Relative clauses in English exercises. Adverbial clauses in English. Types of Relative Clause in English

The English sentence can be compared with the Russian one in that their structure is partially similar, and we are not talking about the members of the sentence, but about the parts of one phrase. So, in the language there are. The second, which will be touched upon in this article, in turn, are compound, where all parts are equal and independent, and complex. A complex sentence is called so because one or more of its parts are subordinate to another, and these subordinating parts themselves can answer different questions and act as different components of the phrase. These features led to the emergence of such a concept as clauses, and determined the classification of types of clauses in accordance with the role in the sentence. This will be discussed in this article. We will look at what subordinate clauses are in English, what types of them are distinguished and how they differ from each other.

General information about accessory parts

The translation of the word clause will be “part”, and then we are talking about those parts of a complex sentence that can convey different meanings and answer different questions. In general, there are main / principal - main and subordinate clauses - subordinate clauses in English (parts). Such a division is very clearly visible in the subjunctive mood, because conditional sentences in English consist directly of such components: the main sentence carries the main essence, and the subordinate part - the condition.

It is worth noting that parts of a complex sentence can be connected either through conjunctions or other linking words, or not have any connecting units. An example of an allied connection:
She was sure that nobody would come to see her off She was sure that no one would come to see her off.

An example of a unionless relationship:
I wish I had been there a few days before– It is a pity that I was not there a few days before.

It is also impossible not to note the fact that the subordinate clauses do not have any specific place, that is, they can either precede the main parts or stand after them:

It was hard to overcome the problem because the task was too difficult– It was difficult to overcome the problem because the task was too difficult

· When he phoned in the evening, I was watching my favorite TV program - When he called in the evening, I was watching my favorite program

Translation of clauses today can also be considered all subordinate clauses, including those that contain the main members of the sentence. This is probably due to the fact that the types of subordinate clauses are very numerous, and when talking about parts of a complex sentence, it is important to emphasize all fragments of the phrase without exception. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the types of clauses in more detail, give examples from different categories and determine what questions a particular type answers.

The main types of accessory parts

It is customary to distinguish the following types of subordinate clauses in English:

1. Subject clause

or, more simply, a part that has a subject in its composition. It shows the relation of this clause to the predicate and can be either at the beginning or at the end and have different conjunctions or linking words in front of it (who, what, which, where, that, etc.):

What does he want to do is to go away right now - What he wants to do is leave right now

2. Predicative clause - subordinate predicates

In many ways, they resemble the previously described subject clauses, since they also contain one of the two main members. In addition, approximately the same conjunctions and connecting elements are also used before them - who, what, that, how, why, etc. The only difference is that those subordinate clauses in English that have a predicative usually stand in the second half:

The problem was how the boys could reach that place– The problem was how the boys could get to that place

3. Object clause - additional clauses

In fact, they perform the function of a full-fledged supplement. Additional subordinate clauses can be connected to the main part through a variety of conjunctions and connecting elements - that, is, what, who, whatever, whoever, etc. Such parts are also called explanatory and answer questions of indirect cases: what? about whom? etc.:

He always does what his mother tells him to do He always does what his mother tells him to do.

4. Attributive clauses

They play the role of definitions and are associated with either nouns or pronouns that are in the main clause. Attributive sentences in English can be linked to main clauses through different elements: they can be relative pronouns (who, that, which, etc.), relative adverbs (when, where), and the method can also be non-union. Complicated sentences with attributive clauses are quite popular because of the possibility of different ways of agreeing with the main part; Usually the attributive clause answers the question which one? and may look like this:

He started in the hope that everyone would support him He started in the hope that everyone would support him.

