Relative clauses Conjunctions 1 Conjunctions 2  If, unless, when Indirect Speech While, when and the past continuous tense More past tenses Some Exercises

 

Relative clauses

A relative cluase is a clause that relates to or describes a noun. Relative clauses usually begin with relative pronouns such as that, who or which. For example you can say: The centre checked levels of methylercury that accumulates in the food chain, especially in fish and cannot be diluted by cooking. The word that join 'the centre checked levels of methylmercury' and ' methymercury accumulate in the food chain, especially in fish and cannot be diluted by cooking' these two sentences together.

 

You can use who or that for describing people and which or that for decribing things. Who and which can be either singular or plural.

For example: 1. Kevin is the boy which/who I love.

                      2. This is the gift which/that I bought for my mother.

 

Whom is a bit different from who. Whom is the object of verb and the object of preposition while who is the subject of verb. Sometimes you can either use that or whom to join two sentences together. For example: 1. This is the gril that/whom I helped. 2.Ken is the boy with whom Martha was in love.

 

 

Conjunctions 1

Conjucntions are joining words. You can use them to join ideas together. The three conjunctions that we are considering in this chapter are and, but and or.

You use and when you want to join one idea to another. For example: Windrider and Bright Star are man. Remember that you do not need to repeat all the words when you join two phrases or clauses with and. For example: I like swimming, running and playing basketball but not I like seimming and running and playing basketball.

You use but when you want to contrast or show that the ideas are different or opposite in some way. For example: I don't know him but he seems very friendly.

You use or when you want to give alternatives. For example: We can either go to hiking or swimming.

 

 

Conjunctions 2 

You have learnt how to use the three conjunctions and, but and or. In this chapter you will learn five more conjunctions, they are becuase, since, as, so and so that.

You can join sentences together using conjunctions because, since and as before the reason.

For example: 1. I didn't go to school yesterday because I was sick.

                     2. I don't join the choir since I don't like singing.

                     3. I feel uncomfortable as I have eaten a lot.

 

So is used with results. For example: I feel tired so I sleep.

There is a bit different between so and so that. You cannot say it was raining so that I took my umbrella. Because when you say this, it means that the purpose of the rain was to make you take an umbrella. You can say I took my umbrella so that I would not get wet. That means the purpose of taking your umbrella us to avoid me from getting wet.

 

If, unless, when

In this chaper, you will learn three more conjunctions. They are different from the conjunctions that you have learnt in the previous chapers. They are if, unless and when. All of them are talking about the future. You use 'when' when you are sure that the event will happen. For example, I will send you a letter when I arrive.

If and unless are talking about possible events, but unless has the meaning of 'if ... not'. For example, you will be late unless you wake up. You can change it to, you will be late if you don't wake up.

 

Indirect Speech

Here are some of the examples of indirect speech.

Tonny said that he was busy.

Jenny said that she swam yesterday.

Billy said that he had to finish his homework before he played.

Joseph explained that he didn't talk to his classmates during the lesson.

 

When you use indirect speech, you must use past tense.

Read through page 202 and 203 in the grammar explained book, it's very important.

 

While, when and the past continuous tense

You use the past continuous tense to show that an action continued for a period of time in the past. For example, I was doing my homework from six to eight o'clock last night.

You use the conjunction while and when when you use past continuous tense. There is a bit different between them. You use while to talk about the action that happened in a period of time. And you use when to talk about the action that happened at a point of time.

For example, I was reading my book when you called. You cannot sat I was reading my book while you called since the action called cannot be happened in a long period of time. There can be two actions that both continued over a long period of time in the past. For example Timmy was having his lunch while Jenny was watching television. There can also be two actions that happened at the same time but not over a period of time. For example, Nancy threw away her pen when Norna shouted.

 

More past tenses

In this chaper, you will learn present perfect continuous tense, past perfect tense and past perfect continuous tense.

You use present perfect continuous tense when you talk about an action began in the past and has finished or is still happening and may continuous in the future. For example, I have been swimming.

You use past perfect tense to show that one action in the past was completed before another. For example, I had finished my homework before I ate my dinner.

You use past perfect continuous tense to show an action that has continued a period of time or has just been completed before another action. For example, we had been practicing for weeks when the Principal cancelled the basketball competition.

There must be two action when you use past perfect tense and past perfect continuous tense.

 

Some Exercises

Exercises of Reported & Indirect Speech Exercises of Reported & Indirect Speech Read this doc on Scribd: Revision on Relative Clauses Read this doc on Scribd: Exercises of Reported & Indirect Speech