Typical forms of reduced relative clauses and types of applied exercises in english at the apper secondary lyvel of education

Reduced relative clauses in the form of nouns or noun phrases: When a non-defining relative clause is in the form that follows, it can be reduced to a noun or noun phrase.. … who/which/

“Typical Forms of Reduced Relative Clauses and Types of Applied Exercises in English at the Upper-secondary Level of Education”

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼PART I: INTRODUCTION

I Rationale for selecting the topic of the study:

A clause, in English grammar, is the smallest grammatical unit that can express

a complete proposition Generally, a simple sentence consists of a single clause while amore complex sentence may contain multiple clauses Clauses in English are dividedinto two major types, main clauses and subordinate ones As it can be seen, there are avariety of subordinate clauses Among these subordinate clauses are adjective clauses,also called relative clauses The module of Relative Clauses is an important contentconstantly appearing in a number of units in the English textbooks in upper-secondaryeducation One of the most important part related to this content is probably the verydiversity of forms of reduced relative clauses which is considered as the mostconfusing to learners

A variety of forms of reduced relative clauses, in fact, are frequently used ineveryday communications, in written English, as well as tested in students’ tests andexaminations With my own practical teaching in the recent years, I notice that in order

to avoid misunderstanding others in communications and getting into big troubles intests and examinations related to the phenomena of relative clause reduction, studentsare required to have a thorough knowledge of all the aspects of the relative clausessuch as relative pronouns and adverbs, different types of relative clauses, distinctivefeatures of each type that are important determinants of the way how a relative clause

is reduced, .etc… Although much attention has recently been paid to learningEnglish, Mai Anh Tuan high school students’ knowledge of English, in general, israther limited, even some of them have a lack of the basic knowledge Thus, studyingthe reduction of relative clauses and solving exercises or questions related to thisgrammatical knowledge seem to be a big challenge that may make the studentsextremely confused and nervous Moreover, the English textbooks at high school onlyintroduce the topics without any detailed explanation or instruction, it is undoubtedlydifficult for students to study, understand clearly and thoroughly, and memorize thelessons just by mechanically following some examples given in the textbook What ismore, in the textbooks, applied exercises focus on only some basic forms of reducedrelative clauses while there is actually a wide range of other forms also commonlyused It will be better if students do know and use them correctly and flexibly

The facts mentioned above have constantly encouraged me to find out a solution

to better the situation, which leads to my decision to select the topic “Typical Forms

of Reduced Relative Clauses and Types of Applied Exercises in English at the Upper-secondary Level of Education” to study more thoroughly in my teaching

experience initiative

II Purposes of the study:

This study has been conducted with a strong desire that I can help my students

be aware of the importance of forms of reduced relative clauses in everydaycommunications, in written English, as well as in their tests and examinations On thatbasis, they will gradually be able to raise their awareness of practicing and improvingtheir skills in solving relevant exercises and questions Besides, I would like to providethe students with a detailed and logical system of adequate theoretical contents andtypical skills related to this topic for them to learn, use and apply in practice rapidlyand productively Furthermore, through this experience initiative, I hope to contributesome of my personal ideas on issues of forms of reduced relative clauses to teachingexperience sources for my teacher colleagues to use as a reference in the Englishteaching process

III Objects of the study:

In this teaching experience initiative, researching a system of theoretical pointsand practical skills related to forms of reduced relative clauses, and supplementaryexercises based on these points and skills for further practice has been speciallyfocused on

IV Scope of the study:

The topic was studied in the English programme for high school students at MaiAnh Tuan High School in the school-year 2015-2016, and through English tests,examinations of all kinds at Mai Anh Tuan High School and other schools in ThanhHoa province as well as other provinces all over the country in the recent years

V Bases of the study:

The experience initiative has been studied based on my own practical teachingexperiences, referring to documents related to the researched topic, observing otherteachers’ lessons, and consulting my colleagues

PART II: DEVELOPMENT

To use typical forms reduced relative clauses correctly and flexibly, firstly, it isnecessary for students to understand what a relative clause is, what type of relativeclauses it is, what distinctive features each type of relative clauses has, and how to userelative pronouns and adverbs

