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Subordinating with Adjective/ Relative Clauses The job of an English and Arabic adjective or relative clause is similar to that of an adjective or adjectival phrase. All describe a noun or noun phrase; sometimes these words, phrases and clauses are essential to the meaning, in other words they define some noun in the sentence and are known as defining relative clauses. Sometimes they add more information without being essential and are known as non-defining relative clauses. We can also reduce relative clauses by omitting certain parts. There are rules for doing all of these and you must learn the grammar of relative clauses.
Part 1.1 Defining relative clauses with definite reference: Activity 1 Ø Read the following sentences and circle the noun/ noun phrase in each one. Ø Say what the function of each of the underlined words/ phrases is. §
The tall girl opened the door. The tall, clever, Emirati girl opened the door.
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Important developments in communication technology have changed our lives.// Important, innovative developments in communication technology have changed our lives.
Ø Where is each word and phrase located in terms of the noun described? Ø Read the following sentences and underline the noun phrases that are repeated. Say what the function of the second sentence is in each example and if the meaning is clear without the second sentence? §
The girl is extremely clever. The girl wrote the story.
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Recent developments in communication technology are very expensive. Recent developments in communication technology are essential to the success of the company.
Ø The two sentences can be combined into one; this improves writing style. § The girl who wrote the story is extremely clever. §
Recent developments in communication technology which (that) are essential to the success of the company are very expensive.
Ø Find the main clause and relative clause in each example? Ø Where is each describing clause located in terms of the noun described? Ø What is the relative pronoun i.e. the word that refers to the noun in each example?
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Review v The function of adjective/ relative clauses is to add more information that describes a noun or noun phrase in a sentence and to make meaning clear and precise. In the examples above, the meaning would not be clear without the describing – relative clauses to make clear ‘the girl’ and the ‘developments in communication technology’ being talked about. This is often referred to as a defining relative clause.
Activity 2 Ø Read the following English and Arabic sentences. Underline the main clause; put brackets around the relative clause and draw a line from the relative pronoun to the noun it refers to. The first one has been done for you. English
ﻋﺮﺑﻲ
The student (who comes early) succeeds.
.(ﻳﯾﻨﺠﺢ ﺍاﻟﻄﺎﻟﺐ )ﺍاﻟﺬﻱي ﻳﯾﺄﺗﻲ ﺑﺎﻛﺮﺍا
The students who come early succeed.
.ﻳﯾﻨﺠﺢ ﺍاﻟﻄﻼﺏب ﺍاﻟﺬﻳﯾﻦ ﻳﯾﺄﺗﻮﻥن ﺑﺎﻛﺮﺍا
The student whom you taught last year went to America in the summer.
ﺍاﻟﻄﺎﻟﺐ ﺍاﻟﺬﻱي ّﺩد ّﺭرﺳﺘَﻪﮫ ﺍاﻟﺴﻨﺔ ﺍاﻟﻤﺎﺿﻴﯿﺔ ﺫذﻫﮬﮪھﺐ ﺇإﻟﻰ ﺃأﻣﺮﻳﯾﻜﺎ .ﻓﻲ ﺍاﻟﺼﻴﯿﻒ
The students whom you taught last year went to America in the summer.
ﺍاﻟﻄﻼﺏب ﺍاﻟﻠﺬﻳﯾﻦ ﺩد ّﺭرﺳﺘﻬﮭﻢ ﺍاﻟﺴﻨﺔ ﺍاﻟﻤﺎﺿﻴﯿﺔ ﺫذﻫﮬﮪھﺒﻮﺍا ﺇإﻟﻰ .ﺃأﻣﺮﻳﯾﻜﺎ ﻓﻲ ﺍاﻟﺼﻴﯿﻒ
The girl who reads books learns new words quickly.
.ﺍاﻟﺒﻨﺖ ﺍاﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﻘﺮﺃأ ﺍاﻟﻜﺘﺐ ﺗﺘﻌﻠﻢ ﻛﻠﻤﺎﺕت ﺟﺪﻳﯾﺪﺓة ﺑﺴﺮﻋﺔ
The girls who read books learn new words quickly.
ﺍاﻟﺒﻨﺎﺕت ﺍاﻟﻠﻮﺍاﺗﻲ ﻳﯾﻘﺮﺍاﻥن ﺍاﻟﻜﺘﺐ ﻳﯾﺘﻌﻠﻤﻦ ﻛﻠﻤﺎﺕت ﺟﺪﻳﯾﺪﺓة .ﺑﺴﺮﻋﺔ
The girl to whom you write letters visits Dubai every month.
