Page 139 - Face2Face Uper Inter www.english0905.com
P. 139
www.english0905.com
m Defining, non-defining and NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
• Non-defining relative clauses add extra non-essential information:
reduced relative clauses 48 B p35
Stephen King, who came from a verv poor family, began selling stories
DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
to friends at school when he was just 12.
• Defining relative clauses give you essential
• We don't use that in non-defining relative clauses. My' brother, that
information so that you know which person, thing,
lives in the /=lull, is seNing his flat.
etc. the writer or speaker is talking about:
• We can't leave out who, which, whose, etc. in non-defining relative
The people who came to the church had no idea
clauses.
there was going to be a wedding.
• We must use commas with non-defining relative clauses.
• In defining relative clauses we use:
who (or that) for people: All those who/that were TIP
cruel to her are made to suffer. • Non-defining relative clauses are more common in written English than
spoken English, particularly in stories and more formal types of writing.
that (or which) for things: This is a wedding
scenario that/which Cecelia might have written for REDUCED RELATIVE CLAUSES
one of her own novels I • When a defining relative clause contains a continuous or passive verb
whose for possession: It's about a young woman form, we can often leave out who, that or which and the auxiliary. These
whose husband dies. reduced relative clauses are very common in spoken English.
where for places: One day his wife was emptying Look at the underlined reduced relative clauses in these sentences.
a bin where King had thrown the manuscript. Notice which words we can leave out:
when for times: His first major success came 1 In the end the students (who are) bullving Carrie get what they
when his manuscript for a book called 'Carrie' deserve. (are bullying = Present Continuous)
was accepted by a publisher in 1973. 2 The second novel (that was) written bvAhern is called 'Where
Rainbows End'. (was written= Past Simple Passive)
• We don't use commas with defining relative
clauses.
1;1@1film;1!•> ------------ --------
TIP
• We can't use what in defining relative clauses:
www.english0905.com
Did you get the letter I sent? However, we m Saying you're surprised or not surprised
can use what to mean 'the thing/things that':
4D B p3a
Can you tell me what he said?
SAYING YOU'RE SURPRISED SAYING YOU'RE NOT SURPRISED
LEAVING OUT WHO, THAT, WHICH, ETC.
•
•
•
I don't believe it! I'm not surprised, to be honest.
. . .
• We can leave out who, that or which when these • •
You must be joking! I bet you were.
words aren't the subject of the defining relative • . '
You're kidding! Well, no wonder (you've got a virus).
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
clause. Why on earth (doesn't he listen Well, he would say that, wouldn't he?
Compare the defining relative clauses in these to me)? • Yes, 1 can imagine.
•
•
• •
sentences: Wow, that's fantastic news!
1 These stories were the beginning of a writing TIPS
career that has made King the most successful • We can also say You're joking! and You must be kidding!
American author in historv.
• We can also say What/Who/Where/How on earth ... ?
In sentence 1 we must use that because it is the
subject of the relative clause. QUESTIONS WITH NEGATIVE AUXILIARIES
2 This is a wedding scenario (that) Cecelia might • We often use negative auxiliaries in questions when we think we know
have written for one of her own novels I the answer. The answer we expect can be yes or no, depending on the
In sentence 2 we can leave out that because it context.
is the object of the relative clause (Cecelia is the • Look at Martin's questions from his conversation with his wife, Judy:
subject). a Hadn't they promised to be here today?
TIPS In this sentence Martin thinks the answer will be yes because he
• We never leave out whose in defining relative clauses. knows that Judy made the appointment.
• We can usually leave out where in defining relative b Didn't you install that anti-virus software?
clauses if we add a preposition at the end of the In this sentence Martin thinks the answer will be no because Judy
relative clause: That's the house where I was born. = has a virus on her computer.
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 .
••