A Relative Clauses Overview:

I Relative Clause Definition:

A relative clause, also known as an adjective clause, is a subordinate clause thatgenerally modifies a noun or noun phrase and is introduced by a relative pronoun

(who, whom, which, that, whose), a relative adverb (when, where, why), or a zero

relative pronoun (a relative in which the relative is omitted)

A relative clause follows the noun (phrase) it modifies, and can come both at theend and in the middle of the sentence, and often follows one of these common patterns:

1 Relative pronoun/adverb + Subject + Verb +…

2 Relative pronoun (as subject) + Verb +…

Ex: This is the man who lives near my house (extracted from Oxford.edu.vn)

Here is the laptop (which) I bought 2 years ago (extracted from Oxford.edu.vn)

II Types of relative clauses:

Relative clauses are classified depending on their relationship with the nouns ornoun phrases they modify They are traditionally divided into two types: definingrelative clauses and non-defining relative clauses

1 Defining relative clauses:

A defining relative clause is a subordinate one that identifies or categorizes its

noun (phrase) That means it tells us about the specific person or thing we are talkingabout in a larger group of people or things If a defining relative clause is removedfrom the sentence, the meaning of the sentence changes significantly This clause is notseparated from the rest of the sentence by a comma or commas In a defining relativeclause, a relative pronoun functioning as an object can be omitted if it does not comeright after a preposition

Ex: The doctor who helped me while I was in sick was very kind.

The girl (that) I met in Paris has already been engaged.

2 Non-defining relative clauses:

A non-defining relative clause a subordinate clause that is used to giveadditional information about the noun or noun phrase but not to identify it or to createcategories That means it provide us with more information about the person or thing

we are talking about If a non-defining relative clause is removed from the sentence,

we lose some details, but the overall meaning of the sentence remains the same

Non-defining relative clauses are always set off from the rest of the sentence by

a comma or commas In non-defining relative clauses, a relative pronoun functioning

as an object cannot be omitted

Non-defining relative clauses often follow such antecedents as below:

a proper nouns:

Ex: Mrs Beckett, who is a detective, is working for NYPD.

b nouns or noun phrases modified by possessive adjectives: my, your, her, his,…

Ex: My mother, who is a farmer, has lived on her farm for all her life.

c nouns or noun phrases modified by demonstrative adjectives: this, that, these those.

Ex: That film star, whom I met at the news conference, has just won a big

cinema prize

d nouns or noun phrases modified by possessive cases.

Ex: Mary’s cat, which she loves very much, is very clever and lovely.

e nouns or noun phrases modified by adjective phrases.

Ex: The woman in white, who came to meet you, is my aunt.

III Common Relative Pronouns and Adverbs Overview:

Relative

Pronouns

& Adverbs

Antecedent modified

Functions Prepositions Types of

Relative Clauses applicable Who Person/People

before “who”

Defining and Non-defining Object (informal)

can comebefore

“whom”

Defining andNon-defining

cannot comebefore

“which” Non-defining Defining and

Object

can comebefore

“which”

That

Person/Peopleand thing(s)

before “that”

DefiningObject

Whose

Person/Peopleand things

Replacingpossessiveadjectives/cases

can comebefore

“whose”

Defining and Non-defining

Replacingadverbs of time

cannot come

before “when”

Defining and Non-defining

Replacingadverbs of place

cannot comebefore

“where”

Defining and Non-defining Replacing the cannot come

Why Reason(s) phrase “for the

reason(s)”

before “why” Defining

B Typical Forms of Relative Clauses:

Generally, relative clauses are widely used in both spoken and written English tomake sentences become clear in meaning and easy to understand Relative clauses can

be spoken or written in the reduced forms However, not all relative clauses can bereduced The reduction of relative clauses can only be applied to subject relativeclauses not object relative clauses A subjective relative clause is a relative clause withthe relative pronoun serving the function of the subject Although it is not possible toomit the relative pronoun in the subject relative clauses, we can, if we want, omit aneven larger piece of the relative clause and still retain a grammatically acceptablesentence In fact, there are a variety of ways to reduce the subject relative clauses.Below are typical forms of relative clauses, and necessary steps to practise thereduction effectively and accurately in certain situations