.ﺍاﻟﺒﻨﺖ ﺍاﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﺮﺍاﺳﻠﻬﮭﺎ ﺗﺰﻭوﺭر ﺩدﺑﻲ ﻛﻞ ﺷﻬﮭﺮ
The girls to whom you write letters visit Dubai every month.
.ﺍاﻟﺒﻨﺎﺕت ﺍاﻟﻠﻮﺍاﺗﻲ ﺗﺮﺍاﺳﻠﻬﮭﻦ ﻳﯾﺰﺭرﻥنَ ﺩدﺑﻲ ﻛﻞ ﺷﻬﮭﺮ
The girl whose mother I met has gone to London
ُ .ﻗﺎﺑﻠﺖ ﺃأﻣﻬﮭﺎ ﺫذﻫﮬﮪھﺒﺖ ﺇإﻟﻰ ﻟﻨﺪﻥن ﺍاﻟﺒﻨﺖ ﺍاﻟﺘﻲ
The girls whose mother I met have gone to London.
ُ .ﻗﺎﺑﻠﺖ ﺃأﻣﻬﮭﻦ ﺫذﻫﮬﮪھﺒﻦ ﺇإﻟﻰ ﻟﻨﺪﻥن ﺍاﻟﺒﻨﺎﺕت ﺍاﻟﻠﻮﺍاﺗﻲ
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I saw the film which (that) won the prize.
.ﺭرﺃأﻳﯾﺖ ﺍاﻟﻔﻠﻢ ﺍاﻟﺬﻱي ﻓﺎﺯز ﺑﺎﻟﺠﺎﺋﺮﺓة
Yesterday, I saw the film which (that) you saw last week.
ُ .ﺷﺎﻫﮬﮪھﺪﺕت ﺍاﻟﻔﻠﻢ ﺍاﻟﺬﻱي ﺷﺎﻫﮬﮪھﺪﺗَﻪﮫ ﺍاﻷﺳﺒﻮﻉع ﺍاﻟﻤﺎﺿﻲ ,ﺃأﻣﺲ
I saw the car which (that) came first in the race.
ُ .ﺭرﺃأﻳﯾﺖ ﺍاﻟﺴﻴﯿﺎﺭرﺓة ﺍاﻟﺘﻲ ﺃأﺗﺖ ﺃأﻭوﻻ ﻓﻲ ﺍاﻟﺴﺒﺎﻕق ُ .ﺭرﺃأﻳﯾﺖ ﺍاﻟﺴﻴﯿﺎﺭرﺓة ﺍاﻟﺘﻲ ﺍاﺷﺘﺮﻳﯾﺘﻬﮭﺎ ﺃأﻧﺖ
I saw the car which (that) you bought. The house where (in which) I lived as a child belonged to my grandfather.
ُ ﺇإﻥن ﺍاﻟﺒﻴﯿﺖ ﺍاﻟﺬﻱي ِﻋ ﺸﺖ ﻓﻴﯿﻪﮫ ﻋﻨﺪﻣﺎ ﻛﻨﺖ ﻁطﻔﻠﺔ ﻫﮬﮪھﻮ ﺑﻴﯿﺖ .ﺟﺪﻱي
The houses where they lived as children belonged to their grandfather.
.ﺇإﻥن ﺍاﻟﺒﻴﯿﻮﺕت ﺍاﻟﺘﻲ ﻋﺎﺷﻮﺍا ﻓﻴﯿﻬﮭﺎ ﻛﺄﻁطﻔﺎﻝل ﻫﮬﮪھﻲ ﺑﻴﯿﻮﺕت ﺟﺪﻫﮬﮪھﻢ
Ø What do you notice about the use of the relative pronoun ‘who’? §
What is its function i.e. is it subject or object in all the relative clauses in the above examples?
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Does ‘who’ change when used to refer to singular or plural nouns? What about its translation in Arabic?
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Does ‘who’ change when used to refer to masculine or feminine nouns? What about its translation in Arabic?
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Does ‘who’ refer to humans, animals or objects?
Ø What do you notice about the verb that goes with ‘who’ in the singular and plural? Ø What do you notice about the use of the relative pronoun ‘whom’? §
What is its function i.e. is it subject or object in all the relative clauses in the above examples?
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Does ‘whom’ change when used to refer to singular or plural nouns? What about its translation in Arabic?