5. Adverbial clauses - adverbial clauses

which constitute perhaps the largest subgroup. Complicated sentences with adverbial clauses are very common, as they convey a lot of meanings and have several separate subtypes. It is logical to assume that NGN with adverbial adverbial clauses has a part in the circumstance function inside, which can have different meanings and be used to display different situations. So, any table with these types will offer the following options:

a) Adverbial clause of time

Quite often, parts of time and conditions stand together, since both subordinate conditions and time are clearly reflected in the subjunctive mood, where they have special grammatical norms for the formation of time. Temporary clauses have conjunctions that precede them - as, as soon as, till, until, when, etc.:
As soon as I saw her, I called my friends to tell them this news - As soon as I saw her, I called my friends to tell them this news

b) Adverbial clauses of place

There is usually nothing complicated in them, and the words that precede them are somehow connected with the place - where, wherever:
I feel good where I live– I feel good where I live

c) Adverbial clauses of purpose

Their essence lies in the name itself: they convey the purpose for which the action is performed. They are preceded by well-known structures such as in order, so that, etc.:

I looked at him so that he could understand the seriousness of my intention I looked at him so that he could understand the seriousness of my intention.

d) Of cause

This part is designed to show this or that reason in relation to the main part. May begin with unions because, for, since, as, etc.:

I decided not to go there since I didn't know anyone at that party– I decided not to go there because I didn’t know anyone at that party.

e) Of condition - relative clauses of the condition

They are quite familiar to those who remember Subjunctive Mood and Conditional Sentences. Conditional clauses usually begin with conjunctions such as if (whether), unless, in case, etc.:

In case she comes, nobody will meet her - In case she comes, no one will meet her

f) Of comparison - comparisons

Their essence is quite simple: their translation begins with the words “as if”, “as if”, which are usually expressed through unions identical in meaning as if / as though or other structures: as - as, so - as, etc .:

He looked as if nothing could frighten him He looked like nothing could scare him

g) Of result - the result or, as they are also called, the consequences

The translation of such constructions is “so much so that ...”, “such that ...”. Such clauses are usually expressed through the so that structure, but such a case of its use should not be confused with an adverbial clause of purpose, where the essence will be completely different. Here is what the subordinate corollary looks like:

We were deeply involved in working on the project, so that we didn't hear he come– We were so involved in the work on the project that we did not hear him come

h) Of manner

The conjunction as usually indicates how the action is performed, that is, the way it is performed. For example:
He did everything as you ordered him- He did everything as you ordered him.

i) Adverbial clause of concession

A typical translation from which such a part will begin is “although”, “despite”, etc. Such meanings are expressed through conjunctions although, though, however, despite, etc.:

thought he was free, he refused to help us - Although he was free, he refused to help us

As can be seen from all of the above information, there are quite a few types of subordinate parts of a sentence, but each of them has individual distinctive features in the form of unions that introduce them, therefore big problems and the study of this extended topic usually does not cause difficulties.

A relative clause is a subordinate clause that performs the function of a definition in a sentence.

Let's look at a few sentences with attributive clauses to understand what they are.

my friend who lives in canada has recently divorced. My friend who lives in Canada recently got divorced.

That's the boy who broke my glasses. This is the boy who broke my glasses.

This is the exercise that I couldn't do. This is an exercise that I have not been able to solve.

The poem which you wrote is great! The poem you wrote is great!

The girl whom you wrote is my cousin. The girl you wrote to is my cousin.

This is Mike whose elder sister was on yesterday party. This is Mike, whose older sister was at the party yesterday.

Where is this house which/what did you buy? Where is the house you bought?

As you can see from the examples, Relative Clauses in English can start with such relative pronouns as ( relative pronoun) :

who (who, which - used only with people),

that (what, which - is used with inanimate and animate objects),

which (which - can only be in the middle of a sentence, used with inanimate objects),

whom (to whom - used with animated objects),

whose - whose.

And now let's move on to the most important thing, the Relative clause rules:

Friends, today we will talk about defining and non-defining clauses. I must say right away that there is no such concept in Russian, therefore, for example, in the phrase “Here is the house that Jack built”, we put a comma, but the English (This is the house that Jack built) do not. This topic is very important for the correct translation into English of constructions with the words which, whose, what, etc. So, in English there are so-called relative clauses (subordinate clauses that perform the function of definition). They can be defining (show what or who we are talking about) and non-defining (contain additional information that can be thrown out).

1) Consider first defining clauses, which contain extremely important information that cannot be thrown out without changing the meaning of the phrase. Let's take these examples:
The bike that is broken is in the garage. In this case, using the determinant that is broken, we select an object from a number of others. In other words, we have a lot of bikes, and the one that is now broken is in the garage.

