Lesson video

Hi, I'm Mr. Buckingham and I'm really pleased to be joining you today to teach you some more about clauses.

We're going to be learning a brand new type of clause today, and I'm really excited to make it start.

So let's get going.

Today's lesson is called, A New Subordinate Clause: The Relative Clause.

And it comes from our unit called Simple, Compound, Adverbial and Relative Complex Sentences.

By the end of today's lesson, we're going to be able to identify that a relative clause is a type of subordinate clause.

Now, this is a really exciting lesson for us, because we're going to be introduced for the first time to a new type of clause, which is gonna be so useful for us in our writing going forward from here for the rest of our school lives.

So really important knowledge we're about to learn today.

Let's get going.

Here are our key words for today's lesson.

My turn.

Your turn.

Subordinate clause.

Main clause.

Relative clause.

Relative pronoun.

And adverbial clause.

Well done.

Let's look at their definitions in a bit more detail.

Now we're going to learn lots about these during the lesson, so don't worry if they seem a bit scary to start with.

A subordinate clause is a group of words that contains a verb and does not make complete sense.

A main clause is a group of words that contains a verb and makes complete sense.

A relative clause is a type of subordinate clause that starts with a relative pronoun.

And a relative pronoun is a word that starts a relative clause, like who or which.

And finally, an adverbial clause is a type of subordinate clause that starts with a subordinating conjunction.

We've talked about those before.

So here's the outline for today's lesson.

We're going to start by talking about relative clauses on their own, and we'll go on to compare relative clauses and adverbial clauses.

So let's get started talking about relative clauses.

We've already learned that a subordinate clause is a group of words that contains a verb, but does not make complete sense on its own.

We know we have our character subordinate to show that this is not a powerful type of clause.

It can't be a sentence on its own.

Here are some examples before you answer the question, while we perform the experiment, after Aisha went to the library.

Each of these contains a verb answer, perform, and went are all doing verbs, but every subordinate clause like these needs to be joined to a main clause to make complete sense.

And we have our character, Main, who's strong to show that the subordinate clause needs the main clause.

Subordinate needs main to make complete sense.

So which of the following is a subordinate clause? This is a tricky question.

After lunch, after we had eaten lunch, and we ate lunch.

Pause the video and decide which is a subordinate clause.

Okay, so the first one after lunch doesn't contain a verb.

So it can't be any kind of clause.

After we had eaten lunch contains the verbs had eaten.

So it's definitely a clause, but it couldn't be a sentence on its own.

It doesn't make sense.

So that must be a subordinate clause.

We ate lunch also contains a verb ate, so it is a clause, but this could be a sentence on its own.

We ate lunch.

Full stop.

So that must be a main clause, which means it is not a subordinate clause.

Really well done if you spotted that.

That was a tricky one.

So let's listen to some examples of a new type of subordinate clause we are going to be working on today.

The chef, who was very famous, prepared a delicious dish of roast potatoes.

The bicycle, which had a red frame, belonged to my little sister.

Lucas, who had quick reflexes, finally caught the slippery fish.

Barbados, which is an island surrounded by clear water, is a popular holiday destination.

So you can see a new type of subordinate clause in purple there.

Who was very famous, which had a red frame, who has quick reflexes, and which is an island surrounded by clear water.

Let's investigate these in more detail.

Here's our sentence from before.

We can see this purple section must be a subordinate clause for two reasons.

It contains a verb was, and it does not make complete sense in its own.

We couldn't have a sentence which says, who was very famous, full stop.

It doesn't work.

So this must be a type of subordinate clause.

And we can see the rest of the sentence if we slotted it together would look like this.

The chef prepared a delicious dish of roast potatoes.

Can you see we've pushed those two parts together.

This does make sense on its own.

So this is a main clause.

So you can see that our new type of clause sometimes slots in to the middle of a main clause, but if we push those two parts back together, the main clause would still make sense on its own.

Now have a look at that sentence again, which two things tell us the black section is a main clause.

Pause the video and decide which two of the statements tell us the black section of the sentence is a main clause.