I Reduced relative clauses in the form of nouns or noun phrases:

When a non-defining relative clause is in the form that follows, it can be reduced

to a noun or noun phrase

…who/which + be/ linking V + N(Phr)… = …N(Phr)…

Practical steps of reduction:

Step 1: Identify the relative clause starting with a relative pronoun “who/which” Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which” from the relative clause

Step 3: Leave out the verb “be” or the linking verb from the relative clause

Ex: Full Sentence: Lee Davis, who is a business teacher, wrote this book Step 1: The relative clause is “who is a business teacher”

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun-“who is a business teacher”

Step 3: Leave out the verb “be”-“is a business teacher”

Reduced Sentence: Lee Davis, a business teacher, wrote this book.

II Reduced relative clauses in the form of preposition phrases:

A relative clause in the form that follows can be reduced to a preposition phrase

… who/which/that + be + Prep.Phr = …Prep.Phr Practical steps of reduction:

Step 1: Identify the relative clause starting with a relative pronoun “who/which/that” Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which/that” from the relative clause Step 3: Leave out the verb “be” from the relative clause

Ex: Full Sentence: Please pass me the document that is on the desk

Step 1: The relative clause is “that is on the desk”

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun-“that is on the desk”

Step 3: Leave out the verb “be”-“is on the desk”

Reduced Sentence: Please pass me the document on the desk.

III Reduced relative clauses in the form of adjectives or adjective phrases:

Reducing a relative clause to an adjective (phrase) is quite confusing because it

is rather complicated and depends on a number of certain factors Here are sometypical forms of reduction commonly used

Form 1: A reduced relative clause in the form of an adjective (phrase), standing right after its antecedent

A relative clause reduced to an adjective (phrase), standing right after itsantecedent if:

1 its antecedent is an infinite pronoun: something, someone, anyone,…

2 its antecedent is a proper noun: Sue, David, James…

3 it is a non-definite relative clause with at least two adjectives

4 it is a relative clause with the adjective phrase that is in a complicated form(containing a noun/noun phrase ), or modifies the be verb in the negative form

… who/which/that + be + Adj (Phr) … = … Adj (Phr) … Practical steps of reduction:

Step 1: Identify the relative clause starting with a relative pronoun “who/which/that”,

paying attention to its antecedent, the type of this clause, and the form of the adjective phrase

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which/that” from the relative clause Step 3: Leave out the verb “be” from the relative clause

Ex: Full Sentences: 1 I know there is something that is wrong with you

2 My grandmother, who is old and sick, never goes out of the house

3 Small distinctions among stamps, which are unimportant to the

average person, would mean a great deal to the stamp collector

Step 1: The relative clause:

1 “that is wrong with you”, after the antecedent “something”

2 “who is old and sick”, there are two adjectives “old and sick”

3 “which are unimportant to the average person”, the adjective phrase contains a noun phrase “the average person”

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun: 1 “that is wrong with you”

2 “who is old and sick”

Step 3: Leave out the verb “be”: 1 “is wrong with you”

2 “is old and sick”

3 “are unimportant to the average person”

Reduced Sentences: 1 I know there is something wrong with you

2 My grandmother, old and sick, never goes out of the house

3 Small distinctions among stamps, unimportant to the average

person, would mean a great deal to the stamp collector

Form 2: A reduced relative clause in the form of an adjective (phrase), standing right before the noun it modifies

A relative clause reduced to an adjective (phrase), standing right before the noun

it modifies if it is a non-defining relative clause with only one single adjective, or a

defining relative clause with one or more than one single adjectives

…N(,) + who/which/that + be + Adj (Phr)… = … Adj (Phr) + N…

Practical steps of reduction:

Step 1: Identify the subjective relative clause starting with a relative pronoun

“who/which/that”, paying attention to whether the relative clause is defining or non-defining, and has one or more than one single adjectives

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which/that” from the relative clause Step 3: Leave out the verb “be” from the relative clause

Step 4: Place the adjective or adjective phrase before the noun it modifies

Ex: Full Sentences:

1 That lady, who is old, is living in a nursing home

2 Jane has just bought a pair of glasses which is beautiful and fashionable

Step 1: The relative clause is:

1 “who is old”, a non-definite relative clause with one single adjective “old”

2 “which is beautiful and fashionable”, a definite relative clause with more than one single adjectives “beautiful and fashionable”

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun: 1 “who is old”

2 “which is beautiful and fashionable”

Step 3: Leave out the verb “be”: 1 “is old”

2 “is beautiful and fashionable”

Step 4: Place the adjective or adjective phrase before the noun it modifies

1 old lady

2 beautiful and fashionable glasses

Reduced Sentences: 1 That old lady is living in a nursing home

2 Jane has just bought a pair of beautiful and fashionable glasses

IV Reduced relative clauses in the form of compound adjectives:

Sometimes, learners do not pay much attention to this type of reduction,however, it is very common in both spoken and written English that a relative clausecan be reduced to a compound adjective and placed in front of the antecedent noun

…N1 (,) + who/which/that + be/have/last/… + Cardinal + N2…

= …Cardinal-N2(sing) + N1 Practical steps of reduction:

Step 1: Identify the relative clause starting with a relative pronoun “who/which/that”,

and containing a phrase formed from a cardinal and a noun

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which/that” from the relative clause Step 3: Leave out the verb “be/have/last/…” from the relative clause.

Step 4: Form the compound adjective from a cardinal and a noun in the relative clause

by placing a hyphen between them, the noun must be in the singular form

Step 5: Place the compound adjective in front of the antecedent noun.

Ex: Full Sentence: They have a house which has five rooms

Step 1: The relative clause is “which has twenty rooms”.

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun-“which has five rooms”.

Step 3: Leave out the verb-“has five rooms”.

Step 4: Form the compound adjective-“ five-room”.

Step 5: Place the compound adjective before the antecedent noun-“ five-room house” Reduced Sentence: They have a five-room house.

V Reduced relative clauses in the form of paraphrases:

It is also common in English that a reduced relative clause can be in the form of

a paraphrase, a statement that expresses something that somebody has written or said

using different words, especially in order to make it easier to understand When theverb “have” meaning possession, we can omit relative pronoun and “have” and usewith(+) or without(-)

… who/which/that + have(+/-) + N(Phr)… = …with/ without + N(Phr)… Practical steps of reduction:

Step 1: Identify the relative clause in the form

“…who/which/that + have(+/-) + N(Phr)”

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which/that” from the relative clause Step 3: Leave out the verb “have(+/-)” from the relative clause.

Step 4: Use “with/without” in front of the noun/noun phrase of the relative clause.

“With” is used for the affirmative form of the verb “have”, and “without” for the negative

Ex: Full Sentences: 1 The man likes bikes which has new wheels and tires

2 He puts new tires on bikes which don’t have good tires.

Step 1: The relative clause is: 1 “which has new wheels and tires”

2 “which don’t have good tires”

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun: 1 “which has new wheels and tires”

2 “which don’t have good tires”

Step 3: Leave out the verb “have(+/-)”: 1 “has new wheels and tires”

2 “don’t have good tires”

Step 4: Use “with/without” in front of the noun/noun phrase where it is suitable.

1 with new wheels and tires (affirmative)

2 without good tires (negative)

Reduced Sentences: 1 The man likes bikes with new wheels and tires

2 He puts new tires on bikes without good tires.

VI Reduced relative clauses in the form of infinitive phrases:

This form of reduced relative clause is very familiar to learners due to itsfrequent appearance, however, mistakes are unavoidable because they fail to recognizethe major factors related to and only applicable to this form

Relative clauses can be changed to infinitive phrases when they follow the

antecedents with ordinal numbers, the phrase “the only”, or the superlative

An infinitive phrase can be a reduction of a relative clause when this clause

express necessity/duties/ purposes/ permission In this case, the main clause has the verb “have” and the relative clause contains modal verbs such as can, could, must,

have to,…; or the sentence usually starts with “Here + be”/ “There + be”.

A reduced relative clause can be in the form of either active or passive infinitive

phrase, which depends on whether the form its main verb is active or passive.