Tom's brother who works at the supermarket is a friend of mine. Question. How many brothers does Tom have? Answer: two or more. In this case, the qualifier who works at the supermarket allows us to distinguish this particular brother from all the others. If we throw out this phrase, we will not be able to understand which of the brothers we are talking about.

Stroke incidence data are obtained from sources that use the ICD (International Code of Diseases) classification systems. We cannot throw out the relative clause, because otherwise there will be clearly not enough information (from sources. From some unknown sources?).

So, defining clauses contain information that is important for understanding the whole phrase, they cannot be thrown away without losing their meaning, they allow you to distinguish a subject from a number of others and Not are separated by commas (yes, yes, despite the fact that in Russian the words which, whose, etc. are always preceded by a comma). It is also worth remembering that with animate nouns it is used who(in colloquial speech it can be replaced with that), and with inanimate ones - which (some authors recommend using only that in defining clauses, others allow both which and that. I suggest stopping only at that to make it easier).

2) Non-defining clauses introduce additional information that can be thrown out, and the meaning of the phrase will still be clear. Recall the bike in the garage and make it a non-defining clause:

The bike , which is broken, is in the garage. In this case, we have only one bike, it is in the garage. The fact that it is broken is additional information that can be thrown away, and the phrase will still be meaningful. NB! Notice the commas and how they are not friends with that! Only which/who!

tom's brother who works at the supermarket, is a friend of mine. Question. How many brothers does Tom have? Answer: one. throwing out who works at the supermarket, we get the same meaning, just without additional information.

Another example of the use of non-defining clauses is sentences with constructions after “what”, for example: Smoking is harmful to health, which is well known to every smoker. Smoking is bad for your health which is well known to every smoker. In such cases, you need to put a comma and use which as the subject. If the sentence is very long, it is better to break it into parts: Smoking is bad for your health. This is well known to every smoker (or, even better, we will remake it into active voice: Every smoker knows it very well).
Lately, I've stopped liking which in such constructs, because sometimes they end up being ambiguous:
Smoking is bad for your health, which is well known to every smoker. - you might think that "health is well known to every smoker."
Therefore, I prefer to write with this, better as a separate sentence.

Finally, how to get rid of this beauty. 🙂

Books that were printed before 1600 are rare and valuable. Tuesday is the only day that is possible for the meeting. Here are some cells that the researcher has identified.

(NB: who/which/that + have cannot be replaced like this: We need to talk about some problems what have arisen during the operation).

Also remember that the phrase after which/who/that refers to the word before it. Accordingly, if this is not the case in a Russian phrase, it is better to construct the translation in such a way as to avoid ambiguity. Here are a couple of fun examples on the subject:

The man who French… The dog that bit me… Let's add additional information about the man and the dog spoke, forgetting that it is impossible to separate the word being defined and that/who: The man on the horse who spoke French… The dog sitting near the building that bit me… 😀

So be mindful of the polyglot horse and only put who/that after the word they refer to!

Definitive clauses in English (Relative clauses)

What is it and how to use it?

Relative clause - or in Russian a definitive clause - is part of a complex sentence that depends on the main one. It usually combines two small sentences into one or just adds new interesting information to make it clearer for you, let's see an example.

I have a mother who works as a doctor. - I have a mother who works as a doctor.

I missed the bus that was going to take me to church. - I missed the bus that was supposed to take me to church.

Defining relative clauses

Defining relative clauses provide important information about

Compare:

1. My sister, who lives in London, is coming to Paris.

2. My sister who lives in London is coming to Paris.

In the first sentence, the subordinate clausewho lives in Londonis a non-defining relative clause. This relative clause gives additional information: I have only one sister and she lives in London. If you omit the information about where my sister lives, it will still be clear what we want to say.

The second sentence is a defining relative clause: I have several sisters, and at the moment I'm talking about a sister who lives in London.

In defining relative clauses, we can omit the linking word

I "ve eaten the pasta (which) I made yesterday.

Restrictive subordinate clauses are not separated by commas when writing.

Non-defining relative clauses (Distributive clauses)

Non-defining relative give additional information about the subject. The subordinate clause in this case is separated from both sides by commas.

That project, which I started years ago, still isn't finished.

Exercises.

1 .