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Does ‘whom’ change when used to refer to masculine or feminine nouns? What about its translation in Arabic?
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Does ‘’ whom refer to humans, animals or objects?
Ø What do you notice about the use of the relative pronoun ‘whose’?
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What is the function of ‘whose’ in the above examples? Read the Arabic translation to help you?
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Does ‘whose’ change when used to refer to singular and plural nouns?
Ø What do you notice about the use of the relative pronoun ‘which/ that’ (‘that’ can replace ‘which’ in defining relative clauses but not in non-defining)? §
What is its function i.e. subject or object in the above examples?
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Does ‘which/ that’ change when used to refer to masculine and feminine nouns? What about its translation in Arabic?
Ø What do you notice about the use of the relative pronoun ‘where’? §
What is its function i.e. subject or object in the above example?
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Does ‘where’ change when used to refer to singular and plural nouns?
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What do you notice about its translation in Arabic?
Review v The function of relative clauses in English and Arabic is the same but the grammar is different. The relative pronoun in English changes in the subject and object position depending on whether we are talking about humans (who, whom) or animals and objects (which, that). In Arabic, the choice of pronoun depends only on the gender of the word i.e. masculine or feminine. The relative pronoun ‘whose’ used to show relationship between two nouns can be used for humans, animals and objects. Relative pronouns in English do not change form when referring to singular and plural. However, the verb form must agree with the word being referred to i.e. is it singular or plural e.g. ‘student who comes// students who come’ The relative pronoun in English replaces a noun and also indicates the function of that noun in the sentence. There is no need to add a pronoun after a verb to show object or after a noun to show relationship (possession). This is not the case in Arabic as you should have noticed from the examples above. The Arabic relative pronoun remains the same for all cases so a pronoun is added to the end of a verb to show object and to the end of a noun to show relationship as in ‘( ‘ )ﺍاﻟﻄﺎﻟﺐ ﺍاﻟﺬﻱي ﺩدﺭرﺳﺘﻪﮫand ‘(’)ﺍاﻟﺘﻲ ﻗﺎﺑﻠﺖ ﺃأﻣﻬﮭﺎ and ‘( ‘ –) ﺍاﻟﺒﻴﯿﺖ ﺍاﻟﺬﻱي ﻋﺎﺷﺖ ﻓﻴﯿﻬﮭﺎthe student whom I taught him’ ‘the girl who I met her mother’, ‘the house where I lived in it’ – this direct translation from Arabic is not correct in English.
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The relative pronoun must come as close as possible to the noun it modifies.
Activity 3 Ø In the following sentences, underline the relative pronoun and draw a line to the noun it modifies or refers to. §
The customer who bought the new DVD yesterday returned it today.
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Consumers do not wish to eat food that has been treated with pesticides.
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There are many viruses, fungi and bacteria that cause plant diseases.
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The students whose friends have graduated want to finish their courses as quickly as possible.
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It is possible to find some modern nations which are similar to Sparta, the ancient Greek city state.
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The mother who goes out to work may find she does not have enough time to spend with her children.
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A genetically modified organism (GMO) is a plant, animal or microorganism whose genetic code has been altered, subtracted, or added to in order to give it characteristics that it does not have naturally
Ø In the following sentences, cross out the pronouns that are not needed. You may also have to cross out the preposition that goes with the pronoun. §
Mariam liked the jewelry that her friends gave it to her.
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I saw the accident that you told me about it.
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Communication between countries increased with the development of the internet and satellite which many people now use them in their homes.
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Most countries have their own language which people can communicate and understand each other with it.
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The hotel that we stayed in it was very comfortable.
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I did not believe the story that he told it to us.
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Malnutrition is common in third world countries where impoverished peoples rely on a single crop in them as their main food.
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Part 1.2 Defining relative clauses with indefinite reference: Activity 4 Ø Underline the relative clause in each of the following English examples and circle the relative pronoun. Say what each one refers to. English
ﻋﺮﺑﻲ
I met a man who told me the road was closed.
.ﻗﺎﺑﻠﺖ ﺭرﺟﻼ ﺍاﺧﺒﺮﻧﻲ ﺇإﻥن ﺍاﻟﻄﺮﻳﯾﻖ ﻣﻐﻠﻖ
I read a book that explained the reason for the war.
.ﻗﺮﺃأﺕت ﻛﺘﺎﺑﺎ ﺷﺮﺡح ﺳﺒﺐ ﺍاﻟﺤﺮﺏب
A girl whose brother lives in America talked about the good life in New York. A boy who plays football and runs is usually healthy.
