SFL/ METU December 2017 Dept. of B.E. GHO 3 Relative Clauses DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES UPPER-INTERMEDIATE GROUP KEY These are clauses which are used to identify or define people, objects, ideas, places, time, possessions, etc. As such, they are essential to the meaning of the sentence. Notice that commas are not used. Without the relative clause, the main clause doesn t have a clear meaning. e.g. Mr. Carson is the man who taught us geography. who / that people The man who/that I saw in the garden was about fifty. whom/who/that people The doctor whom*/who/that Ingrid went to see is very well-known. The bag which/that I wanted to buy as a present for her which / that things / animals had been sold. for Stevenson is an architect whose designs have won whose possessives international praise. where places This was the place where we first met. when time The story takes place at a time when political groups are battling for control of the country. why can be used after the He thought her clear morality was the reason why he noun reason loved her. * Whom is used in formal English when the person is the object of the relative clause. When a preposition is needed with the relative pronouns which and whom, we put it before the relative pronoun in formal English. e.g. The rate at which a material heats up depends on its chemical composition. Children feel social pressure to conform to the peer group with whom they socialize. which can be used instead of where and when with the proper preposition. e.g. This is the hospital at which I had an operation. Do you know the date by which we have to hand in the essay? That is the house in which I was born. That is the house (which) I was born in. for which can be used instead of why. e.g. High taxation is often the main reason for which governments fall. I didn t get a pay rise, but this wasn t the reason for which I left. who / that / which can be either the subject or object of the verb in the relative clause. e.g. The man who came into the room was tall and thin. The man who you saw here yesterday is a reporter. who / that / which can be omitted when these words are the object of the defining clause. e.g. (1) It is the novel that/which made magical realism popular around the world. (2) She is working on the diaries (that/which) her grandmother Clara wrote 50 years earlier. In sentence 1, we must use which/that because it is the subject of the relative clause. In sentence 2, we can leave out which/that because it is the object of the relative clause. whose is never omitted in relative clauses. 1
NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES These clauses give extra information which can be left out without affecting the meaning of the sentence. In other words, the clause is not necessary in order to identify the person, thing etc. There are commas before and after the clause. e.g. Bill, who had already been late twice, was called to the manager s office that morning. Her favorite author is Alison Luire, who/whom she first heard about from a friend I work at the BBC, which is in Wood Green. It is not possible to use that instead of who/whom/which, or to omit the relative pronoun only. A relative clause can be introduced by which when referring to the whole situation which is being described in the main clause. In both spoken and written English, which is used to add a comment or opinion about the action or situation in the main clause. e.g. Everyone failed the test, which was really unfair. They gave me a set of golf clubs for my birthday, which was very kind of them. A non-defining relative clause introduced by an expression of quantity such as many / most / some /one of /a number of, etc. is followed by which, whom and whose, when a group of people or things in the main clause has already been mentioned. e.g The bus stopped and a crowd of people, many of whom were carrying cameras, got off. He gave several reasons, only a few of which were valid. The teachers discussed Jim, one of whose problems was poor study habits. The pattern noun + of which can be used to modify inanimate things, for which whose is not normally suitable. This pattern is used primarily in formal written English. e.g. We have an antique table, the top of which has a jade inlay. REDUCED RELATIVE CLAUSES Reduced relative clauses are very common in spoken English. There are several ways in which a relative clause can be reduced: If a relative clause contains any form of the verb be, omit the relative pronoun and the verb be. The clause is replaced with a phrase beginning with the past participle or ing form of the verb or a noun phrase. e.g. The scientists (who are) searching alternative forms of energy are making progress. We looked at the letters (which had been) posted by the suspect. A hooded Cobra, (which is) one of the world s most dangerous snakes, has escaped from Dudley Zoo. If the verb is not be in the relative clause, it might be possible to reduce it by omitting the relative pronoun and changing the verb to its ing form. e.g. English has an alphabet that consists of / consisting of 26 letters. The children who attend / attending that school receive a good education. There was a huge storm, which caused / causing serious floods. If the relative clause contains the verb have (with the possession meaning), it is sometimes possible to reduce it by omitting the relative pronoun and using with instead of the verb have. e.g. The McArthurs live in a house which has / with green shutters. I tell those friends of mine who have / with sedentary jobs that they should take regular exercise. A relative clause can be replaced by an infinitive phrase if they are introduced by the first, the last, the only or superlatives. e.g. Newton was the first person who really understood the laws of gravity. to really understand Notice that it is not possible to reduce relative clauses all the time, especially when there is confusion with time: e.g. Scientists who have developed the technique are optimistic that it will be widely used in developing: X laboratories within the next decade. 2
