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Episode: Relative clauses

Author: BBC Radio
Duration: 00:06:09

Episode Shownotes

Learn how to use defining and non-defining relative clauses.FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters LIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️6 Minute English ✔️6 Minute Vocabulary ✔️The English We Speak They're all

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Full Transcript

00:00:00 Speaker_09
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

00:00:06 Speaker_02
This is a download from BBC Learning English. To find out more, visit our website. Hello.

00:00:16 Speaker_00
Welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Callum. And me, Catherine. Hello.

00:00:20 Speaker_02
In this programme, we're talking about relative clauses.

00:00:24 Speaker_03
Yes, relative clauses add information about the person or thing that you're talking about. There are two kinds of relative clauses – defining and non-defining.

00:00:37 Speaker_08
Let's begin with defining relative clauses. Here's Finn with an example.

00:00:48 Speaker_09
The man whose phone I found gave me a reward. Thanks, Finn.

00:00:52 Speaker_09
The clause, whose phone I found, is a defining relative clause because it identifies which man Finn is talking about.

00:00:55 Speaker_07
If I ask the question, which man, the relative clause answers it. The man whose phone I found. That's right.

00:01:10 Speaker_09
And relative clauses usually start with a relative pronoun. We use who for people, which for things, that for both people and things, and whose where a possessive is needed. Let's hear another defining relative clause. I've lost the t-shirt that my mother gave me. How careless of you, Finn.

00:01:30 Speaker_09
Sorry.

00:01:36 Speaker_07
Anyway, here the relative clause, that my mother gave me, tells us which t-shirt Finn is talking about. I've lost the t-shirt that my mother gave me. Let's move on to non-defining relative clauses. Here's an example. David's mother, who was born in Mexico, is my sister's Spanish teacher. OK.

00:01:58 Speaker_08
The phrase, who was born in Mexico, is a non-defining relative clause.

00:02:01 Speaker_09
It doesn't answer the question, which mother, because David only has one mother. Instead, the relative clause gives us extra information about David's mother – she was born in Mexico. In fact, if we leave the relative clause out entirely, the sentence still makes sense.

00:02:20 Speaker_08
David's mother is my sister's Spanish teacher.

00:02:25 Speaker_07
Now let's look again at relative pronouns. We can use them to refer to the subject or object of a clause. Finn, who is Daniel Radcliffe?

00:02:38 Speaker_07
Daniel Radcliffe is the actor who played Harry Potter. In this sentence, the relative pronoun who refers to the subject, Daniel Radcliffe.

00:02:46 Speaker_09
Daniel Radcliffe plays Harry Potter. And another question for you, Finn. Which sport do you enjoy the most? Well, football is the sport that I enjoy the most, Catherine.

00:03:05 Speaker_09
This time the pronoun that refers to the object and you can usually leave out object pronouns like this. Football is the sport I enjoy the most. For non-defining clauses, you can't leave out the pronoun.

00:03:22 Speaker_07
Also, non-defining relative clauses can't begin with the word that.

00:03:27 Speaker_09
Use which instead, like this. Last year I went to Paris, which is the capital of France. The clause which is the capital of France is giving us extra information. We can leave it out and still understand the sentence.

00:03:49 Speaker_09
Last year I went to Paris. And now it's time for a quiz. Join these sentences together using a defining or non-defining relative clause. Number one. The bus was very late. I took it this morning. The bus that I took this morning was very late.

00:04:07 Speaker_09
Or you could also say, the bus I took this morning was very late. You can. Very good. Number two. My car needs repairing. I only bought it last month.

00:04:18 Speaker_07
My car, which I only bought last month, needs repairing. and that was a non-defining relative clause. Number three – David Beckham has over 20 tattoos.

00:04:41 Speaker_09
He used to play for Manchester United. David Beckham has over 20 tattoos.

00:04:45 Speaker_07
He used to play for Manchester United. David Beckham, who used to play for Manchester United, has over 20 tattoos. Right. And we could also say, David Beckham, who has over 20 tattoos, used to play for Manchester United. And that's the end of the quiz. Well done if you got them all right. Now for a little tip.

00:05:10 Speaker_07
In written English, we put commas around non-defining relative clauses. In spoken English, we leave a small pause for each comma. Listen to this example.

00:05:21 Speaker_09
My sister, who works in Nairobi, is a doctor.

00:05:26 Speaker_07
The pauses tell us that this is a non-defining relative clause, which means Finn has only one sister, so he doesn't need to define her. My uncle, who works in Athens, is a dentist.

00:05:34 Speaker_09
And this time there's no pause, which means it's a defining relative clause. Finn is defining which uncle he's talking about, so he probably has more than one uncle. Thanks, Finn.

00:05:51 Speaker_09
So that's defining and non-defining relative clauses. They start with a relative pronoun and give additional information about the person or thing that you're talking about. There's more about this on our website at bbclearningenglish.com. Join us again for more 6 Minute Grammar. Bye!

00:06:19 Speaker_09
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