Tuesday, 25 January 2022

Intermediate/Advanced Sentence Writing Tutorial Week 7

 

Hello everyone.

This is the intermediate/advanced sentence writing tutorial, week 7 of 8.

We will get started at 4:45.

 

You can see all of the class notes on my blog: haleyshec.blogspot.com

Write it down so you will have it: haleyshec.blogspot.com

You can check my blog any time- today, tomorrow or five years from now.

My email is ahaley@vsb.bc.ca

 

 

Agenda:

·      Adjective clauses **Last type of clause

 

Next week - Final week

·      Review

·      Q&A, Question and Answer

·      Wrap-up

 

 

 

REVIEW Sentence types:

 

* SIMPLE- one main clause

          SV   SSV    SVV   SSVV   Imperative   Interrogative

SVVVVVV- poor writing

ADVICE: If something is important and you want to people to remember it, write it in a simple sentence.

-powerful, clear, direct

 

* COMPOUND – two main clauses joined together

1.       , FANBOYS   , SOBA

2.       ; semicolon

3.       ; TRANS,

Transitional words and terms: e.g however    therefore   also   nevertheless   to tell the truth    in general

 

* COMPLEX – one main clause + one subordinate clause

1.       adverb clauses- because   when   if   since   so that   so...that, etc

2.       noun clause- verbs- feel think say know believe / pronouns?- that

why how             

3.       adjective clauses

 

Adjective clauses – final type of clause to learn

 

adjective clauses – more in-depth, more detailed

keep it as simple as possible to start- start basic and then go deeper

 

adjectives – describes a noun

the red hat adjective

the nice red hat adjective

 

ORDER OF ADJECTIVES:

opinion, size, age, shape, colour, material, origin, purpose NOUN

 

The beautiful small new round lime-green Martian flying machine is right there. TOO MANY ADJECTIVES – PICK 2-3

 

opinion, size, age, shape, colour, material, origin, purpose NOUN

My grandmother broke her gorgeous sky-blue English teapot.

Shari loves to listen to ancient Persian music.

The dog plays with a big round plastic chew toy.

Yuko collects old Japanese tea sets.

 

individual adjectives – good for simple ideas

 

more complicated, in-depth description – use adjective clauses

 

Three most common pronouns for adjective clauses: who that which

 

Other less commonly used pronouns for adjective clauses: whom, where, whose

whom – rarely used, very fancy sounding, like a grammar book

Native English speakers rarely use ‘whom’.  We say ‘who’.

MY ADVICE: Forget about ‘whom’. It is not important.

One exception about ‘whom’. writing to someone, don’t know who will be receiving the letter

GREETING: To whom it may concern,

Not an everyday occurence. Pretty rare.

 

FOCUS ON HIGH FREQUENCY USAGE: who that which – 97% of the time

 

who – used for people, any people, sounds nice, sounds polite and respectful

 

that- things that are not alive, animals, people ( sounds a little disrespectful, you don’t that person)

SUBTLETY IN ENGLISH, signal your opinion of a person:

The guy that my sister married is unusual. adjective clause

The man who my other sister married is awesome. adjective clause

 

Who is that? Not an adjective clause, sounds polite

Who is that woman you were talking to?

That is a beautiful baby!

Is that your son? -sounds ok

 

which- special things (special to you), unique things

 

This is a watch that I bought last week. not special

I really like the watch which my dad gave me for my 18th birthday. special

 

wedding ring – which

necklace that your grandmother gave you – which

toothbrush – that

glasses- that

 

who- people

My neighbour who is very elderly does not like my son to play in the backyard.

who is very elderly adj cl  SV

 

elderly(adj) – elder, senior, aged (Biblical), older, old (doesn’t sound polite), senior citizen

My dad is getting older. He is older now. He is 79.

 

impolite- one foot in the grave, on his last legs, knocking on Heaven’s door, long in the tooth, ready to give up the ghost

That old dog is long in the tooth. very old

 

long in the tooth (idiom)- horses teeth grow their whole life, also mice, also beavers

 

Sometimes people who are very elderly start to worry about going to heaven. They start going to church and praying and reading Holy books.

“They are cramming for the final.”

