Download 267 Task 1 - University of Exeter

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
EFPM 267: LANGUAGE AWARENESS
Task 1: Grammar Analysis Task (B)
Student ID
620033084
5 November 2012
Submitted to Susan Riley
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Introduction
Relative clauses are sometimes called adjective clauses because they are used to modify nouns or
pronouns. They contain relative pronouns including who, which, where, whose, when, why, and that,
which act as the subject, object of a verb, or object of a preposition in the clause. (Azar, 1999:268) The
concept of relative clauses can be simplified in grammars, yet their use is often more complex and
difficult for students. In figure 1, I analyze a sample sentence with a relative clause. I then describe the
two basic types of relative clauses before addressing aspects that can be problematic for students. The
final section discusses ways this type of language analysis expands my own grammatical knowledge.
Figure 1-Analysis of Main Sentence
S
S
A
C
V
O
S
V
A
(clause)
(clause)
(clause)
(clause)
Obj C
NP
NP
det.
The
VP
AdjP (postmodifier)
PP
(postmodifier)
O
NP
NP
VP
AdvP
AdjP
noun
prep
noun
relative
pron
pron
aux.
verb
phrasal
verb (pp)
adverb
verb
det.
adverb
(submodifier)
adjective
noun
speaker
from
Bristol,
who
nobody
had
heard of
before,
gave
a
really
interesting
talk.
(Flabb, 2005)
Types of Relative Clauses
Indentifying Relative Clauses
Indentifying clauses define which person, place, or thing is being referred to (Swan, 1996:489). They are
often used to distinguish one from many. For example, in the sentence ‘My sister that lives in Virginia
has a dog.’ the implication is that I have many sisters and am specifying the one that lives in Virginia.
Any relative pronoun can be used in indentifying clauses, with that being used only in indentifying
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clauses, and they do not take any addition punctuation to set them off in the sentence. These clauses
are also called defining, restrictive (Swan, 1996:489), or essential relative clauses (Azar 1999:281).
Non-identifying Relative Clauses
Non-identifying clauses describe a person, place, or thing that is already specified (Swan, 1996:490).
They do not distinguish one from many, but give more information about one that is known. For
example, in figure 1, ‘The speaker from Boston’ defines who is being discussed while the relative clause
‘who nobody had heard of before’ provides additional information. Non-identifying relative clauses take
any relative pronoun apart from that, and require a comma before and after to set them off in the
sentence (Swan 1996:490, Azar 1999:281). These clauses are also called non-defining non-restrictive
(Swan, 1996:490), or non-essential clauses (Azar 1999:281).
Student Difficulties
Clause Types
When trying to recognize and use relative clauses, distinguishing ‘necessary’ information from ‘extra’
information can prove difficult. While it can be useful to ask if the clause specifies part of a larger group
(one of many) or not, this doesn’t always give the whole picture. The ability to differentiate may be
easier for students when producing their own sentences, however, it can take some time to develop
when studying form and meaning in example sentences.
Pronoun Choice
Relative pronouns can be categorized to help students choose the correct pronoun. This creates ‘rules’
such as: who is used when talking about a person, or which is used when talking about a place or thing
(Azar, 1999:268). However, it becomes more complicated as additional pronouns are included and
sentences become more complex. For example, whom can be used instead of who to describe a person
when acting as the object of the clause, though this is formal and possibly outdated (Chalker, 1984:252),
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and whose is used instead of who to show possession when talking about a person (Swan, 1996:491). In
addition to pronoun function in the clause, formality, and nature of the modified noun, students must
also consider the type of relative clause being used, and all these factors can prove confusing.
Punctuation and Clause Placement
The difficulty with punctuation lies in determining if a clause is indentifying or non-identifying.
However, despite the seemingly simple rules of punctuating relative clauses (i.e. no addition
punctuation for identifying clauses, a comma before and after non-identifying clauses), punctuation can
prove to be difficult to remember and use correctly.
A relative clause usually follows directly after the noun it modifies, but determining the modified noun
can be difficult for students, especially when there is more than one noun in the main sentence. In
addition, these clauses are sometimes called adjective clauses, and it can be confusing that adjectives
precede nouns while adjective clauses follow them. Also, as Swan points out, relative clauses can be
separated from their nouns by descriptive phrases, and this can cause additional confusion. (1996:489)
Inclusion of Extra Pronouns
In relative clauses, the relative pronoun can act as a subject or an object, and inclusion of other
pronouns in the clause depends on the function of the relative pronoun. In the sentence ‘My sister, who
lives in Virginia, has a dog.’ who is the subject of the relative clause, so no other pronoun is necessary.
However, in figure 1, the relative pronoun who acts as the object of the verb ‘had heard of’ and
therefore a subject pronoun is needed. Determining of the role of the relative pronoun can be difficult,
causing students to overuse additional pronouns in their clauses.
Omission of Object Pronouns
One final area of confusion is that relative pronouns acting as objects can be omitted from the clause in
less formal contexts (Swan, 1996:491). For example, in the sentence, ‘The restaurant that I like is on
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Main Street.’, the object pronoun that could be omitted, and the sentence is still correct. Yet omission
does not work when the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause, and this provides one more level
of complexity.
Development of Personal Grammatical Awareness
Language analysis tasks like this one remind me of the complexities of language forms and meanings
that are so ingrained in my use of English as an L1 that I often take an understanding of them for
granted. Without analyzing grammar, I am often at a loss to explain the why, when, and how of my
language use, and find it difficult to illustrate the larger contextual implications of language choices.
This type of analysis allows me to deconstruct complex language into smaller parts, gives me more
knowledge to take into the classroom, and helps me sympathize with the difficulties of my students,
anticipate areas that may be problematic, and provide more effective methods of instruction.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Azar, B. (1999). Understanding and Using English Grammar. (3rd ed.) White Plains, NY: Pearson
Education
Chalker, S. (1984). Current English Grammar. London: MacMillan Publishers.
Flabb, N. (2005). Sentence Structure. (2nd ed.) London: Routledge
Swan, M. (1996). Practical English Usage. (2nd ed.) Oxford: Oxford University Press
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