Have a go.

Really good try.

Well done.

A says it could be a complete sentence on its own.

Yes, it could.

The chef prepared a delicious dish of roast potatoes.

And B says it could contain a verb and it does.

It contains the verb prepared.

So both of those are true.

C says it does not make sense on its own.

Well, it does make sense in its own.

The part of the sentence that does not make sense in its own is our section in purple, who was very famous.

So this new type of subordinate clause, like the example we just saw in purple is called a relative clause.

It's added after a noun or a noun phrase in a main clause, and it tells us more about it, more about the noun or the noun phrase.

Here's our main clause.

Lucas finally caught the slippery fish.

We've got a main clause there, starting with the noun Lucas.

We could add a relative clause after the noun Lucas to say more about Lucas.

We could say Lucas who had quick reflexes, finally caught the slippery fish.

Here who has quick reflexes is our relative clause.

It tells us more about the noun Lucas.

So the relative clause always follows the noun or the noun phrase.

It tells us more about them.

The bicycle, which had a red frame, belonged to my sister.

Here we've got the noun phrase, the bicycle, and the relative clause, which had a red frame.

Tells us more about it.

Notice how it comes right after the noun phrase it's telling us more about.

Barbados, which is an island surrounded by clear water, is a popular holiday destination.

Here the main clause in black starts with the noun Barbados.

And then we have our relative clause, which is an island surrounded by water, directly afterwards.

Because that relative clause is telling us more about the noun it comes after.

So let's have a look at that section in purple, which had a red frame, which two things help us to know that which had a red frame is the relative clause.

It comes after the noun phrase the bicycle and tells us more about it.

It is a type of subordinate clause.

It couldn't be a sentence on its own, and it could be a sentence on its own.

Pause the video and decide which two things help us know that which had a red frame is the relative clause.

Have a go.

Great.

Let's have a look.

So A, does it come after the noun phrase the bicycle? Yes, it does.

It says the bicycle, which had a red frame.

So that tells us it's a relative clause.

And secondly, yes, it is a type of subordinate clause, which had a red frame, could not be a sentence on its own.

So a relative clause is a type of subordinate clause.

It could not be a sentence on its own.

And we know it's a clause because it has this verb had.

Like all clauses, it contains a verb.

We've already set that our relative clause comes after a noun to tell us more about it.

The other clue that we have a relative clause is that it always starts with a relative pronoun.

And we only have two of these to worry about for now.

So they're really easy to remember.

We've got the relative pronoun who.

We use this one when the noun we're talking about is a person or a character, like in the case of Lucas.

Lucas is a person.

So the relative clause starts with who.

We also have the relative pronoun which, we use this if the noun we're talking about is a place or a thing.

So in the case of Barbados, that's a place.

So we use the relative pronoun which in our relative clause.

So we only need to remember these two relative pronouns who and which, which come at the start of our relative clause.

So the relative pronoun begin with the relative clause.

Sam, who lived close to school, always arrived early.

We can see we've got the relative pronoun who, so that tells us the relative clause must be who lives close to school, and it comes after the noun Sam.

Sam's a person, so we've used the relative pronoun who.

Now let's look at the structure of this sentence in more detail.

We can see that the main clause here would be Sam always arrived early.

And in between the two parts of the main clause, we've placed our relative clause starting with our relative pronoun in this case who, so you can see the structure for a relative clause inside a main clause at the bottom of the page.

We've got main, starting the main clause.

Then we have our relative clause, a type of subordinate clause, and then we finish the main clause after the relative clause.

And you might have spotted that we have commas on either side of the relative clause.

Now, we'll talk more about that in a future lesson.

Now, I'm going to show you some sentences that include relative clauses, and I want you to decide which relative pronoun you should use in each case.

Should it be who for a person, or should it be which for a place or a thing.

Have a look at the sentences, and decide if the relative pronoun should be who or which.

Pause the video and have a go.

Great effort.

Let's have a look together.

Andeep is a person.

So we should use the relative pronoun who.

