Relative Clauses

In today's blog we will look at how we use relative clauses in writing and speaking. Relative clauses are a great way to add information to nouns. In the IELTS written paper, they can be very useful for the task 1 question on processes. Moreover, using relative clauses in IELTS writing task 2 can increase your grammatical range.

What are Relative Clauses

Relative clauses are parts of sentences which add information to a noun in the sentence.

The relative clause can be either the subject or the object of the clause.

The are connected to the noun with a relative pronoun e.g. who, which, that.

What are Relative Pronouns

There are two types of relative clauses:

- A defining relative clause

- A non-defining relative clause

Defining relative clauses add information after the noun to identify the noun more clearly.

The man who has the red hat on stole your wallet.

Without these relative clauses, it is not clear who, where or what is being referred to.

The man stole your wallet.

.... which man?

Non – defining relative clauses add extra but non-essential information to something.

The burglars got through the window, which was left open.

Non-defining relative clauses are more common in written language than in spoken language. Therefore, they can be used in a very descriptive way in writing.

Compare the following ...

I applied to the university which is located in the city centre.

I applied to the university, which is located in the city centre.

Defining Relative Clauses

Defining relative clauses give information after a noun to identify the noun clearly.

Find someone who can pick you up from the airport.

Store away any objects that could become damaging missiles if it gets windy.

Without these relative clauses it is unclear which person, place or thing we are referring to.

Store away any objects if it gets windy.

(We do not know the types of objects this statement is referring to.)

Non-defining Relative Clauses

Non-defining relative clauses add extra, non-essential information about something. Compare:

I always use the local butchers, which is in the city centre, because the staff are very friendly.

There is only one butchers, so the location is added information – not defining it from another.

I always use the local butchers which is in the city centre because the staff are very friendly.

There are more than one local butchers, so the location is clarifying which butchers its is exactly – defining it.

We do not use the relative pronoun 'that':

The burglars got through the window, which the owners had forgotten to shut.

NOT – The burglars got through the window, that the owners had forgotten to shut.

Use of commas:

We cannot leave out the relative pronoun:

My new apartment, which is located further outside the city, is much larger.

NOT – My new apartment, is located further outside the city, is much larger.

Used for single noun phrase and whole clauses:

Summary of difference between a Defining relative clause and a Non-defining Relative Clause

Relative clauses in Sentence structures

Practice Activity

There is a mistake with relative clauses in each of the email extracts below. Find the mistakes and correct them.

1. I wonder if you can help me. I want to get in touch with the woman which we met at the meeting last week. Do you know the one I mean?

2. I'm sending tis email to ask for more information about the language course which I saw them advertised in the Daily Star yesterday.

3. How are you getting on with your new job? I'm finding my new job exhausting, that is not surprising considering I have to travel so much.

4. I really enjoyed the lecture which you gave it on Wednesday, and am thinking about doing my assignment on the same topic.

5. I'm just emailing you to find out if you want to go to the cinema on Thursday. I've got todays newspaper which has a list of films. If you're free, let me know.

6. Can you pick up some shopping on your way home? I want some of those bread rolls what we had last week. Will you be able to stop at the shop?

7. You are clearly a person who life is full and busy, and that is why we think you would like our Personal Organizer. For just €15.99 you ....

Answer Key

1. I wonder if you can help me. I want to get in touch with the woman who we met at the meeting last week. Do you know the one I mean?

2. I'm sending tis email to ask for more information about the language course which I saw advertised in the Daily Star yesterday.

3. How are you getting on with your new job? I'm finding my new job exhausting, which is not surprising considering I have to travel so much.

4. I really enjoyed the lecture which you gave on Wednesday, and am thinking about doing my assignment on the same topic.

5. I'm just emailing you to find out if you want to go to the cinema on Thursday. I've got todays newspaper, which has a list of films. If you're free, let me know.

6. Can you pick up some shopping on your way home? I want some of those bread rolls that we had last week. Will you be able to stop at the shop?

7. You are clearly a person whose life is full and busy, and that is why we think you would like our Personal Organizer. For just €15.99 you ....

Thank you for visiting the Solas English blog. We hope you found this helpful. 
You can download notes from this blog HERE

If you would like us to write a blog about any grammar or vocabulary of English, please leave a comment below.

Thank you
Dee

Solas English

Preparing for a Speaking Exam

How do I prepare for a speaking examination? Many people will tell you to speak as much English as possible before the exam, and they are right! However, there are some things you can do yourself to prepare for a speaking exam. Here are some self-study tips to guide you.

Know the exam layout

It's very important that you know the exam layout before you go into the exam. Being familiar with the exam means you will not be surprised by the type of questions or tasks you will be asked to do. Speaking exams are usually arranged into parts. Each part has a specific task, for example in part 3 of the Cambridge PET exam you are asked to speak about a photograph for 1 minutes. Likewise in part 2 of the IELTS exam you are asked to speak about a topic for 1 to 2 minutes with 1 minute preparation and note-taking before. Therefore it is important to know the speaking exam structure, so you will know what to expect.

Watch example videos online

There are many example videos of speaking exams available online for you to watch. These can be found on the official Cambridge and IELTS websites and also on video websites such as Youtube. The more videos you watch, the more topics you will see covered. This will give you an idea of the type of questions that can come up in the different parts of the exam.

Prepare and Practice Speaking Sheet

It's a good idea to take some time to prepare a topic sheet or a Prepare and Practice Speaking Sheet (PPSS). A PPSS is a brainstorming sheet on which you write ideas and vocabulary about a topic. So how does it work? It's very easy; pick a topic, brainstorm ideas on the sheet of things you could say about the topic, check your dictionary for any words that you would like to use and add them to the sheet. Once you have completed your sheet, practice speaking about the topic using the sheet to guide you and help you remember your ideas and new vocabulary.

