Theory
1. Defining and non-defining relative clauses.
Start Point
The old photograph that you can see ahead of you shows Marconi at Signal Hill (defining relative clause). The story of radio probably with Heinrich Hertz, who was the first to produce radio waves in a laboratory.
(Non-defining relative clause)
Relative clauses give more information about someone or something referred to in the main clause. Defining relative clauses specific which type of person or thing we mean. Non-defining relative clauses simply add extra information about a noun.
We put a relative clause as close as possible to the noun it refers to:
There are just a few of the “wireless telegraphs’ the factory produced left in the world. Rather than. There are just a few of the “wireless telegraphs’ left in the world that the factory produced.
Some relative’s clauses refer back to the whole idea in the previous clause, not just the previous noun. Most of these begin with which:
The owner of the old radio claims that it is in excellent condition – which is obviously not the case.
2. Relative pronouns.
Adding information about people.
Defining relative clause (subject pronoun):
There were many people who doubted that Marconi would ever succeed.
(Or informally: there were many people that doubted…)
Defining relative clause (object pronoun):
Augusto Righi was an Italian physicist who Marconi studied with in the 1890s.
(Or informally: an Italian physicist (that) Marconi studied with.)
(Very formally: Augusto Righi was an Italian physicist whom Marconi studied with.)
Non-defining relative clause (subject pronoun):
The story of radio probably begins with Heinrich Hertz, who was the first to produce radio waves in a laboratory.
Non-defining relative clause (object pronoun):
Augusto Righi, who Marconi respected greatly, guided his research.
(Very formally: Augusto Righi, whom Marconi respected greatly, guided his research.)
Whom is now used only in very formal styles, mostly in writing.Adding information about things and animals
· Defining relative clause (subject pronoun):
The intervention that made this possible was the vacuum tube.
More formally: the intervention, which made this possible…
· Defining relative clause (object pronoun):
The model (that) you can see in Case 1 shows how this works.
More formally: the model which you can see…
· Non defining relative clause: (subject and object pronoun):
Marconi opened a “wireless telegraph” factory, which he set up in England, employed around 50 people.
Although some people that here, it is grammatically incorrect and should be avoided in written exams.
In both defining and non defining relative clauses we can use who, that or which with collective nouns referring to groups of people (e.g. company, government, orchestra): the company who/which/that made the first radios was set up by Marconi.
3 other words beginning relative clauses
We often use when after a noun referring to a time, or words such as day, period, time:
The first public demonstration of the power of the radio came in 1901, when Marconi announced that he had received a transmission from the across of the Atlantic.
More formally we can often use a preposition + which: it was a period during which they met very infrequently. Or…. A period when…
Less formally, we can use that or no relative pronoun in defining relative clauses:
I can still remember the time (that) I first watched television, or… the time when …
We often use why after reasons:
You can probably the reason why radio began to lose some of its popular y or informally
…The reason (that) radio began to lose...
We often use where after a noun referring to a location, or words such as case, condition, example, experiment, instance, point, process, situation, and system:
Move now to room 36, where you can find information and displays.
Marconi, goal was to find a system where telegraphic messages could be transmitted.
More formally, we can use preposition + which:
He devised an experiment in which a spark jumped across a gap in a metal ring.
We use whereby (or a preposition + which) in formal contexts to mean “by which way or method”: technology is the process whereby / by which humans modify nature to meet their needs and wants. Or less formally… the process where…
We use whose + noun to talk about something belonging to or associated with a person, town, country, or organization:
For most people, however it is the Italian Guglielmo Marconi whose name is mainly associated with the development of radio.
In formal uses, noun + of which can sometimes replace whose + noun:
Project Geneva is a computing project, the purpose of which is to analyze very large amounts of data on environmental change. Or Project Geneva is a computing project whose purpose is to analyze large amounts of data on environmental change.
4 Prepositions in relative clauses.
A preposition usually comes before the relative pronoun in formal styles:
In 1901 Marconi made the announcement for which he will always be remembered.
A After preposition usually use whom rather than who in formal styles:
Augusto Right, with whom Marconi studied in the 1890s, was a physicist.
Augusto Right, whom Marconi studied with in the 1890, was a physicist.
A preposition usually later in the clause in les formal styles:
In 1901, Marconi made the announcement which he will always be remembered for.
Augusto Right, who Marconi studied with in the 1890, was a physicist.
We can use which and of whom (or very informally of who) after all, both, each, many, neither, part, several, some, a number (e.g. one, two, the first, the second, half, a third) and superlatives:
Radio entertainers many whom became household names, were highly paid.
We can use a preposition, usually from, with where and when:
Marconi set up a transmission station in Cornwall, from where the first transatlantic radio message was sent.
A number of common prepositional phrases are used in non-denning relative clauses with which. These include: in which case, at/ by which time, as a result of which:
In Britain, the popularity of radio increased until 1952, by which time four out of five households owned one.