Wales is a place.

So we should use which.

My mom is a person.

So we should use who.

And the island is a thing or a place.

So we could use which for that one.

Really well done if you got those.

Now, I wonder if you can match the relative clauses I'm going to give you to the nouns and the noun phrases they could describe.

You can see I've got noun phrases and nouns on the left.

And then relative clauses on the right.

Can you match them up into pairs where the relative clause is describing the noun or the noun phrase? Pause the video and make some pairs.

Right, let's check that one.

The medicine, which was very bitter.

My uncle, who is my dad's brother.

The library, which was completely silent.

And Jun's sister, who was only six.

Notice how we've used who when we're talking about a person and which when we're talking about a thing in these examples.

Really great effort.

Let's keep going.

Now, for our first task this lesson, I'd like you to rewrite some sentences, including the correct relative clause.

So here are the relative clauses you can choose from, who finds R.

E.

difficult, which had roses around the door, who was wearing armour, and which is my favourite month.

Look how they all start with a relative pronoun who or which.

I'd like you to slot them into these four sentences.

So what I want you to do is pause the video and rewrite each sentence with what you think is the correct relative clause slotted in to the gap I've shown.

Pause the video and have a go.

Okay, let's have a look together.

For the first sentence, I've written February, which is my favourite month, is often extremely cold.

Number two.

The guard, who was wearing armour, stopped us from entering the castle.

Number three.

Izzy, who finds R.

E.

difficult, asked the teacher for help.

Number four.

The house, which had roses around the door, was at the edge of the village.

So hopefully you've managed to pick the right relative clause for each of those sentences.

Really good job so far.

This is a really tricky new thing we're learning.

So really well done for sticking with it.

Let's keep going.

We're now going to try and compare the relative clauses we've just learned about with the adverbial clauses we've talked about in previous lessons.

Let's get going.

So we now know several different types of clause.

We can start by thinking about the difference between a main clause like Sam arrived early, and a subordinate clause.

We know a main clause would make sense in its own and a subordinate clause does not.

But we now know two types of subordinate clause.

We know an adverbial clause and we know a relative clause.

Now let's zoom in a little bit on those two.

An adverbial clause might look like this.

Because Sam lived close to school, he arrived early.

In that sentence, the adverbial clause is because Sam lived close to school.

I know it's an adverbial clause because it starts with because, which is a subordinating conjunction.

All adverbial clauses begin with a subordinating conjunction.

And we know there are many subordinating conjunctions.

Words like as, when, and while, but there are many more you'll learn as you go through school.

So another type of subordinate clause we now know is the relative clause.

Here's an example.

Sam, who lived close to school, arrived early.

This time the relative clause starts with a relative pronoun.

In this case who, and we know we only need to know two of these, which and who.

So we've got a really easy way of telling the difference between an adverbial clause and a relative clause.

An adverbial clause starts with a subordinating conjunction, but a relative clause starts with a relative pronoun, either who or which.

And we know that that relative clause links back to the noun that it follows.

Now is each statement below true for a relative clause, an adverbial clause, or for both? Think carefully.

Let's look at them.

It needs a main clause to make complete sense.

It begins with a subordinating conjunction.

It begins with a relative pronoun.

It follows a noun or noun phrase.

So decide is each of their statements true for a relative clause, an adverbial clause, or both.

Pause the video and think about this one.

Great effort.

This is a really tricky question.

For the first one, it needs a main clause to make complete sense.

We know that's true for all subordinate clauses.

So that must be true for both relative and adverbial clauses.

B says, it begins with a subordinating conjunction.

And we know that's an adverbial clause.

And a subordinate clause that begins with a relative pronoun must be a relative clause.

Finally, D says it follows a noun or noun phrase.

Now we've seen in all our examples that a relative clause comes after a noun or noun phrase to tell us more about it.

So this one must be true for a relative clause.

But do keep in mind that relative and adverbial are both types of subordinate clause.

Really well done with that question.

Now, an adverbial clause, as we've seen before, begins with a subordinating conjunction.