ﺗﻜﻠ َﻤﺖ ﺑﻨﺖ ﻳﯾﻌﻴﯿﺶ ﺃأﺧﻮﻫﮬﮪھﺎ ﻓﻲ ﺃأﻣﺮﻳﯾﻜﺎ ﻋﻦ .ﺍاﻟﺤﻴﯿﺎﺓة ﺍاﻟﺠﻴﯿﺪﺓة ﻓﻲ ﻧﻴﯿﻮﻳﯾﻮﺭرﻙك ﻱي ﻭوﻟﺪ ﻳﯾﻠﻌﺐ ﻛﺮﻩه ﺍاﻟﻘﺪﻡم ﻭو ﻳﯾﺠﺮﻱي ﺗﻜﻮﻥن ﺻﺤﺘﻪﮫ ّ ﺃأ .ﺟﻴﯿﺪﺓة
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Is the noun referred to in each example definite (with ‘the) or indefinite (with ‘a/ an’)?
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In English, do we use a relative pronoun after an indefinite noun?
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Read the Arabic translation and decide if a relative pronoun is necessary in each case?
Review v There are differences when referring to a definite or an indefinite noun In English, a relative pronoun must be included to refer to definite and indefinite nouns. In Arabic, the relative pronoun is always omitted when it refers to an indefinite noun.
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Part 2 Non-defining relative clauses Activity 5 Ø Underline the main clause in the following sentences. §
Jack Smith, who is a professor in Zayed University, recently published a book on cultural diversity in the United Arab Emirates.
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Ali, who is tall and thin, gave Hamed a football.
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Miriam did very well in her exams, which was surprising.
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I just met Jane, whose sister lives in San Francisco.
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Her uncle, who owns a camel farm, graduated from university with a degree in medicine.
Ø Do you think the information in the relative clause is essential to understanding the whole sentence? Ø How do we separate the non-defining clause from the rest of the sentence?
Review v Eli Hinkel (2004:255) cites Biber et al (1999) when he explains that “In formal academic writing, only 15% of all adjective clauses are nonrestrictive (non-defining), and the information included in them is usually tangential and unnecessary.” In other words, non-defining relative clauses are not very common in academic writing. v However, there are some important points to note about this type of relative clause: You cannot use ‘that’ in place of ‘who’ or ‘which’ The elephant, which is a very big animal, is very valuable as a source of ivory. You cannot leave out the relative pronoun - which can happen in defining relative clauses
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Part 3 Reducing relative clauses Activity 5 Ø Read the sentences with full relative clauses in the left hand column and then with reduced forms in the right hand column. Sentences with full relative clauses
Sentences with reduced relative clauses
Accidents that involve speed are generally fatal.
Accidents involving speed are generally fatal.
Travelers who drive across the desert must bring water.
Travelers driving across the desert must bring water.
Rivers that flow across Europe form important transport networks.
Rivers flowing across Europe form important transport networks.
I see the plane that is flying overhead.
I see the plane flying overhead.
The ships that transported goods from China were often attacked by pirates.
The ships transporting goods from China were often attacked by pirates.
The City Summit conference on the environment that was aiming to raise awareness about environmental issues was held in June 1996.
The City Summit conference on the environment aiming to raise awareness about environmental issues was held in June 1996.
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Underline the relative clause in each sentence in the left-hand column. Put a circle round the relative pronoun. In each example what is the function of the relative pronoun in the relative clause i.e. is it subject or object?
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Now put a circle round the verb/ verb phrase in the relative clause in the left hand column and say what the tense is.
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Look at the right-hand column – what has been omitted in each example?
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What changes have taken place to the verb?
Ø Read the following sentences with full relative clauses. Follow the steps taken above and write sentences with reduced relative clauses. §
The girl who is standing at the door is my sister.
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The merchants who travelled to distant lands often spent months on the road.
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The film that is opening in the cinema next week has received very good reviews.
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People who travel on the new metro will save a lot of time.
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The rulers who governed in ancient times did not always treat their citizens fairly.
Review v The examples in Activity 5 point to one way to reduce relative clauses. The relative pronoun generally occurs in the subject position of the relative clause The verb in the full relative clause is active, generally describes an action rather than a state and can be in any tense. When the clause is reduced, the relative pronoun is deleted and the verb in the relative clause is changed to an active participle (-ing form). Tense is shown only on the main verb in the reduced relative clause.