TASK 1: Mark the best choice. A. EAT YOUR TOMATOES Study Finds They Help Reduce Cancer Risk WASHINGTON Eating lots of fresh and processed tomatoes can lower the risk of many kinds of cancer, according to a study (1) today. The study analyzed 72 past studies (2) the link between various cancers and the consumption of tomatoes and tomato-based products. Some of the studies also analyzed the blood levels of lycopene, a compound (3) in tomatoes that protects cells from cancer-causing oxidants. In all, 57 of the 72 past studies linked tomato intake with a reduced risk of cancer, Dr. Edward Giovannucci of Harvard Medical School said in the report (4). Dr. Clare Hasler, executive director of the Functional Foods for Health Program at the University of Illinois, (5) Giovannucci s work the most comprehensive to date on this issue. It shows that people (6) a large amount of tomatoes have a reduced risk for a number of types of cancers, she said. 1. a) has been published 2. a) that had examined 3. a) is principally found b) was published b) had examined b) which principally found c) published c) were examined c) principally finding d) publishing d) examined d) principally found 4. a) wrote 5. a) who called 6. a) eat b) he wrote b) called b) who eats c) in which he wrote c) she called c) eating d) was written d) where she called d) to eat B. REVIEW OF THE MOVIE: TITANIC by William H. Garzke, Jr. The loss of the Titanic, (1) one of the worst maritime tragedies of the twentieth century, has been a popular subject for many books, movies, short stories, and television documentaries. The movie "Titanic" is the latest of many of the movies (2) this disaster. It is a movie (3) an awesome and expensive recreation of this famous ocean liner was used. The movie is long, very detailed in part, and contains a shipboard romance that ends with the tragic loss of the ship. It has very exciting moments, particularly in the flooding scenes, when the main characters of the film are trapped in the ship. The greatest recreations of this movie are the scenes (4) the terror when people try to escape a sinking ship. The film is not entirely accurate from the historical point of view and does not capture all the significant events of this liner's brief and tragic career. An example of such events (5) in the film is the coal fire scene. However, this is not important, because the director, James Cameron, tried to create the historical and fictional voyage of the Titanic. In my review of this film, I am going to critique the major technical inaccuracies. The greatest inaccuracies are seen in the scenes about the ship's breakup. The ship's failure (6) in the film is not the same as the Discovery Channel's detailed television documentary, "Titanic. However, Mr. Cameron said in his defense that it was not his intention to make his movie a historical documentary. Instead, the main theme of his picture was the events surrounding a shipboard romance of his two principal characters set in a scene of a historical tragedy. 3
1. a) was b) that was c) in which d) - 4. a) reflected by b) that reflect c) reflected d) was reflecting 2. a) has been describing b) was described c) describing d) described 5. a) not described b) not describing c) is not described d) does not describe 3. a) in which b) which c) whose d) - 6. a) shows b) is shown c) shown d) showing TASK 2: Read the text and then determine whether the reduced forms below are grammatically correct. If the reduced form is correct write (C), if not write (I) and correct the mistake. (1)People who are running for office are having to make changes in order to appeal to today's youth. (2)Old-style politicians who boast twenty-five years or more of experience are having difficulty getting younger voters to join their campaigns. (3)A politician who knows how the system works is less valued than a politician who imagines how the system can work in the future. (4)Political loyalties that were once solid and unlikely to change now shift quickly, particularly with so many independent voters. (5)The political power of unions that supported candidates in the past are now weakening and under serious attack. (6)In the past, politicians who were successful only had to concern themselves with effectively using the television and the news media. (7)Nowadays, politicians who may know nothing about tweeting and posting on social media sites have to appear as if they do. (8)Modern politicians who run for office require a lot of money for expenses. At the same time, modern politicians cannot appear wealthy. (9)They must appear to be like the average person who is struggling with work, family and healthcare. (10)A successful, modern politician is charismatic, captures the imagination of the country's youth and motivates them to work for the good of all. 1. Politicians run for office are having to make changes in order to appeal to today's youth. I running for office 2. Old-style politicians boasting twenty-five years or more of experience are having difficulty getting younger voters to join their campaigns. C 3. A politician knowing how the system works is less valued than a politician who imagines how the system can work in the future. I not parallel - imagining how the system can work in the future 4. Political loyalties were once solid and unlikely to change now shift quickly, particularly with so many independent voters. I (which were) once solid and unlikely to change 5. The political power of unions supported candidates in the past are now weakening and under serious attack. I supporting candidates in the past 6. In the past, politicians being successful only had to concern themselves with effectively using the television and the news media. I successful politicians 4