It's very important that you DO NOT write full sentences on your PPSS. The PPSS must be in your style of note-taking like mind-maps (above) or linear notes (below). The PPSS is only an aid to help you remember key points and vocabulary. If you write your PPSS in sentences, there is a good possibility that you will read your sentences or paragraph, rather than speaking your ideas.

Also it is very important that you DO NOT memorise a paragraph to answer questions in a speaking exam. Key ideas and words allow you to talk more naturally about the topic and give you the flexibility to change your ideas according to the questions you are being asked.

Remember, if an examiner thinks you have memorised an answer, they will stop you and ask you a different question on a different topic.

It's a good idea to write up as many PPSS's as you can on different topics. Then use the sheets to practise - take a sheet out of your collection, and practise speaking out loud about the topic using the sheet to help you remember what to say and how to say it. You can practise with a friend or by yourself. Sometimes practising in front of a mirror is a good way to help you maintain eye-contact, rather than focusing on the notes all the time. You can also record yourself on your phone or recorder, and then listen back to your pronunciation and delivery.
Another good idea is to set a timer on your phone. In some exams you are asked to speak for 1 or 2 minutes. Set the timer and check if you can talk for a certain length of time about the topic. This is great to help you with your fluency also.

Topics for Speaking Exams

Each speaking exam is different, so do some research on the types of topics that can come up in the exam. Here is a list of the more popular topics that can come up in most exams.

We hope you found our idea of the preparation and practice speaking sheets helpful. If you use any other methods or techniques to prepare for your speaking exams, please comment below. We would love to hear your ideas.
Happy Speaking!

IELTS Speaking Test Tips

In this week's blog we are looking at the IELTS Speaking test, and we have listed some tips below to help you improve your performance. It's a good idea to look up some practice test tips while you are preparing for the test and to watch some example videos on Youtube. Before the test, practise speaking as often as you can and make sure that you can talk for two minutes on a topic. For a good score it's important to answer each question fully but, do not try to learn answers for the test. Studying all aspects of English including pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar will help improve your IELTS score. Here are some other tips to help you prepare:

 

What is the layout of the IELTS speaking test?

The interview has three separate parts and is divided up as follows:

Part 1 (4-5 minutes)

The examiner will ask you questions about familiar topic (e.g. hobbies, likes and dislikes, daily routine).

Part 2 (3-4 minutes)

The examiner will give you a handout showing a topic and some suggestions on it. You need to talk about the topic for 1-2 minutes. You have one minute to write notes and prepare before you begin. The examiner may ask you some follow-up questions.

Part 3 (4-5 minutes)

The examiner will ask you more detailed and more abstract questions linked to the topic in part 2.

How is the speaking test assessed?

The examiner will listen carefully to your answers and will assess your speaking according to the following criteria:

Fluency and coherence - Do you speak fluently and are you easy to understand? Do you link your ideas together?

Lexical resource - Can you use a wide range of vocabulary accurately and the effectively? Can you explain your ideas even if you do not know particular words? Can you use or attempt to use higher-level vocabulary correctly?

Grammatical range and accuracy - Can you use a wide range of grammatical structures rather than repeating basic structures? Do you often make grammatical mistakes?

Pronunciation - Is your spoken language clear and easily understood? Do you use stress and intonation to add extra meaning? Do you use stress word stress accurately?

Now for some tips!

Speaking Test Part 1 

Arrive early to the test so you are not in a hurry and stressed. Give yourself time to relax at the test centre. It's a good idea to visit the test centre a few days before the test, so you know where to go on the day of the test.

Eye contact with the examiner is important, so make good eye contact from the minute you enter the room. Speak and answer questions in a polite and friendly way. Body language is an important part of communicating so be aware of hand gestures or how you are sitting.

The speaking test should be more like a natural conversation between two people. If you learn chunks of language or give a prepared speech, the examiner will know and interrupt you to ask you a different question.

Good communication skills also includes good listening skills. Listen to the examiner's questions so that you can answer correctly. For example, listen for what tenses the questions are in and answer in the correct tense. If you are asked a yes/no question, be sure to answer with yes or no and then give your reason by using linking words like 'because'. Don't just say yes or no only.

Speaking Test Part 2 

Your notes are a reference only, so only look at notes briefly. Don’t read directly from your notes and keep eye contact with the examiner.

If you run out of ideas after one minute, look at your notes, or look at the task in the booklet again. 

When you are making your notes, write notes. Do not write full sentences. It is a good opportunity to put down as much vocabulary you can think of for the topic. It is a good idea to link your vocabulary to your ideas. Make sure you can read your notes easily, so when you quickly look down they are easy to see. Practice note-making before the exam so you can create a system that helps you read notes when you look down very fast. 

Speaking Test Part 3 

Listen carefully to the examiner’s questions so you know how to answer them. If you don't understand a question, don't be shy about asking the examiner to repeat the question again.

In each part of the test, it is very important to answer all of the questions as fully as possible. Full answers will help improve your score,  so expand on your answers as much as you can. 

It is important to have your own opinion. Try to read newspapers and watch the news to keep up with current issues. Your opinion is valid, but it's important that you can explain or support you opinion.

Don’t be afraid to disagree with the opinions of the examiner. The examiner is assessing your language - not your opinions. The test is simply an opportunity for you to show your language skills, and your ability to express your ideas. 

Reference: 2014, Cullen, French and Jakeman. The Official Cambridge Guide for IELTS for Academic and General Training, Cambridge University Press and UCLES

If you want to practice and prepare for an IELTS exam, we offer one-to-one Skype classes. Contact us for more information or visit our website www.solasenglish.com