‘cramming for the final’ - studying all night before a big test

cram- study hard in a short period of time

‘cram schools’ – Japan, school that promote intense studying for a exam

 

Jun’s sister who lives in Spain is a nurse.

Jun’s sister that lives in Spain is a nurse. SOUNDS STRANGE, Don’t use ‘that’ for a person.

 

 

COMMON ERROR:

Jun’s sister who lives in Spain.  sentence fragment, not a complete sentence, half a sentence

*In a sentence with an adjective clause, you have to say two things, two SV.

Jun’s sister who lives in Spain is a nurse. 1 2

The phone that she bought was not expensive. 1 2

 

 

that – animals, things, people we don’t like or don’t respect

Marta has a dog who that has cute floppy ears. ‘who’ sounds strange for animals

Shirin got a new phone that has a seven-inch screen.

I met the guy that Joanne is seeing now. -sounds like don’t like him

The guy that my sister married is a bit of a clown.

The guy that my sister married is a clown.

a bit of a – a little bit

My friend is a bit of a drama queen.

drama queen- big emotions all the time, like an actor, dramatic, big show, like a soap opera

 

The guy that my sister married is coming over for a visit. -secret message- don’t like him much-

The guy who my sister married is coming over for a visit. – secret message- like him-

The guy who my sister married is really good fellow.

 

SOURCE OF CONFUSION ‘that’ is used in noun clauses and adjective clauses, also a pronon

multi-use word, confusing

Examples

That sandwich was delicious.

The sandwich that she made was very tasty.

I think that that sandwich was scrumptious. noun clause, pronoun

She thinks that that sandwich that you made was so good that she wants to have another one. confusing, not good writing, grammar is fine

 

which – special things, unique things

special things- You decide if it is special to you.

I have a silver ring which my son gave me. a special thing to me

Mei is wearing the jade necklace which her grandmother gave to her.

Shirin is wearing the jade necklace that her grandmother gave to her. (sounds like a regular necklace, not special)

Clara put the picture which her son painted for her up on the fridge.

 

unique things- only one in the world

Beijing, which is the capital of China, is hosting the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. unique

Marta visited the Eiffel Tower, which is in Paris.

Marta visited the Eiffel Tower that is in Paris. XXX

Marta visited the Eiffel Tower, which is in Paris.

 

Example from my EF56 students:

1.    His house, which is located in North Vancouver, is very expensive.

2.    I came to Vancouver, which is the best city to live in the world.

3.    I would like to visit my grandmother who will turn 100 years old.

4.    My son who is 12 loves to play with lego.

5.    My friend who is very beautiful is a fashion icon.

6.    I do not like crafts which I have to do at work.

7.    Her dog that has a long tail is brown.

8.    I visit my mothe who lives in Ottawa.

9.    I went to the aquarium which is in Stanley park.

10.                       I have to visit my best friend who played with me since I was a seven-year-old.

She is seven years old.

She is a seven-year-old. (noun)

11.                       The girl who is wearing the red shirt is my little sister.

12.                       My daughter who is playing the violin decided to study more music.

13.                       I love the ring which my husband gave me on my birthday.

14.                       Joe bought a new laptop that cost $2000.

15.                       The girl who is standing in the corner is my classmate.

16.                       My friend visited the park which is close to my home.

17.                       I have a lot of apples that my mother gave me yesterday.

18.                       My boss who is very polite resigned yesterday.

19.                       I went to the aquarium which is in Stanley park.

20.                       James wore a fine black tux which his dad gave him.

 

 

 

Adjective clause

Basic level of knowledge

who- people

that- things, animals

which- special things, unique things

 

Deeper level

commas or no commas around adjective clauses

-commas – special, unique, only one- a good time to use commas

 

SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT MEANINGS / MESSAGES

A.   Dave’s dog, that has white fur, loves to swim.

B.    Dave’s dog that has white fur loves to swim.

 

A.   Dave’s dog, that has white fur, loves to swim. Suggests that Dave has one dog.

B.    Dave’s dog that has white fur loves to swim. Suggests that Dave has more than one dog.

 

* detail, subtle, not a major problem if you get it wrong

 

A.   My car that I bought at Richmond Auto Mall is a 2018.

B.    My car, that I bought at Richmond Auto Mall, is a 2018.

 

