Relative clauses | Mediateca de EducaMadrid

Welcome to this explainer. 00:00:00

Listen, if you've got a massive English grammar exam looming on the horizon 00:00:02

and you're feeling just a little bit panicked, take a deep breath. 00:00:05

You are in exactly the right place. 00:00:09

Today, we are running a rapid-fire, highly-focused review session 00:00:11

so you can completely master English relative clauses. 00:00:15

We're going to lock this knowledge down just in time for test day. 00:00:18

So, welcome to class, everyone. 00:00:22

I'm your teacher for today, and my absolute top priority 00:00:25

is making sure we secure that top grade. Now, I know relative clauses trip up even the best 00:00:27

students because, honestly, the rules can feel totally arbitrary. But I promise you, 00:00:33

by the end of this review, these notoriously tricky rules are going to be completely demystified. 00:00:38

We're breaking them down logically so you don't just memorize them, you actually understand them. 00:00:43

Here's the syllabus for our quick cram session. We'll hit defining versus non-defining clauses, 00:00:49

then the pronouns for defining clauses pronouns for non-defining clauses and we'll wrap up with 00:00:54

some advanced wh words all right let's jump right into section one defining versus non-defining 00:00:59

clauses let's dive into the absolute bedrock of all this if you get this difference everything 00:01:05

else today is just going to click into place the english language draws a really hard line here 00:01:11

defining clauses they give you essential information if you yank a defining clause 00:01:17

out of a sentence, the whole structure basically collapses. It literally won't make sense anymore 00:01:21

or it'll mean something entirely different. It defines your subject. But non-defining clauses, 00:01:26

well, they're just extra. A little bonus detail. If you cross a non-defining clause out, 00:01:31

the main sentence survives just fine. Oh, and hey, if you're sitting there thinking, 00:01:36

I need English subtitles to keep track of this grammar, definitely flip those on right now so 00:01:40

you can see exactly how these sentences are built as we go. Right. And here is a massive exam 00:01:43

survival tip for you. Examiners absolutely love testing this. Your biggest clue is the punctuation. 00:01:49

With defining clauses, the essential ones, we do not use commas. The information is just too 00:01:55

important to block off. But for non-defining clauses, that extra bonus info, we always use 00:02:01

commas. Actually, think of those commas like little handles. You can grab those handles, 00:02:06

lift that extra information right out, and the rest of the sentence won't even care that it's gone. 00:02:11

Moving smoothly on to section two, pronouns for defining clauses. 00:02:15

Okay, so here is a huge pro tip for your exam. You don't always have to use the pronoun. In 00:02:20

defining clauses, we can actually drop words like who, which, or that if another noun or pronoun 00:02:26

comes right after them. So instead of writing, she is the girl that I met yesterday, it sounds 00:02:32

so much more natural and fluent to just say, she is the girl I met yesterday. Leaving it out is a 00:02:37

really elegant way to show the examiner you've mastered the language. Let's map out exactly what 00:02:43

goes where. Who is for people, like, that is the man who lives next door. Where is for places, 00:02:48

when is for time, which is for things, and whose shows possession, like, she is the girl whose 00:02:55

mother is a teacher. But look at that bottom row. That is kind of our super pronoun here. 00:03:00

For defining clauses, that can step in and replace both who and which. People or things, 00:03:06

it works, so saying, that is the man that lives next door is 100% correct. We also have a few 00:03:11

specialized defining pronouns. What is for abstract things, like, that is what I really want to do. 00:03:17

Why is for reasons, but pay very close attention to whom. We use this for people, just like who, 00:03:24

but it's reserved strictly for formal situations and usually follows a preposition. 00:03:30

She's the girl with who I spoke yesterday. Drop a whom correctly into your exam essay, 00:03:35

and your teacher will absolutely be handing out bonus points for advanced vocabulary. 00:03:41

Alright, let's switch gears. 00:03:45

Section 3. Pronouns for Non-Defining Clauses 00:03:47

Okay, please burn this rule into your memory. 00:03:50

This right here is the ultimate trap on any grammar test. 00:03:53

In a non-defining clause, remember the ones with the commas, 00:03:56

absolutely never use the word that. Ever. No way. 00:04:00

That is strictly VIP for those essential defining clauses we just talked about. 00:04:04

If you see a comma, that needs to leave the room. 00:04:07

And here's another strict rule for these extra info clauses. 00:04:11

Remember that cool trick we just learned where we could drop the pronoun in a defining clause? 00:04:14

Yeah, you can do that here. 00:04:19

You cannot omit the pronoun. 00:04:21

It has to stay glued right where it is. 00:04:22

Because this clause is floating extra information, 00:04:25

it desperately needs that pronoun to anchor it to the rest of the sentence. 00:04:27

Check out how every single example of a non-defining clause 00:04:31

is framed by those all-important commas. 00:04:34

Peter, who is my cousin, is very intelligent. 00:04:38

We use who for people, where for places, when for time. 00:04:40

But see how those commas isolate the extra thought? 00:04:44

If we rip out who is my cousin, we're left with Peter is very intelligent, 00:04:47

which makes total sense. 00:04:50

And notice how the word that is completely missing from this lineup. 00:04:52

Almost at the finish line. 00:04:56

Section 4. 00:04:58

Advance WH words. 00:04:59

If you're looking to push your grade from a solid B to an A+, this is how you do it. 00:05:01

Mastering these compound WH words will guarantee top marks. 00:05:06

You've definitely seen these before. 00:05:10

Whoever, whichever, whatever, wherever, and whenever. 00:05:12

You just take a standard pronoun and slap an ever onto the end. 00:05:15

They make your writing incredibly fluid. 00:05:19

But, and it's a big but, examiners love testing these 00:05:21

because they actually pack two completely different functional meanings. 00:05:24

Let's break down that dual nature, because context is literally everything here. 00:05:28

Sometimes, these words just mean any. 00:05:33

Like, take whatever you want. 00:05:35

That just means take anything. 00:05:37

It's wide open. 00:05:38

But other times, they mean it doesn't matter. 00:05:39

Take this sentence. 00:05:42

She's never happy, whatever I do. 00:05:43

Here, whatever doesn't mean anything, it means it literally does not matter what I do. 00:05:45

Spotting that subtle shift is a total game changer for your reading comprehension. 00:05:50

Well, look at that. 00:05:55

We've covered a ton of ground today, and you are officially armed with the rules. 00:05:56

But before I let you go absolutely crush that exam, let's do a quick pop quiz. 00:05:59

This table, which is broken, was from my grandmother. 00:06:04

Based on everything we just covered about essential versus extra information, 00:06:07

where do the commas go? 00:06:10

Do we even need them? 00:06:11

Think about whether the fact that the table is broken defines the table 00:06:12

or if it's just a sad little bonus detail. 00:06:15

Work that out and you are going to be more than ready for test day. 00:06:18

Thanks for joining this explainer. 00:06:20

And seriously, best of luck. 00:06:22

You've got this. 00:06:23

Relative clauses - Contenido educativo

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