1. That is the shop ____ was awarded as the best shop in the city. 2. The girl ____ brother go with me to the gym is a good singer. 3. The man ____ broke into our house was caught in two days. 4. She visits her grandmother ____ lives in countryside every summer. 5. She was wearing a dress ___ looked like princess’. 6. The bookshelf ____ we bought last week has broken down. 7. The man ___ was sitting on the bench turned around and saw his granddaughter. 8. A woman ____ son was crying paid no attention to him. 9. The woman ____ car had broken down on her way home spend 3 hours waiting for help. 10. My best friend ____ I have known for years will never let me down. 11. He didn't follow the instructions ____ he was given, so he failed to pass the test. 12. The girl ___ lived next door was very shy and couldn't say a word to protect herself at school. 13. I need to buy a laptop ____ can work up to 5 hours without a charger. 14. My father ___ is a doctor has no idea how to repair a car. 15. The photo ____ is placed on the mantel was taken at the picnic two years ago.

2. Put the right relative pronounwho, which, that, when, why, whereorwhose.

His sister, … name is Lara, works at the library.

Her last film, … I couldn't understand at all, was a great success.

Give him something … will take away the pain.

I work in the town … my son lives.

We'll show you the poem … changed my life.

Doctors, … claim money, are shameless.

Is there a shop near here … sells milk?

That's the main reason … I came to you.

I'll never forget my childhood … I was so happy.

People … live in flats shouldn't have animals.

The car … he bought last month is fantastic.

This is the most beautiful waterfall … we have ever seen!

3. Connect the sentences using subordinate clauses.

For example: My dad works in a factory. It makes parts for computers. (My father works in a factory. It makes parts for computers.) - The factory ... makes parts for computers. – The factory where my dad works makes parts for computers. (The factory my father works at makes computer parts.)

There is a bakery near my house. It sells wonderful pies. – The bakery … sells wonderful pies.

They lived in a cottage. It was struck by lightning. – The cottage … was struck by lightning.

Jane made a seafood salad. Nobody likes it. - Nobody likes the salad ... .

Jack is an architect. He designed the Opera House. – Jack is the architect … .

The woman didn't apologize. Her cat bit me. – The woman… didn’t apologize.

Madonna is a famous American singer. Her parents were born in Italy. – Madonna … is a famous American singer.

The apartment is the biggest in the house. The lawyer lives there. – The apartment … is the biggest in the house.

We play tennis in a sports centre. It is very expensive. – The sports centre… is very expensive.

Answers

1. which 2. whose 3. who 4. who 5. that 6. that 7. who 8. whose 9. whose 10. whom 11. that 12. who 13. that 14. who 15. that

whose (His sister, whose name is Lara, works in the library.)

which/that (Her latest film, which I didn't understand at all, was a big success.)

that (Give me something to relieve the pain.)

where (I work in the city where my son lives.)

which/that (We will show you the poem that changed my life.)

who (Doctors demanding money are shameless.)

that/which (Is there a milk shop nearby?)

why (This is the main reason why I came to you.)

when (I will never forget my childhood when I was so happy.)

who (People living in apartments must not have pets.)

which/that (The car he bought last month is fantastic.)

that (This is the most beautiful waterfall we have ever seen!)

The bakery which is near my house sells wonderful pies. (The bakery near my house sells lovely pies.)

The cottage where they lived was struck by lightning. (The cottage they lived in was struck by lightning.)

Nobody likes the salad which Jane made. (No one likes the salad Jane made.)

Jack is the architect who designed the Opera House. (Jack is the architect who designed the Opera House.)

The woman whose cat bit me didn't apologize. (The woman whose cat bit me didn't apologize.)

Madonna, whose parents were born in Italy, is a famous American singer. (Madonna, whose parents were born in Italy, is a famous American singer.)

The apartment where the lawyer lives is the biggest in the house. (The lawyer's apartment is the largest in the house.)

The sports center where we play tennis is very expensive. (The sports center where we play tennis is very expensive.)

Answers:

neither (We asked both of them, but neither of them knows his address.)

either (He lived in Milan and Madrid, but he didn't like either city.)

either – or (She is very slim. I think she is either an athlete or a model.)

either - or (Anna never works all day. She works either in the morning or in the afternoon.)

either (He has 2 cars, but I don't like any of them.)

both (She couldn't make her choice, she liked both of them.)

either (You can go to Oxford either by bus or by train.)

