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LECTURE 4
Relative clause
gives extra information about nouns.
follows the noun that it describes.
Position in a sentence: a. at the end
b. in the middle
A. object relative clause: I enjoyed the concert which we went to last night.
B. subject relative clause: She has never met the lecturer that is leading today's seminar.
Relative clause
gives information about the head of the noun phrase/antecedent
I talked to the people who live there.
the people ......antecedent
who......relative pronoun – links the relative clause to the antecedent
Relative pronouns
who (subjective); whom (objective form)
whose (possessive form)
which, that, zero
Zero relative pronoun – missing element at the beginning of a relative clause
The people { [ ] she works with }are very friendly.
Relative adverbs
can be used instead of relative pronouns
make the sentence easier to understand:
when (= in/on which), where (= a place at/in which), why (= a reason for which).
This is the shop in which I bought my bike.
This is the shop where I bought my bike.
Relative clauses
A. Restrictive (defining) relative clauses
B. Non-restrictive(non-defining) relative clauses
Defining/restrictive relative clauses
 give detailed information - used in definitions
 not in commas
 indispensable for NP meaning.
A seaman is someone who works on a ship.
Object pronouns in clauses can be dropped.
The boy {(who/whom) we met yesterday} is very nice. (CONTACT CLAUSE)
Non-defining/non-restrictive RC
-
give additional information on sth, in commas
can be left out without the change of meaning of the antecedent.
Do you know the girl, who is talking to Tom?
-
who/which may not be replaced with that.
object pronouns in clauses must be used: Jim, who/whom we met yesterday, is very
nice.
Reduced relative clauses – shortening
1. leaving out the relative pronoun and the verb
A home page is a document /which is/ on the World Wide Web.
2. using the - ing participle
I told you about the woman who lives next door.
I told you about the woman living next door.
3. using to-infinitive in cases of obligation:
Those who have work which they must do...=> Those who have work to do...
4. using a with-phrase:
Subjects who had problems of this type...=> Subjects with problems of this type...
Relative clauses
A. Appositive relative clauses
B. Adnominal relative clauses
C. Sentential relative clauses
COORDINATION AND APPOSITION
C: My husband and my co-author are satisfied with the last chapter. (2 different people)
A: My husband and my co-author is satisfied with the last chapter. (one person)
Two or more noun phrases are in apposition when they have identity of reference.
A. Appositive relative clauses
-
antecedents are abstract nouns such as fact, reply, remark, answer....
the particle that is not an element (subject, object) in the clause structure.
The belief that no one is infallible is well-founded.
I agree with the old saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder.
B. Adnominal relative clauses
-
wh-element is merged with its antecedent.
Whoever did that should admit it frankly.
SUBJECT CLAUSE (The person who did that....NP)
I took what they offered me.
OBJECT CLAUSE (...the thing(s) that they offered me)
C. Sentential relative clauses
-
non-restrictive / non-definying relative clauses whose antecedent is not a NP head but a
whole clause / sentence.
do not function as parts of the sentence structure; are used to comment on the MC
He admires his boss, which surprises me.
He admires his boss, which I find strange.