GRAMMAR: difference between main subject and complete subject

main subject – just one noun, subject of the sentence

complete subject  - main noun plus all the modifiers, subject of the sentence

 

A.   My car that I bought at Richmond Auto Mall is a 2018.

B.    My car, that I bought at Richmond Auto Mall, is a 2018.

 

complete subject

My car that I bought at Richmond Auto Mall is a 2018. suggests 2+ cars

My car, that I bought at Richmond Auto Mall, is a 2018. suggests 1 car

 

commas around an adjective clause means just extra information

 

Look it up in a grammar book:

restrictive and non-restrictive clauses

essential and non-essential clauses

 

 

Examples:

A.   Her son who is nine is very shy. How many sons? 2+

B.    Her son, who is nine, is very shy. How many sons? 1

 

main subject complete subject

Her son who is nine is very shy. How many sons? 2+

Her son, who is nine, is very shy. How many sons? 1

 

Mohamed moved to Vancouver, which is the largest city in BC.

comma or no comma? How many Vancouvers are there?

which is the largest city in BC – extra information

 

Your school, which is at Fraser and 43th, is holding in-class classes. 1 school

Your school which is at Fraser and 43th is holding in-class classes. suggests 2+ schools eg. SHEC, VCC

 

speaking – commas are breath marks, take a beat, slight pause

 

A.   My school, which is at Fraser and 43th, is holding in-class classes.

B.    My school which is at Fraser and 43th is holding in-class classes.

 

Let’s meet at the Starbucks. enough information?

 

Let’s meet at the Starbucks which is at Georgia and Bute. necessary information, essential clause   no comma

 

Let’s meet at Scienceworld, which is open right now. not necessary information, just extra information, non-essential clause

 

** subtle difference – has meaning to an English listener

*** If you get it wrong, it is a small problem.

 

Shirin’s mother, who is retired, likes to travel. 1 mother

Shirin’s mother who is retired likes to travel. 2+ mothers

MORE LIKELY EXAMPLE:

Shirin’s aunt who is retired likes to travel. 2+ aunts

 

REVIEW

A.   My sister who lives in Spain volunteers for a dog rescue society.

B.    My sister, who lives in Spain, volunteers for a dog rescue society.

 

A.   How many sisters do I have? One or more than one? suggest 2+

Subject is “My sister who lives in Spain”

The adjective clause is restricting the meaning of ‘sister’.

Grammar book: restrictive clause, essential clause

 

B.    How many sisters do I have? One or more than one? 1

Subject is “My sister”

The adjective clause is not restricting the meaning of ‘sister’.

Grammar book: non-restrictive clause, non-essential clause

 

MORE INFORMATION TO EXPLORE:

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/using-that-and-which-is-all-about-restrictive-and-non-restrictive-clauses/?gclid=CjwKCAjwruSHBhAtEiwA_qCppvmHGTPcCPEl-fiCdNnSoq5n02Ygj0govWwh5Of09op_QWBYrJ5CHxoCh74QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

 

EVEN DEEPER LEVEL:

Two ways to write an adj cl:

 

I was talking to the woman who is my sister’s friend.

The woman who I was talking to is my sister’s friend.

 

These adj cl are different from each other.

I was talking to the woman who is my sister’s friend. subject pronoun

The woman who I was talking to is my sister’s friend. object pronoun

 

When you have an object pronoun, you have choice!

The woman who I was talking to is my sister’s friend. object pronoun

The woman I was talking to is my sister’s friend. OMIT the ‘who’

MOST AUTHENTIC SOUNDING- WHAT AN ENGLISH WOULD DO

 

The woman whom I was talking to is my sister’s friend. formal, very unusual English speakers do not bother with ‘whom’.

-sounds fake, pretentious

 

To whom were you talking? SOUNDS FAKE AND PRETENTIOUS

Who were you talking to? SOUNDS AUTHENTIC

 

FREE ADVICE #3: Forget about ‘whom’. Nobody uses it.

 

My sister gave me a watch that has a Mickey Mouse face. subject pronoun

 

The watch that my sister gave me has a Mickey Mouse face. object pronoun

CHOICE!

The watch that my sister gave me has a Mickey Mouse face.

The watch my sister gave me has a Mickey Mouse face.

