Relative Clauses 2: The Grammar Gameshow Episode 12

Hello, and welcome to today’s Grammar Gameshow!

I’m your host, Will.

Could anything be more affirming?

And of course, let’s not forget Leslie,

our all-knowing voice in the sky.

Good morning, everyone!

Today, we’re going to be asking three questions about…

Relative clauses!

That useful grammar that allows you to modify a noun!

OK! Let’s see how our contestants are doing!

Good morning!

You spent Saturday and Sunday locked up in our studio

due to last episode’s lockdown. Lucky you!

There’s nothing quite like a lazy weekend, is there?

I feel so refreshed.

How was yours?

So cold…

so hungry.

And contestant number two?

Please, I need a phone.

I haven’t been home for days!

My family’s going to be worried about me.

No, I’m afraid we block all mobile phone signals

in the studio

to prevent cheating.

Not to worry!

Nice to see you both again looking so well.

OK. Let’s get going,

and don’t forget you can play along at home too.

Question one.

We know that ‘who’, ‘which’, ‘that’ and ‘whose’

can be used as relative pronouns.

However,

relative adverbs ‘when’ and ‘where’ can also be used

for talking about places and times.

They can always be replaced

by a preposition and ‘which’.

Look at these sentences

and tell me how to replace ‘when’ or ‘where’.

That was the day when I fell in love.

On which.

That was the day on which I fell in love.

Correct!

This is the place where I found the money.

At which.

This is the place at which I found the money.

Correct!

A bank is a place where you can withdraw money.

From which.

A bank is a place from which you can withdraw money.

Correct!

That was the time when the train departed.

At which.

That was the time at which the train departed.

Correct!

Leslie?

Excellent!

‘When’ and ‘where’ are relative adverbs

that describe places or times,

and that can be used in the same way

as ‘who’, ‘which’, ‘whose’ and ‘that’.

However,

'when' and 'where' can always be replaced

by ‘which’ and a preposition.

The choice of preposition depends on the context,

so be careful!

Well done both of you!

Three points each.

On to question two.

We’ve just seen that sometimes

relative clauses have prepositions in them.

How does the position of the preposition

relate to the relative clause’s formality?

The preposition can be in two positions

immediately before the relative clause

or at the end of the relative clause.

Leslie?

Well done!

The preposition can appear in two positions.

If it appears before the relative pronoun,

the sentence is more formal.

This is in a more written style.

If it is at the end of the relative clause,

the sentence is less formal.

This is more spoken.

Good job. Two points for you.

Let’s have a quick-fire practice round, eh?

Look at these sentences

and tell me if they’re formal or informal.

This is the hospital in which I was born.

Formal.

Correct!

There’s the boy (who) I got the book from.

Informal.

Correct.

This is the medicine

(which) your friend can’t live without.

Informal.

Correct!

She’s the business person

from whom I learned everything.

Formal.

Correct!

And for a bonus point,

can you tell me why the last sentence was

even more formal?

Not only is the preposition before the relative pronoun,

but the speaker has used ‘whom’,

which is an object form of ‘who’ and is also formal.

Leslie?

Well done Kate!

‘Whom’ is a relative pronoun used for people,

but only when they are the object of the relative clause!

It’s quite formal and not spoken much,

but it looks nice in writing!

Well done Kate! 66 points for you.

It’s time for our last question and then

you get to go home…

one of you anyway.

Question three.

The last relative pronoun ‘what’

can also be used in relative clauses,

but it is different.

Look at this sentence and tell me why.

A nice long holiday is what I need.

As a relative pronoun, ‘what’ means ‘the thing which’.

A nice long holiday is the thing which I need.

Leslie?

Well done Levington.

‘What’ can be used as a relative pronoun

to mean ‘the thing which'.

But unlike other relative pronouns,

which need or refer to a noun,

‘what’ is the noun and relative pronoun combined,

so be careful!

Good job Levington, have…

a thousand points.

Well, that brings us to the end of today’s

Grammar Gameshow.

Let’s count out the points…

accounting for last show’s points…

and the ones today…

and a bit of…

and carry the…

And the winner is

Levington!

Well done!

Here’s what you’ve won!

It’s breakfast!

So tasty!

Food!

We’ll see you next week,

where you can play for another prize.

And Kate,

you’ve been through quite an ordeal, eh?

Is there anything you want to say before…

Can I please just call my family?

They must be worried sick.

There’s no mobile phone service

in the studio, I’m afraid

...to discourage cheating.

You understand.

Yes…I suppose…

Call forth the lightning.

It looks like we’ll need another contestant.

Thanks for joining us.

Say goodbye, Leslie.

Sayonara, Leslie!

See you next time!