letter what I sent?
    However, we can use what to mean 'the thing/things that':
    Can you tell me what he said?

    LEAVING OUT WHO, THAT, WHICH, ETC.

    • We can leave out who, that or which when these words aren't the subject of the defining
    relative clause.

    Compare the defining relative clauses in these sentences:

    1.- These stories were the beginning of a writing career that has made King the most
    successful American author in history.
    In sentence 1 we must use that because it is the subject of the relative clause.

    2.- This is a wedding scenario (that) Cecelia might have written for one of her own novels!
    In sentence 2 we can leave out that because it is the object of the relative clause (Cecelia is the
    subject).
    TIPS

    • We never leave out whose in defining relative clauses.

    • We can usually leave out where in defining relative clauses if we add a preposition at the end
    of the relative clause:
    That's the house where I was born. = That's the house I was born in.

    • We can only leave out when if the time reference is clear:


    That's the day (when) the baby's due.

    NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

    • Non-defining relative clauses add extra non-essential information:


    Stephen King, who came from a very poor family, began selling stories to friends at school when
    he was just 12.

    • We don't use that in non-defining relative clauses. My brother, that lives in the Hull, is selling
    his flat.

    • We can't leave out who, which, whose, etc. in non-defining relative clauses.

    • We must use commas with non-defining relative clauses.


    TIP

    • Non-defining relative clauses are more common in written English than spoken English,
    particularly in stories and more formal types of writing.

    REDUCED RELATIVE CLAUSES

    • When a defining relative clause contains a continuous or passive verb form, we can often leave
    out who, that or which and the auxiliary. These reduced relative clauses are very common in
    spoken English.

    Look at the underlined reduced relative clauses in these sentences. Notice which words we can
    leave out:

    1.- In the end the students (who are) bullying Carrie get what they deserve.
    (are bullying = Present Continuous)

    2.- The second novel (that was) written by Ahern is called 'Where Rainbows End'.
    (was written= Past Simple Passive)

    You might also like