Departamento de Línguas

10º Ano | Inglês

FICHA DE TRABALHO | Novembro | Ano Letivo 2016/2017

The Defining and Non-Defining Relative Clauses

A. RELATIVE PRONOUNS AND ADVERBS

 Who - que - Refers to people /Subject form
 Whom – a quem - Refers to people /Complement form
 Which - que - Refers to Objects /All forms
 That - que - Replaces Who/Which (Defining – não tiver vírgulas)
 Whose - cujo - Possession
 Where - onde = In which /Refers to places / Adverb
 When - quando = On/In which / Refers to time / Adverb

B. DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES – não têm vírgulas – That / Omitir o pronome.

 The relative clause is essential to the meaning of the previous clause because it defines its subject.
 As it is essential, it doesn’t need commas

E.g.: The girl is very pretty. She is dancing with you.

The girl who is dancing with you is very pretty.

Relative Clause (Defining)

 The relative pronoun THAT is very much used in the Defining. It may replace who and which.

C. CONTACT CLAUSES
 The relative pronoun is omitted. It happens when it’s a complement. These are called CONTACT CLAUSES, because the
sentences stay in contact.
 Contact clauses are always Defining.
 The Relative pronoun is the complement.

E.g.: The girl has done a good job. I saw her yesterday.
Whom – refers to people (the girl)
– replaces a complement form (her)

The girl whom I saw yesterday has done a good job.

Defining Relative Clause (essential information)

As her replaces a complement, the pronoun is omitted

Contact Clause

D. NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES – Nunca se pode omitir o pronome/ nem usar o that
 They are extra, additional information.
 The main clause doesn’t need the relative clause to define it. That’s why they are called Non-Defining.
  The relative clause is always placed between commas.

E.g.: My sister is coming to tea. You once met my sister.

My sister, whom you once met, is coming to tea.

Relative Clause (Non-Defining)

 There may never happen the omission of the relative pronoun

 The pronoun THAT can’t be used in these clauses
 The Non-Defining Clauses usually occur in the written language

E.g.: Susan has done a good job. She is wearing a red dress.
Who – refers to people (Susan)
– replaces a subject form (she)

Susan, who is wearing a red dress, has done a good job.

Identified subject
Non-Defining Relative Clause
(superfluous, extra information)

E. Which referring to a whole clause

 Which can refer not only to a noun, but also to the whole of a previous clause.

E.g.: He got married again a year later. It surprised everybody.

He got married again a year later, which surprised everybody.

She cycled from London to Glasgow. It is pretty good for a woman of 75.
She cycled from London to Glasgow, which is pretty good for a woman of 75.

RULES
 1st – Identify and underline the elements in common in both sentences
 2nd – Ask:
People subject – Who
complement– Whom
Possession – Whose
Things / animals – Which
Place – Where
Time – When
 3rd – Unite both sentences using the adequate relative pronoun
 4th – The element in common in the first sentence: is it identified or not identified?
Identified – the relative clause is Non-Defining
Not identified – the relative clause is Defining
 5th – Non-Defining: place commas and it is completed
Defining: don’t place commas
 6 – Defining
th

- if the element in common in the second sentence is a subject, you don’t need to change it
- if the element in common in the second sentence is a complement, then you eliminate it (Contact clause)