Start Point
The old photograph that you can see ahead of you shows Marconi at Signal Hill (defining relative clause). The story of radio probably with Heinrich Hertz, who was the first to produce radio waves in a laboratory.
(Non-defining relative clause)
Relative clauses give more information about someone or something referred to in the main clause. Defining relative clauses specific which type of person or thing we mean. Non-defining relative clauses simply add extra information about a noun.
We put a relative clause as close as possible to the noun it refers to:
There are just a few of the “wireless telegraphs’ the factory produced left in the world. Rather than. There are just a few of the “wireless telegraphs’ left in the world that the factory produced.
Some relative’s clauses refer back to the whole idea in the previous clause, not just the previous noun. Most of these begin with which:
The owner of the old radio claims that it is in excellent condition – which is obviously not the case.
2. Relative pronouns.
Adding information about people.
Defining relative clause (subject pronoun):
There were many people who doubted that Marconi would ever succeed.
(Or informally: there were many people that doubted…)
Defining relative clause (object pronoun):
Augusto Righi was an Italian physicist who Marconi studied with in the 1890s.
(Or informally: an Italian physicist (that) Marconi studied with.)
(Very formally: Augusto Righi was an Italian physicist whom Marconi studied with.)
Non-defining relative clause (subject pronoun):
The story of radio probably begins with Heinrich Hertz, who was the first to produce radio waves in a laboratory.
Non-defining relative clause (object pronoun):
Augusto Righi, who Marconi respected greatly, guided his research.
(Very formally: Augusto Righi, whom Marconi respected greatly, guided his research.)
Whom is now used only in very formal styles, mostly in writing.Adding information about things and animals
· Defining relative clause (subject pronoun):
The intervention that made this possible was the vacuum tube.
More formally: the intervention, which made this possible…
· Defining relative clause (object pronoun):
The model (that) you can see in Case 1 shows how this works.
More formally: the model which you can see…
· Non defining relative clause: (subject and object pronoun):
Marconi opened a “wireless telegraph” factory, which he set up in England, employed around 50 people.
Although some people that here, it is grammatically incorrect and should be avoided in written exams.
In both defining and non defining relative clauses we can use who, that or which with collective nouns referring to groups of people (e.g. company, government, orchestra): the company who/which/that made the first radios was set up by Marconi.
3 other words beginning relative clauses
We often use when after a noun referring to a time, or words such as day, period, time:
The first public demonstration of the power of the radio came in 1901, when Marconi announced that he had received a transmission from the across of the Atlantic.
More formally we can often use a preposition + which: it was a period during which they met very infrequently. Or…. A period when…
Less formally, we can use that or no relative pronoun in defining relative clauses:
I can still remember the time (that) I first watched television, or… the time when …
We often use why after reasons:
You can probably the reason why radio began to lose some of its popular y or informally
…The reason (that) radio began to lose...
We often use where after a noun referring to a location, or words such as case, condition, example, experiment, instance, point, process, situation, and system:
Move now to room 36, where you can find information and displays.
Marconi, goal was to find a system where telegraphic messages could be transmitted.
More formally, we can use preposition + which:
He devised an experiment in which a spark jumped across a gap in a metal ring.
We use whereby (or a preposition + which) in formal contexts to mean “by which way or method”: technology is the process whereby / by which humans modify nature to meet their needs and wants. Or less formally… the process where…
We use whose + noun to talk about something belonging to or associated with a person, town, country, or organization:
For most people, however it is the Italian Guglielmo Marconi whose name is mainly associated with the development of radio.
In formal uses, noun + of which can sometimes replace whose + noun:
Project Geneva is a computing project, the purpose of which is to analyze very large amounts of data on environmental change. Or Project Geneva is a computing project whose purpose is to analyze large amounts of data on environmental change.
4 Prepositions in relative clauses.
A preposition usually comes before the relative pronoun in formal styles:
In 1901 Marconi made the announcement for which he will always be remembered.
A After preposition usually use whom rather than who in formal styles:
Augusto Right, with whom Marconi studied in the 1890s, was a physicist.
Augusto Right, whom Marconi studied with in the 1890, was a physicist.
A preposition usually later in the clause in les formal styles:
In 1901, Marconi made the announcement which he will always be remembered for.
Augusto Right, who Marconi studied with in the 1890, was a physicist.
We can use which and of whom (or very informally of who) after all, both, each, many, neither, part, several, some, a number (e.g. one, two, the first, the second, half, a third) and superlatives:
Radio entertainers many whom became household names, were highly paid.
We can use a preposition, usually from, with where and when:
Marconi set up a transmission station in Cornwall, from where the first transatlantic radio message was sent.
A number of common prepositional phrases are used in non-denning relative clauses with which. These include: in which case, at/ by which time, as a result of which:
In Britain, the popularity of radio increased until 1952, by which time four out of five households owned one.