While we waited for the train to arrive, we ate our packed lunches.

In this sentence, I can see the subordinating conjunction while.

So the adverbial clause must be at the start of this sentence.

It must be while we waited for the train to arrive.

I only had time to eat a quarter of a sandwich before the train reached the platform.

Hmm, I can see the subordinating conjunction before in this sentence.

So here the adverbial clause must be at the end of the sentence.

It must be before the train reached the platform.

After they had boarded the train, Aisha and Lucas read a library book together.

Hmm.

I can spot the subordinating conjunction after.

So my adverbial clause must be at the start of the sentence.

It must be after they had boarded the train.

Let's practise that.

Can you see if you can find the adverbial clause in each of these sentences? Remember, you are looking for the subordinating conjunction to see where the start of the adverbial clause must be.

Pause the video and spot those adverbial clauses.

Right, let's check those.

In A, the adverbial clause must be while Sophia played football, because it starts with the subordinating conjunction while.

For B, the adverbial clause must be before the lesson ended.

It starts with before.

And for C, it must be after it has already happened, because that starts with a subordinating conjunction after.

Now remember, all types of clause contain a verb.

Sam arrived early, because Sam lived close to the school, who worked close to school.

Arrived, lived, and worked are all verbs.

When there's no verb in a group of words it's not a clause, it's a phrase.

Early that morning, next to the school, with his school bag.

All of these don't contain a verb.

So they are phrases and not clauses.

Now we can tell if a clause is a relative clause or an adverbial clause, even if we can't see the main clause that makes it make sense.

While we were eating fruit.

Who is eating fruit.

Both of these must be subordinate clauses.

They both contain a verb, were and was, but neither of them make sense on their own.

But are they relative or adverbial? While we are eating fruit begins with while, which is a subordinating conjunction.

So this must be an adverbial clause.

Who is eating fruit begins with who.

That's a relative pronoun.

So this must be a relative clause.

So have a look at these subordinate clauses and decide are they relative or adverbial.

And remember, a relative clause starts with a relative pronoun who or which.

Pause the video and decide.

Well done, great effort.

A starts with which.

That's a relative pronoun.

This is a relative clause.

B starts with who.

That's a relative pronoun.

So who was fantastic at grammar, must be a relative clause.

As he lifted the weights starts with as a subordinating conjunction.

So that's an adverbial clause.

And while we were learning grammar starts with while, that's another subordinating conjunction.

So that's an adverbial clause.

Really well done if you're spotting these patterns.

Let's keep it up.

So for our final task this lesson, I'm going to show you some sentences.

And for each sentence the subordinate clause has been highlighted.

You can see them in green.

So what I'd like you to do is decide for each of those subordinate clauses in green, write if it's an adverbial clause or a relative clause.

And then circle the relative pronoun or the subordinating conjunction which told you.

So for each sentence, you'll either write relative or adverbial, and inside each sentence you're going to circle either a relative pronoun or a subordinating conjunction.

Pause the video and try that task now.

Okay, let's share some answers.

For the first one, I can see the relative pronoun who, so this is a relative clause.

After he had exercised, begins with a subordinating conjunction after.

So it's an adverbial clause.

Number three starts with which.

So it's a relative clause.

Number four starts with as, a subordinating conjunction, starts an adverbial clause.

And number five, who had just run home, starts with who, a relative pronoun.

So it's a relative clause.

Really well done if you spotted those.

Wow, we've learned an awful lot in this lesson.

And we've started to think about a new type of subordinate clause, the relative clause.

Let's just summarise what we've learned.

All subordinate clauses are groups of words that include a verb and need a main clause to make complete sense.

One type of subordinate clause is the adverbial clause, which starts with a subordinating conjunction.

And a new type of subordinate clause is the relative clause, which starts with a relative pronoun.

And the relative pronouns are who and which.

Really well done for completing this lesson.

You've done a great job with some really tricky grammar.

I'd really like you to go and try our exit quiz now to test what you've learned.

And I'd love to see you again in a future lesson.