1 Reduced relative clauses in the form of active infinitive phrases:

…the first/ last/ only/ most/…+ N + who/which/that + V(active)+ …

= …the first/ last/ only/ most/…+ N + (for + O) + to Vinf + … Practical steps of reduction:

Step 1: Identify the relative clause starting with “who/which/that”, with its main verb

in the active form, and either its antecedent standing after the ordinal number/

“the only”/ the superlative, or it expresses necessity/ duties/ purposes

/permission

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which/that”, the subject, and the modal

verb (if there is a modal verb)

If there is a preposition before the relative pronoun, move it to the end of the relative clause before omitting the relative pronoun

Step 3: Change the form of the main verb in the relative clause to “to Vinf”, then add

the phrase “for + O” in front of “to Vinf” if the subject of the main clause and that of the relative clause are not the same The object following “for” comes from the subject omitted with the modal verb of the relative clause.

Ex: Full Sentences:

1 Jimmy is the youngest person who takes part in the marathon.

2 They need a large yard in which they can dry rice.

3 Here are some accounts that you must check

Step 1: The relative clause is:

1 “who takes part in…”, standing after its antecedent with the superlative

2 “in which they can dry rice”, expressing necessity, the relative pronoun stands after a preposition

3 “that you must check”, expressing a duty

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun, the subject, and the modal verb; and move the

preposition to the end of the relative clause if necessary:

1 “who takes part in the marathon”

2 “which they can dry rice in”

3 “that you must check”

Step 3: Change the form of the main verb in the relative to “to Vinf”, put the phrase

“for + O” in front of “to Vinf” if necessary: 1 “ to take part in…”

2 “ to dry rice in”

3 “for you to check”

Reduced Sentences: 1 Jimmy is the youngest person to take part in the marathon.

2 They need a large yard to dry rice in

3 Here are some accounts for you to check.

2 Reduced relative clauses in the form of passive infinitive phrases:

…the first/ last/ only/ most/…+ N + who/which/that + V(passive)+ …

= …the first/ last/ only/ most/…+ N + to be Vpp + … Practical steps of reduction:

Step 1: Identify the relative clause starting with “who/which/that”, with its main verb

in the passive form, and either its antecedent standing after the ordinal

number/ “the only”/the superlative, or it expresses necessity/ duties/

purposes/ permission

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which/that” from the relative clause Step 3: Change the form of the passive verb in the relative clause to “to be Vpp”, then

put the rest part of the relative after “to be Vpp”

Ex: Full Sentence:

That tree was the only one which was blown down in the storm last night

Step 1: The relative clause is “which was blown down in the storm last night”,

standing after its antecedent with the phrase “the only”

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun-“which was blown down in the storm…”

Step 3: Change the form of the passive verb in the relative to “to be Vpp”:

“ to be blown down in the storm last night”

Reduced Sentence:

That tree was the only one to be blown down in the storm last night

VII Reduced relative clauses in the form of present participle phrases:

A relative clause with the active form of the main verb can be reduced to apresent participle phrase in cases that follow:

- its main verb is in a progressive tense

- its main verb expresses a permanent situation, long action or frequent event

- its main verb expresses a wish/ hope/desire…

… who/which/that + V(active) +… = …V-ing Phr…

Practical steps of reduction:

Step 1: Identify the relative clause starting with a relative pronoun “who/which/that”

and containing an active verb in the cases mentioned above

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which/that” from the relative clause Step 3: Change the verb form of the relative clause to “Ving” If the verb is in a

progressive tense, only omit the be verb from its form If the verb is in another

tense, change its form to its infinitive form, then add “ing” to form “Ving”

Ex: Full Sentence:

1 The student who is singing on the stage comes from my school.

2 We stood on the bridge which connected the two halves of the city.

3 Minh, who wants to get a pay rise, is trying his best to work

Step 1: The relative clause with an active verb is:

1 “who is singing on the stage” (present progressive)

2 “which connected the two halves of the city” (permanent situation)

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun: 1 “who is singing on the stage”

2 “which connected the two halves …”

3 “who wants to get a pay rise”

Step 3: Change the verb form of the relative clause to “Ving”

1 “singing on the stage”

2 “connecting the two halves of the city”

3 “wanting to get a pay rise”

Reduced Sentence: 1 The student singing on the stage comes from my school.

