Relative Pronouns

CULTURE CORNER

Activity 1.

In this article the author mentions the concept of privacy which is very important in western cultures.

The word privacy can be translated into Russian in following ways: уединение, секретность, тайна, конфиденциальность, уединённость, личное. Which one would you choose if asked to translate the text?

Activity 2.

Listen to Alessandro Acquisti,a privacy economist and give your comment on the talk http://www.ted.com/talks/alessandro_acquisti_why_privacy_matters.html

GRAMMAR

Defining adjective clauses

The following sentence is taken from the text you have just read:

The technology that America's lawmakers want to be made compulsory was originally intended for another purpose.

The italicized part of this sentence is a defining adjective clause.

Defining adjective clauses provide essential information about the noun they follow. They are called defining adjective clauses because they always occur in definitions but they are used in any sentence when we want to give essential information about the noun.

Activity 1. Combine the following sentences. Make the second sentence into a defining adjective clause for a noun in the first sentence (main clause).

Example: The technology was originally intended for another purpose.America's lawmakers want it to be made compulsory.

Answer: The technology that America's lawmakers want to be made compulsory was originally intended for another purpose.

1. The device was the telephone. The device started modern electronic communication.

2. The storm was called ‘St Jude’. It was one of the most powerful storms to hit Britain in decades.

3. The new pilot had to fly a plane. The pilot had never flown this plane before.

4. This air pollutant is most responsible for dirty air. It is carbon monoxide (CO).

Relative Pronouns

Adjective clauses usually begin with one of the five possible adjective clause markers: that (thing/person), which (thing), who (person), whom (person), whose +N (person/thing).

In a definition, it is possible to the relative pronoun that for both things and human beings, e.g.:

A circuit is a complete path that can be followed by an electric current.

A pediatrician is a doctor that attends to children.

However, in defining adjective clauses that are not definitions, we use the relative pronoun who for human beings, especially when there is a personal relationship., e.g.:

The student who sits next to me is an engineer.

Activity 2. Add the correct relative pronoun.

Example: The man ____ was studying earthquakes.

Answer: The man whom was studying earthquakes.

1. The textbook _____ we use in class costs $25.00.

2. The woman ____ he heard at the conference is a well known particle physicist.

3. The men ____ first described the DNA double helix are Watson and Crick.

4. The people ____ need help the most are those _____ have no food or shelter.

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