Welcome to today’s English grammar lesson! We’re going to explore relative clauses. Don’t worry, it sounds complicated, but we’ll break it down step by step. This lesson is perfect for A2 level English learners who want to improve their grammar and speak more fluently. Understanding relative clauses will help you make longer, more natural sentences in English.

What are Relative Clauses?

Imagine you want to give more information about a noun (a person, place, or thing). Relative clauses are like extra pieces of information that you add to a sentence to describe a noun. Think of them as adjectives that are actually clauses (groups of words with a verb!).

Let’s look at a simple example:

Sentence 1: I saw a woman.

Sentence 2: The woman was wearing a red hat.

We can combine these sentences using a relative clause to avoid repeating “the woman”:

Combined Sentence: I saw a woman who was wearing a red hat.

The part in bold, “who was wearing a red hat,” is the relative clause. It gives us more information about “a woman.”

Why are Relative Clauses Important?

Learning about relative clauses is really useful for improving your spoken English. They help you:

• Speak more fluently: Instead of using short, simple sentences, you can connect ideas and speak in a more connected way.
• Give more detail: You can describe people, places, and things more clearly and interestingly.
• Sound more natural: Native English speakers use relative clauses all the time. Using them yourself will make your English sound more natural.

For example, instead of saying:

“I went to a cafe. The cafe is near my house. The cafe has good coffee.”

You can say:

“I went to a cafe that is near my house and which has good coffee.”

See how much smoother and more detailed that sounds? That’s the power of relative clauses!

Relative Pronouns: The Key to Relative Clauses

To create relative clauses, we use special words called relative pronouns. For A2 level, we will focus on the most common ones:

• who: Used for people. Example: The man who is talking to Sarah is my teacher.
• which: Used for things and animals. Example: This is the book which I borrowed from the library.
• that: Used for people, things, and animals. (Often used instead of who and which in defining relative clauses). Example: The car that is parked outside is new.
• where: Used for places. Example: I live in a city where the weather is often sunny.
• whose: Shows possession (belonging to someone). Example: I know a girl whose brother is a famous actor.

Types of Relative Clauses: Defining Relative Clauses

At the A2 level, we’ll mainly focus on defining relative clauses (also called identifying relative clauses). These clauses give essential information to identify which person, thing, or place we are talking about. They are necessary for the sentence to make sense.

Using ‘who’, ‘which’, and ‘that’ in Defining Relative Clauses

Let’s look at more examples:

• People (who/that): The student who studies hard usually gets good grades. (We are talking about a specific type of student – the one who studies hard.)
• Things (which/that): The phone that I bought yesterday is already broken! (We are talking about a specific phone – the one bought yesterday.)
• Places (where/that/which): The restaurant where we had dinner last night was excellent. (We are talking about a specific restaurant – the one we went to last night.)

Notice that we don’t use commas with defining relative clauses. They are an integral part of the sentence.

How to Use Relative Clauses in Speaking

Now, let’s think about how to use relative clauses when you speak English. Here are some tips:

1. Start simple: Begin by combining two short sentences using who, which, that, where.
2. Practice describing things: Look around your room and describe objects using relative clauses.
   
   Example: “I see a book that is on the table.” “There’s a window which is open.”
3. Talk about people you know: Describe your friends and family using relative clauses.
   
   Example: “My friend, who loves to cook, made dinner last night.”
4. Listen for relative clauses: Pay attention when native English speakers are talking. Notice how they use relative clauses and try to copy them.

Here’s a short dialogue showing relative clauses in conversation:

Person A: Did you see the new movie that is playing at the cinema?

Person B: No, I haven’t. Is it the one which everyone is talking about?

Person A: Yes, it’s about a detective who solves mysteries.

Person B: Oh, that sounds interesting! Maybe we should go see it.

Common Mistakes with Relative Clauses (A2 Learners)

Here are a few common mistakes that A2 learners sometimes make with relative clauses:

• Using the wrong relative pronoun: For example, using “who” for things instead of “which” or “that.” Remember: who for people, which/that for things and animals, where for places.
• Forgetting ‘that’: Sometimes learners forget to use “that” when it’s possible, especially in spoken English. “That” is very common and useful!
• Overusing simple sentences: Not using relative clauses enough and sticking to very short, basic sentences. Challenge yourself to combine sentences!

Let’s Practice!

Now it’s time to practice using relative clauses! Try these exercises:

Practice Questions

1. Complete the sentences with who, which, where, whose, or that.
   1. The book _______ I’m reading is very interesting.
   2. The woman _______ lives next door is a doctor.
   3. Paris is a city _______ many people want to visit.
   4. I have a friend _______ car is very old.
   5. The dog _______ is barking is very loud.
2. Combine these sentences using relative clauses.
   1. I met a man. He is from Spain.
      Combined: I met a man _______
   2. This is the pen. I lost it yesterday.
      Combined: This is the pen _______
   3. We stayed in a hotel. It was near the beach.
      Combined: We stayed in a hotel _______
3. Speak! Describe these pictures using relative clauses. (Imagine you have pictures and describe them – this is for practice). For example, you could describe a picture of a park: “This is a park where people can relax.”

Answers

1. 1. The book that/which I’m reading is very interesting.
   2. The woman who lives next door is a doctor.
   3. Paris is a city where many people want to visit.
   4. I have a friend whose car is very old.
   5. The dog that/which is barking is very loud.
2. 1. Combined: I met a man who is from Spain.
   2. Combined: This is the pen that/which I lost yesterday.
   3. Combined: We stayed in a hotel that/which was near the beach. or We stayed in a hotel where was near the beach (less common but possible).
3. (For speaking practice – no written answers needed)

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Keep practicing, and you’ll master relative clauses in no time! Good luck!