2 We stood on the bridge connecting the two halves of the city.

3 Minh, wanting to get a pay rise, is trying his best to work

Note: A present participle phrase cannot be used to replace a relative clause

expressing a single completed past action In this case, it is better to keep the fullrelative clause

Ex: Full Sentence:

The police wanted to interview the people who saw the accident.

The Reduced Sentence that follows is not correct.

The police wanted to interview the people seeing the accident.

VIII Reduced relative clauses in the form of past participle phrases:

A relative clause with the passive form of the main verb can be reduced to a pastparticiple phrase

… who/which/that + V(passive) +… = …Vpp Phr…

Practical steps of reduction:

Step 1: Identify the relative clause starting with a relative pronoun “who/which/that”

and containing a passive verb

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which/that” from the relative clause Step 3: Change the verb form of the relative clause to “Vpp” by omitting the verb

“be” and other auxiliary verbs that the relative clause may have

Ex: Full Sentence:

Two boy who was attacked by a dog was taken to hospital.

Step 1: The relative clause with an active verb is “who was attacked by a dog”

Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun-“who was attacked by a dog”

Step 3: Change the verb form of the relative clause to “Vpp” by omitting the verb “be”

- “was attacked”

Reduced Sentence: Two boy attacked by a dog was taken to hospital.

In general, it is rather easy for students to practise doing exercises required toapply a certain form of the relative clause reduction However, mixed exercises related

to all the relative clause reduction forms are really a big challenge to them It isadvisable that students should try to recognize the distinctive features of each formbecause these important determinants will help them choose a suitable way to reduce arelative clause

C Common Types of Applied Exercises:

To help students systematically consolidate and memorize the knowledge of theabove forms of reduced relative clauses, practising with different types of appliedexercises would probably be one of the best ways The exercises designed on various

levels will encourage students gradually to overcome the challenge facing them Beloware samples of types of applied exercises.

Solving exercises and questions related to each certain form of reduced relativeclauses may not be a very complicated task, however, mixed ones can hardly be easyfor students to get right answers To deal with these complex exercises effectively,they should find out the relative clause in each sentence first, then identify what type ofrelative clause it is and what significant feature(s) it has to select to apply a suitableform of reduced relative clauses mentioned in Part B

I Applied exercises following a certain form of reduced relative clauses.

Exercise 1: Reduce the following sentences to nouns or noun phrases.

1 Hanoi, which is the capital of Vietnam, is a major trade center in the country.

2 I read a book by Mark Twain, who is a famous American author.

3 The pyramids, which were the monumental tombs of ancient Egyptian pharaohs, were constructed more than 4,000 years ago.

Exercise 2: Reduce the following sentences to preposition phrases.

1 My office, which is on the second floor of the building, is very small.

2 The path that is at the end of the street leads to the river.

3 The people who were in the botanical garden had much pleasure.

Exercise 3: Reduce the following sentences to adjectives or adjective phrases.

1 My teacher of Literature, who is clever, has a sharp tongue.

2 Fruit that is fresh tastes better than old, soft, mushy fruit.

3 The manager wants to see the architect who is responsible for the project.

Exercise 4: Reduce the following sentences to compound adjective phrases.

1 The students have four short breaks which last 5 minutes.

2 Have you ever seen a dog which has six legs?

3 The Soviet cosmonaut who was 27 years old was the first human in space in 1961

Exercise 5: Reduce the following sentences to paraphrases.

1 I like the people who have a great sense of humor.

2 His wife did not want to live in a house which did not have a private reading room.

3 We all praised the collection which has a variety of old stamps

Exercise 6: Reduce the following sentences to infinitive phrases.

1 We had a river in which we could swim.

2 This is the best book which you can read on the long flight.

(Grade 11 Examination of Quality Survey, Mai Anh Tuan High School, school-year 2015-2016)

3 I was the only one who realized him.

Exercise 7: Reduce the following sentences to present participle phrases.

1 They called a lawyer who lived nearby.

2 The man that is wearing a blue jumper is in the garden.