 

Combine these using adjective clauses. Combine them both ways: with a subject pronoun and with an object pronoun. Get them in Chat.

 

1.    Jun built a bench. The bench was wooden.

2.    Sarah got a new phone. The phone was very inexpensive.

3.    May drew a picture. The picture was of an apple.

4.    Canada is a very large country. It has a population of only 36 million.

 

 

YOUR EXAMPLES:

1.    The bench that Jun built was wooden. object pronoun

The bench Jun built was wooden. object pronoun

 

2.    Canada is a very large country that has a population of only 36 million. subject pronoun

3.    Jun built a bench which is the bench was wooden. XXX

Jun built a bench which is wooden. subj pron

 

4.    Jun built a bench that was wooden. subj pron

5.    The bench that was wooden was built by Jun. subj pron

 

6.    The bench that Jun built was wooden. obj pron

The bench Jun built was wooden.

 

7.    Sarah got a new phone which The phone was very XXX

Sarah got a new phone which was very inexpensive. subj

 

8.    The picture that May drew was of an apple. obj

The picture May drew was of an apple.

 

This is a picture of you in front of the Eiffel Tower.

The picture that May drew was of an apple.

The picture was of an apple.

The picture was an apple. awkward, missing prep

 

 

Prepositions are very tricky becuase there are no rules for which prep to use. They are all idiomatic.

 

9.    Sara got a new phone which is very inexpensive. subj

 

10.                       Jun built a bench that was wooden. subj

11.                       Jun built a bench that was wooden. (object subj pronoun)

The bench that Jun built was wooden. (object pronoun)

The bench Jun built was wooden. (OMIT object pronoun)

 

12.                       The picture that Mary draw was of an apple. obj

The picture Mary draw was of an apple. OMIT obj

 

13.                       Jun built that wooden bench. SIMPLE

 

14.                       Canada is a very large country that has a population of only 36 million. subj  -lots of countries

15.                       Canada, which has a population of only 36 million, is a very large country.

 

REVIEW 14 and 15

 

Canada is the largest country which has a population of only 36 million. Meaning?

Canada is one of the largest countries which has a population of only 36 million. misplaced modifier

Canada which has a population of only 36 million is one of the largest countries. right place

 

The man saw a cat who was riding a bicyle. in the wrong place- misplaced modifier

 

The man saw a cat who was riding a bicyle.

The man who was riding a bicyle saw a cat. Now it is in the right place.

 

I gave some coffee to my sister that was cold and bitter. misplaced modifier

I gave some coffee that was cold and bitter to my sister.

 

John bought a table for his grandmother that has three legs.

John bought a table that has three legs for his grandmother.

 

 

16.                       The new phone that Sarah got was very inexpensive. obj

The new phone Sarah got was very inexpensive. OMIT obj

 

17.                       Canada, which is a very large country, has a population of only 36 million.

18.                       The bench was wooden, Jun  built it. XXX

The bench that Jun built was wooden. COMPLEX- adj cl

Jun built a bench that was wooden. COMPLEX- adj cl

Jun built a wooden bench. SIMPLE

Jun built a bench, and it was wooden. COMPOUND

 

19.                       Jun built a bench that was wooden. subj

 

20.                       Sarah got a new phone that was very inexpensive. subj

 

21.                       Jun built a bench that was wooden.

22.                       Sarah got a new phone that was very inexpensive.

23.                       Jun built a bench that was wooden.

24.                       The bench that Jun built was wooden.

25.                       Sara got a phone that was very inexpensive.

26.                       The phone that Sara got was inexpensive.

The phone Sara got was inexpensive.

 

 

27.                       Mary draw a picture of an apple. SIMPLE

28.                       The bench that Jun built was wooden.

29.                       Sarah got a new phone that was very inexpensive.

30.                       Sarah got the phone that was very inexpensive is a new phone. XXX

Sarah got the phone that was very inexpensive. It is a new phone.

31.                       Sarah got a new phone that was every inexpensive.

 

 

My grandmother gave me a ring which I love.

My grandmother gave me a ring I love.

Canada which has a population of only 36 million has a huge landmass.

Canada which has only 36 million population is a huge country.

Canada which has a population of 36 million has a huge landmass.

 

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