Either (Will you fish or chicken? - It doesn't matter. Either this or that will do.)

(Would you like apple or orange juice? - Neither, thanks. I don't like juice.)

(Will you have a salad or a steak? - Both. I'm so hungry.)

either (Doesn't he use one of the phones?)

neither - nor (My old grandmother could neither read nor write.)

Neither (None of them invited me, so I didn't go there.)

both (You should keep both hands on the steering wheel.)

either (I don't like horror movies and my husband doesn't either.)

Both (Both mom and dad have green eyes.)

neither (I asked two friends to help me with the test, but neither of them knew the answer.)

either (Her dress was either black or brown.)

either (Ask Fred or Linda to buy some milk.)

neither - nor (We can't meet today or tomorrow. I'm terribly busy.)

Either, neither, both

For a more detailed discussion of this topic, see them translations of these unions:

neither ... nor - neither ... nor;

either ... or - or ... or, either ... or;

both ... and - and ... and, both ... and.

Now let's study each of these combinations separately.


Neither ... nor - neither ... nor

This union is negative and serves to connect homogeneous members of the sentence. To make it clearer, consider a few examples.

NeitherKatenorher friend answered the question (the union connects the subjects) - Neither Katya nor her friend answered the question.

We broughtneitherbooksnorcopy-books (alliance connect additions) - We didn't bring any books or notebooks.

We mustn'tneitherhelp,norlend the money to John (conjunction connects the predicates) - We are not obliged to help or lend money to John.

We boughtneitheroldnornew flat (conjunction connects definitions) - We have not bought either the old or the new apartment.

Please note that the unionneither ... norconnects any members of the sentence: these can be subjects, definitions, additions, predicates, etc.

It should be remembered that the combinationneither ... noroften serves to connect subjects, then the predicate is consistent with the nearest subject. But this rule is usually not observed, and the predicate is put in the plural, as shown in the examples above.

Consider this note for an example.

Neithermy friendsnorKate wantsto go to a party - Neither my friends nor Katya want to go to a party (the predicate is consistent with the nearest subject).

Neithermy friendsnorKate want to go to a party - Neither my friends nor Katya want to go to a party (the predicate is plural - this translation is usually used).

It is also necessary to pay attention to the fact that in an English sentence there can be only one negation, and since the unionneither ... nor - negative, the predicate in the sentence must always be affirmative. This is evident from all the above examples.

Ifneither

Study an example.

Weneithersent the parcelnorthe letter - We did not send either the parcel or the letter.

Either ... or - or ... or, either ... or

This union is used in affirmative sentences, connecting homogeneous members. Unlike the union neither ... nor,either ... or, connecting the subjects, is consistent with the nearest of them.

To make the use of this union more clear, study a few examples.

Eitherour classmate,oryour friendhascomplained to the teacher - Either our classmates or your friend complained to the teacher.

Ifeitherdoes not apply to the subject, then it can be placed before the verb-predicate.

They willeitherbuild a restaurantora shopping center in this district - They will build either a restaurant or a shopping center in the area.

If the sentence is negative, then the unioneither ... orcan act as an allianceneither ... nor.

Study an example.

We didn't painteitherceilingorwall - We didn't paint the ceiling or the wall.

Both ... and - and ... and, both ... and

This union is used in affirmative sentences and connects homogeneous members of the sentence. If the union connects the subjects, then the predicate must be used in the plural.

Explore a few examples.

BothJohnandthat engineer refuse to work - Both John and that engineer refuse to work.

We sawboththe universityandthe school - We saw both the school and the university.

1. Choose the appropriate option from the brackets.

We have asked them both but … (neither/both) of them knows his address.

He has lived in Milan and Madrid but he didn’t like … (either/neither) of the cities much.

She is very slim. I think she is … (either/neither) a sportsman … (or/nor) a model.

Anna never works all day. She works … (either/neither) in the morning … (or/nor) after lunch.

He has 2 cars, but I don't like … (either/neither) of them.

She couldn't choose between them, she liked them ... (both/either).

You can take … (either/neither) a bus or a train to get to Oxford.

