Shortening Relative Clauses: A Free ESL Lesson Plan

1. ESL Lesson Plan RC1.7 Shortening of relative clauses Lesson 7/8

2. Thank you for downloading your free Off2Class lesson plan! This teacher-led lesson plan is designed using the communicative approach - perfect for teaching students online or in any screen-enabled classroom. To access the Teacher Notes and Answer Key, or to assign homework, click here to set up your free Off2class account. Don’t forget to join the discussion on Facebook to get access to other great tools for online ESL instruction.

3. Defining relative clauses Look at the defining relative clauses. The meaning of the sentences is the same. What has happened to the second sentence in each group? She doesn’t like the jacket that I bought. She doesn’t like the jacket I bought. The car that I was driving last week has broken down. The car I was driving last week has broken down. Remember: these sentences contain a defining relative clause.

4. Making the clause shorter You don’t always need to include who, that, and which in a relative clause. She loves the giftthat I bought. In defining relative clauses, when the relative pronoun is the object of the clause,we can drop the relative pronoun. We know that is the object of the clause because it is followed by the pronoun, I. this is a relative clause after the object, the gift. Therefore, we can remove the relative pronoun that. She loves the gift I bought.

5. Making the clause shorter You don’t always need to include who, that, and which in a relative clause. The universitythat she attended is the best in the country. In defining relative clauses, when the relative pronoun is the object of the clausewe can drop the relative pronoun. this is a relative clause after the subject, the university. We know thatis the object of the clause because it’s followed by the pronoun, she. Therefore, we can remove the relative pronoun that. The universityshe attended is the best in the country.

6. Be careful… This doesn’t work for non-defining relative clauses! My sister, who I haven’t seen in two years, is coming to visit. Who is the object of the relative clause, but we cannot remove who because it’s a non-defining relative clause! Which is the subject of the relative clause, but we cannot remove which because it’s a non-defining relative clause! The university,whichshe attended in 2006,is the best in the country.

7. Remember! You can drop the relative pronoun only if… …the clause is defining, and the relative pronoun is the object of the clause. If the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause, you cannot drop it! who is the subject of the relative clause The man who drives me to school is 82 years old. Therefore, we cannot remove the relative pronoun who.

8. Can we remove the pronoun? Look at each statement. Is the relative pronoun the subject or object of a defining or non-defining clause? The book that I was reading was very interesting. She is the girl who stole the money from the bank. That’s the boy who I invited to the party. We went to the town that Brian recommended. She has a son who is a doctor. This is a defining clause. That is the object of the clause. Therefore, we can remove that.

9. Can we remove the pronoun? Look at each statement. Is the relative pronoun the subject or object of a defining or non-defining clause? The hospital that Sally works in is in the center of town. Edward, who failed the test on Friday, has to do it again next week. The man who used to live there moved out recently. The apples that we ate last week were delicious. Remember! If the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause, you cannot drop it!

10. Making the clause shorter still! You don’t always need to include who, that, and which in a relative clause. I know the man who is standing by the door. When the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause and the clause contains a present or past participleand the auxiliary verb to be, both the relative pronoun and the auxiliary verb can be dropped. who is the subject of the relative clause. the relative clause contains ‘to be’ + present participle. I know the man standing by the door.

11. Making the clause shorter Let’s take a look at another example: Do you know the people who are sitting over there? form of ‘to be’ subject of the relative clause present participle Therefore, we can drop the relative pronoun whoand the auxiliary verb are Do you know the people sitting over there?

12. Making the clause shorter And another example: The airplane that was flying overhead made a loud noise. subject of the relative clause form of ‘to be’ present participle Therefore, we can drop the relative pronoun thatand the auxiliary verb was The airplane flying overhead made a loud noise.

13. Making the clause shorter Last example before you get some practice! Most of the business professionals who were invited to the conference didn’t attend. subject of the relative clause form of ‘to be’ past participle Therefore, we can drop the relative pronoun whoand the auxiliary verb were Most of the business professionals invited to the conference didn’t attend.

14. Your turn to shorten the sentence! Read the sentence and answer each question separately. Anyone who is caught cheating will be kicked out of school. What is the relative pronoun? Is there a form of to be? What is the subject of the relative clause? Is there a present or past participle? What is the reduced sentence?

15. Let’s review Remember: you don’t always need to include who, that, and whichin a relative clause. I found the textbook that the professor told the class to buy. I saw the movie that you recommended to me a while ago. We ate the food that they had prepared for us. We don’t need the relative pronoun if it is the object of a defining clause. In all these sentences, that is the object of a defining clause

16. Let’s review Can you see the man who is playing the guitar? The company that was formed this year has already made $1 million. When the relative pronoun is the subject of a clause containing a form of to be and a present participle or a past participle, we can also drop the form of to be. Subject of a defining clause Subject of a defining clause

17. Can you shorten the sentence? Let’s look at the sentence below. My uncle, who is a dentist, is single. What is the relative pronoun? Does who act as the subject or the object of the relative clause? Is this a defining or non-defining clause? Can we remove who?

18. What about this one? Let’s look at the sentence below. The person who I was talking to was really nice!         What is the relative pronoun? Does who act as the subject or the object of the relative clause? Is this a defining or non-defining clause? Can we remove who?

19. And this one? Let’s look at the sentence below. Do you see that woman who is wearing the bright yellow dress?          Is this a defining or non-defining clause? Does who act as the subject or the object of the relative clause? Does the relative clause contain a form of to be and a present or past participle? Can we reduce the relative clause?

20. Time to practice Reduce the following sentences if possible. New York, which is the largest city in the United States, is a special place. The pizzeria that is located across the street is terrible! The museum that is situated in the center of town is closed today. The girl, who is crying, just heard some bad news. The film that is set in London is about football hooligans. Explain clearly why you can or cannot shorten each sentence

21. Time to practice The following relative clauses have been reduced. Who is the man that is waving at us? The money _____ collected will go to a charity organization. The man _____ talking to my husband is his boss. The train _____ arriving now will go to Paris. None of the people _____ randomly selected passed the test. Reinsert the relative pronoun and form of ‘to be’, if required.