Activity 6 Ø Read the sentences with full relative clauses in the left hand column and then with reduced forms in the right hand column. Sentences with full relative clauses
Sentences with reduced relative clauses
The classroom that is located at the end of the The classroom located at the end of the hallway is closed for renovations. hallway is closed for renovations. The city of Khartoum that was founded at the The city of Khartoum founded at the junction junction of two rivers centuries ago is still the of two rivers centuries ago is still the capital capital of Sudan. of Sudan. The water that was poured into the tank evaporated because of the heat.
The water poured into the tank evaporated because of the heat.
The employees who were promoted for good work received an increase in salary.
The employees who were promoted for good work received an increase in salary.
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Underline the relative clause in each sentence in the left-hand column. Put a circle round the relative pronoun. In each example what is the function of the relative pronoun in the relative clauses i.e. is it subject or object?
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Now put a circle round the verb phrase in the relative clause in the left hand column and say what the tense is.
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Look at the right-hand column – what has been omitted in each example?
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What changes have taken place to the verb?
Ø Read the following sentences with full relative clauses. Follow the steps taken above and write sentences with reduced relative clauses. §
The elephants that are slaughtered for their tusks die a slow and painful death.
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The park that was built in the city centre is very popular with families.
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The students have finished the essays that were assigned on Monday.
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The food that is prepared at home is much healthier than food that is bought in the cafeteria.
Review v The examples in Activity 6 point to another way to reduce relative clauses. The relative pronoun generally occurs in the subject position of the relative clause The verb in the full relative clause is passive and contains the appropriate part of the verb ‘to be’ and the past participle of the main verb. When the clause is reduced, the relative pronoun and the helping verb ‘to be’ are deleted but the past participle remains unchanged. Tense is shown only on the main verb in the reduced relative clause.
Activity 7 Ø Read the sentences with full relative clauses in the left hand column and then with reduced forms in the right hand column. Sentences with full relative clauses
Sentences with reduced relative clauses
The money that he sent never arrived.
The money he sent never arrived.
The administrator that she sent the email to never responded. / The administrator to whom she sent the email never responded.
The administrator she sent the email to never responded.
The book that I borrowed from the library is excellent.
The book I borrowed from the library is excellent.
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The students whom you taught last semester are doing well.
The students you taught last semester are doing well.
Dubai is a city where you can find amazing buildings.// Dubai is a city which you can find amazing buildings in.
Dubai is a city where you can find amazing buildings.// Dubai is a city you can find amazing buildings in.
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Underline the relative clause in each sentence in the left-hand column. Put a circle round the relative pronoun. In each example what is the function of the relative pronoun in the relative clauses i.e. is it subject or object?
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Now put a circle round the subject of each of the two verbs in the full sentence and say what the tense is.
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Look at the right-hand column – what has been omitted in each example?
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Have any changes taken place to the verbs in the relative or main clauses?
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What do you notice about the use of ‘where’ as a relative pronoun?
Ø Read the following sentences with full relative clauses. Follow the steps taken above and write sentences with reduced relative clauses.
§ I enjoyed the film that we went to last night. § This is the car that I was talking about. § There is the garage that I bought the car from. § The garden in the house that Andrew lives in is very beautiful. § The garbage that you threw out should have been recycled. Review v The examples in Activity 7 point to another way to reduce relative clauses. The relative pronoun generally occurs in the object position (direct or indirect) of the relative clause The verbs in the relative clause and the main clause may show different tenses. When the clause is reduced, the relative pronoun is deleted. Tense is shown only on the main verb in the reduced relative clause.
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Activity 8 Ø Use the information you have learned in activities 5, 6 and 7 to reduce the relative clauses where possible in the following sentences. §
The amount of land and water that is needed to produce food for the human race is increasing.
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The countries that are situated in North Africa were colonized by the French who controlled the area that is now known as the Maghreb.
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Essays that are written in simple but correct English should get a good grade.
Activity 9 Ø Join the following pairs of sentences using the information you have learned about relative clauses. §
People around the world can communicate easily because of changes in technology. The changes in technology are a direct result of globalization.
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Globalization is a trend. The trend can be seen in major cities and developed countries throughout the world.
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People face problems because of new eating habits. These habits harm people’s bodies and cause disease.
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Technological development has improved communication significantly. This improved communication allows people to enjoy better and easier ways of staying in touch.
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Freej is an Emirati program. The program helps adults and children understand their traditions and culture.
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