Relative Clauses
Relative Clauses follow the nouns they modify, which means they often interrupt the main clause. They begin with relative linkers (all of which are also question words) that both refer to the key noun in the main clause and represent that noun in the embedded clause.
What to Expect
Relative Clauses are also known as Adjectival Clauses; they fill the role of adjectives within main clauses, which means they exist to give more information about the nouns they are connected to.
Identifying Relative Clauses requires knowing what clauses are and knowing relative linkers. Forming Relative Clauses is a little bit trickier. Here’s a method of 4 steps to turning two separate sentences into one complex sentence in which one of the clauses is a Relative Clause.
To keep things simple, we’ll only consider ‘non-restrictive’ (or ‘non-defining’) relative clauses while introducing the method.
Prerequisites
Learners should already be familiar with the following:
Parts of Speech: nouns, adjectives, determiners, pronouns, verbs, and adverbs. For the finer points, they should know prepositions as well. Students should also know what subjects and objects are.
Relative Linkers, which are essentially the same as question words: who, which (instead of what), where, when, and whose.
Clauses are sets of properly-ordered words which include or are connected to a subject and a verb phrase that are in agreement with one another.
Relative Clauses serve as adjectives within main clauses; they modify nouns just like single-word adjectives do. Students should know how adjectives modify nouns since relative clauses are an extension of that.
Proficiency Level
Students at the B2 level are expected to know Relative Clauses. They’ll likely start learning to make them at an Intermediate level (or 4th out of 6),* though relative linkers are often taught a level earlier.
*actual starting level varies from one course-book series to the next
The 4 Steps
1. Find the common element in both clauses. Let’s call it ⭐.
2. a) Decide which of the clauses is the relative one. The other is the main clause.
b) Place the relative clause after ⭐ in the main clause.
3. Remove ⭐ from the relative clause.
4. Add the corresponding relative linker at the front of the relative clause.
Bonus Notes
Practice Activity
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