Would you like fish or chicken? - It doesn't matter. … (Either/Both) will do for me.

Would you like apple juice or orange juice? - … (Either/Neither), thanks. I don't like juice.

Would you like some salad or some steak? - … (Either/Both). I'm so hungry.

Doesn’t he use … (either/neither) of his phones?

My old granny could … (either/neither) read … (or/nor) write.

… (Either/Neither) of them invited me, so I didn't go there.

You should keep … (either/both) hands on the steering wheel.

I don’t like horror films, and my husband doesn’t like … (either/neither).

… (Either/Both) my mother and father have green eyes.

I asked two friends to help me with the test, but … (either/neither) of them knew the answer.

Her dress was … (either/both) black or brown.

Please ask … (either/neither) Fred or Linda to buy some milk.

We can meet … (either/neither) today … (or/nor) tomorrow. I am terribly busy.

Fill in the gaps and complete the sentences. Use either... or, neither... nor, both... and.

1. I drink ... coffee ... hot chocolate.
 2. I didn't like the new book. It was ... interesting ... useful.
 3. I invited two friends, but ... Liz ... Jane could come to the .
 4. Granny promised me a nice dessert. It will be ... a chocolate cake ... an apple pie.
 5. Last year I visited ... London ... St Petersburg.
 6. Alex will phone me ... at five o "clock ... at six o" clock.
 7. No, thank you. I "ll have ... tea ... coffee.

8. Did anybody come to see you last week?

Nobody did... Julia... John was there.

9. Have they arrived yet?

No, they haven't. But I expect them… today… tomorrow.

10. Borrow some money from your friends.... Ann... Mary will help you.

From your Russian lessons, you probably know that sentences are simple and complex. Complex, in turn, are divided into compound and complex. For the former, both parts of the sentence are equal, while for the latter, one part is the main sentence, and the second (or even several others) is the subordinate clause. “Wait, but what does the Russian have to do with it?” - you ask. The fact is that English has exactly the same varieties of sentences. And if everything is quite simple with simple and compound sentences, complex subordinate clauses and their subordinate clauses in English have their own characteristics, which we will talk about today.

Relative clauses in English: use

Complex sentences or complex sentences in English, as mentioned earlier, consist of 2 parts:

Almost always, these parts can be interchanged. They are separated in most cases intonation, but sometimes the presence of a comma is acceptable. A feature of subordinate clauses is that they cannot be used independently, since such clauses simply explain the main thing. Example:

Let's share these suggestions:

We hope that you have an idea of ​​what a subordinate clause is. Now we can consider the types of subordinate clauses.

Types of subordinate clauses in English

In total, there are 5 types of subordinate clauses in English:

1. The subject clause or subject clause performs the function of the subject, answers the questions “what? /Who?" and is introduced into the sentence with unions who (who), what (what), that (what), which (which), when (when), where (where), why (why), how (how), if / whether (whether ).
   Examples:

1. The predicative clause or the predicate clause is used in the function of the nominal part of the predicate with the same conjunctions that were used for the case above:

1. The object clause or additional clauses answer the questions "what?", "for what?", "whom?". Already known unions can be introduced, although non-union cases are also possible:

Unionless joining occurs only when the union that is implied:

1. The attributive clause or relative clauses act as a definition. They answer the question "what?". Conjunctions are required to enter them: that (which), which (which is for inanimate only), who (which is for animate only), whose (whose), why (why), where (where):

1. The adverbial clause or subordinate clause. Perhaps the largest group of subordinate clauses, which is divided into the following subgroups:

• Adventitious places that are entered using where (where, where) and wherever (where / wherever):

• Time clauses introduced by unions when (when), while (while), before (before), after (after), until / till (until / until), as soon as (as soon as), since (since):

• Subordinate reasons that are introduced using the unions as (because), because (because), since (because):

• Subordinate targets that use conjunctions that (to), in order that (in order to), so that (so that), lest (so as not):

• Adventitious modalities and comparisons are introduced using as if / though (as if), that (what), as (as):

• Subordinate concessions are introduced by the conjunctions although / though (although), whoever (whoever), however (no matter how), whatever (whatever), no matter what / how (what / however), even though(although):

• Subordinate conditions that include unions if (if), unless (yet), provided / in condition that (subject to):