7. Nowadays, politicians knowing nothing about tweeting and posting on social media sites have to appear as if they do. C 8. Modern politicians require a lot of money for expenses running for office. I Modern politicians running for office 9. The Modern politicians y must appear to be like the average person struggled with work, family and healthcare. I struggling with work, family and healthcare 10. A successful, modern politician is charismatic, capturing the imagination of the country's youth and motivates them to work for the good of all. I captures the imagination of the country's youth TASK 3: Some parts of the following text have been left out. Fill in the blanks with relative clauses by using the sentences given below. The sentences given for each paragraph are not in the right order. Change the given sentences into relative clauses by adding necessary relative pronouns and also giving the reduced forms where possible. Do not forget to add commas where necessary. A. When oil prices have doubled to $80 and a second great depression threatens global political stability, the president of the United States will impanel a Sept. 11-style commission to explain the intelligence and policy failures (1) leading to the crisis. The verdict will be familiar: The stunning blow to the world economy (2) brought about by the sudden, unexpected depletion of fossil fuels should have been anticipated and prevented. When that day comes in five years or perhaps 20, who knows many of the key exhibits will have been penned by Matthew Simmons, (3) a Houston energy analyst and banker at Simmons & Co. International. Simmons is now shouting from the rooftops that the world is fast running out of affordable oil and gas, and that no amount of Middle Eastern pumping can bail us out. While much of the so-called peak oil story is well known, what's news is Simmons startling claim, (4) based on personal analysis, that Saudi Arabia s pumping capacity is in decline. Aramco, the company (5) in charge of Saudi oil operations, disputes Simmons assertion and has debated him in public policy forums, but Simmons isn't easily dismissed, as he's no antiestablishment crank. In addition to his role as chief executive of a major energy-focused investment bank, (6) counting the Halliburton Company and the World Bank among its clients, he s a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and was an advisor to President Bush s election campaign and Vice President Dick Cheney s infamous energy task force. (a) Aramco is in charge of Saudi oil operations. (b) Simmons startling claim is based on personal analysis. (c) A stunning blow to the world economy was brought about by the sudden, unexpected depletion of fossil fuels. (d) Some intelligence and policy failures led to the crisis. (e) A major energy-focused investment bank counts the Halliburton Company and the World Bank among its clients. (f) Matthew Simmons is a Houston energy analyst and banker at Simmons & Co. International. 5
B. I was listening to the radio the other day. I was fascinated by this live call-in program (1) during which people called in to describe their invention wishes. One woman took part in the program and started to describe her invention and explained the reason why she had such a wish. Her wish was for the invention of language pills (2) automatically enabling someone to speak a foreign language. This, I thought, was a brilliant idea, because I, myself, am not a very good language learner. Her invention wish reminded me of my days in high school (3) when I was having a hard time learning Latin. Another idea was the suggestion to have eyeglass prescription drops. This also caught my fancy. With this invention, wearing eyeglasses would no longer be necessary for people (4) having difficulties in seeing. (a) I was having a hard time learning Latin then. (b) The pills automatically enable someone to speak a foreign language. (c) These drops contained their specific prescriptions. (d) During the program, people called in to describe their invention wishes. (e) These people have difficulties in seeing. C. The Titanic disaster was probably the most tragic disaster in the history of civil marine. The disaster resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people, (1) many of whom were second and third class passengers. The heartbreaking tragedy of the disaster is, indeed, reflected very well in the movie Titanic, (2) in which Kate Winslet and Leonardo Di Caprio are featured/ featuring Kate Winslet and Leonardo Di Caprio, but there are many major inaccuracies. One of the biggest inaccuracies in the film is the way the sinking of the ship has been depicted. A detailed study was done on this tragic accident as well as on the remains of the Titanic. The research, (3) conducted by the Marine Forensic Council, showed that the Titanic sank at a much smaller angle than depicted in the movie. The results of the council s professional work were covered in a Discovery Channel production in 2002, (4) when lots of viewers finally found out about the truth. a) Many of them were second and third class passengers. b) The research was conducted by the Marine Forensic Council. c) This showed that ships could sink at large angles. d) Kate Winslet and Leonardo Di Caprio are featured in the movie. e) Lots of viewers finally found out about the truth then. DBE / METU 2017 6