Dr. Grammar says:

“What’s wrong with these sentences? I live in Vietnam. It is in Southeast Asia. It is a beautiful country.”

EXPLANATION

What is a relative clause?

Quite often when we write or speak we need to describe something. We want to give information about a thing, which of course will be a noun (or noun phrase).

One way to describe a noun/noun phrase is to add a relative clause. A relative clause gives more information about a noun or noun phrase.

For example, you want to describe your cat. Your cat is black, it likes to sleep in the sun, and it is called Mimi. One way to say this would be:

My cat, which is called Mimi, is black and loves to sleep in the sun.

“Cat” is the noun we want to describe, so we say “which” and add the extra information.

Why should we use relative clauses?

Relative clauses are great for two main reasons.

1. To combine sentences together.

2. To make what we say more interesting, and of a higher level.

Let’s look at the sentence above again:

My cat, which is called Mimi, is black and loves to sleep in the sun.

Without a relative clause, we would probably have to say:

My cat is called Mimi. It is black and loves to sleep in the sun.

Or

My cat is called Mimi and is black and loves to sleep in the sun.

These sentences are not wrong, but both use very basic grammar, and the second has “and” too many times.

How do we use relative clauses?

To use a relative clause, follow these steps:

1. Choose the noun you want to add more information about.

2. Decide which relative pronoun to use –

a. People = who/that/whom

b. Possession = whose

c. Things/animal = which/that

d. Places = where

3. Add the extra information about the noun after the relative pronoun.

So…

I live in Vietnam. It is in Southeast Asia. It is a beautiful country. X

I live in Vietnam, which is in Southeast Asia and is a beautiful country. √

Or

I live in Vietnam, which is a beautiful country in Southeast Asia. √

EXERCISE

Now look at the following sentences and fill the gaps with the correct relative pronoun:

1. I live in Ho Chi Minh City ………………….. is the biggest city in Vietnam.

2. My friend has a great coffee shop ………………….. I like to hang out.

3. She is the girl ………………….. father works in the USA.

4. There are many people in Vietnam ………………….. want to study English.

5. The tiger, ………………….. is one of the most beautiful animals on the planet, is nearly extinct in Vietnam ………………….. people still hunt it illegally.

Answers:

1. which, 2. where, 3. whose, 4. who/that, 5. which, where

FURTHER PRACTICE

Read the article “The Great Wall of Vietnam” and find as many relative clauses as you can. For each relative clause, identify the relative pronoun, and then identify the noun (or noun phrase) that the relative clause is describing.

After you have completed the above, use the following nouns and noun phrases to write sentences using relative clauses, using the lesson above to help you:

Asia                       roses                      dogs

Australia               rice                          coffee

my best friend     the wet season     pop music

(Also, look out for further lessons on relative clauses in weeks to come!)

This material is provided by the Australian Centre for Education and Training (ACET).