UNIT 10
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PREPOSITIONS IN
RELATIVE CLAUSES
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START
POINT
-
Karen is the schoolgirl. I told you about her.
ð Karen
is the schoolgirl who/ that/ whom I
told you about.
ð Karen
is the schoolgirl about whom I told
you.
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A.
|
1.
In formal styles,
a.
A preposition usually comes before the relative pronoun (which or whom)
-
In 1901 Marconi made the announcement for which he will always be remembered.
- Augusto
Righi, with whom
Marconi studied in the 1890s, was a physicist.
b.
After a preposition we
usually use whom rather than who
-
Is it right that politicians should make important decisions without
consulting the public to whom they are accountable? (NOT: the public to who they are accountable.)
*And
we don’t use that or no relative pronoun
- The valley in which the town lies is heavily polluted.
(NOT: The valley in that the town
lies is heavily polluted; NOT The valley in
the town lies is heavily polluted.)
2.
In less formal English, we
usually put the preposition later
in the relative clause:
-
In 1901 Marconi made the announcement which he will always be remembered
for.
- Augusto
Righi, who Marconi studied with in the 1890s, was a
physicist. (More formally: Augusto
Righi, whom Marconi studied with in the 1890s, was a
physicist.)
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B.
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All/ each/ many/ most/ neither/ none/
some/ both/ half/ a number (one, two, etc.) + OF WHOM/ OF WHICH (non-defining clauses)
- They
have four children. All of them are
married.
=>
They have four children, all of whom are
married.
-
We have taken many tests. Most of them
were difficult.
=>
We have taken many tests, most of
which were difficult.
-
He had three cars. One of them was
made in Japan.
=>
He had three cars, one of which was
made in Japan.
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C.
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In formal styles:
NOUN OF WHICH = WHOSE + NOUN:
-
A huge amount of oil was spilled, whose
effects are still being felt.
(or … the effects of which are
still being felt.)
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D.
|
If
the verb of the relative clause is a two-word
verb (come across, fill in, look
after, take on) we don’t usually put the preposition before the relative
pronoun:
-
The Roman coins, which a local farmer came across in a field, are now on display in the National
Museum. (NOT: The Roman coins, across
which the local farmer came in the field, are…)
With
three-word verbs, we only put the
prepositions before the relative
pronoun in a very formal or literary style, and many people avoid this pattern:
-
She is one of the few people to whom I look up. (less
formally: ….who I look up to)
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E.
|
In
formal, mainly written,
English whose can come after a
preposition in a relative clause. Putting the preposition at the end of the
clause is more natural in informal
and spoken English
+
I now turn to Freud. The following quotation is taken from his work.
ð
I now turn to Freud, from whose work the following quotation is taken.
ð
Less formally…
Freud, whose work the following
quotation is taken from.
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*BONUS:
?
What is a “two-word verb”?
Many English verbs can
be followed by prepositions or adverb particles.
·
Do sit down.
·
Alice ran down the
road without looking at anybody.
Some verbs and
prepositions / particles are regularly used together. Examples are: look
at, listen to, stand up and switch off. These combinations
are rather like two-word verbs. In grammars these are often called phrasal
verbs.
The meaning of a
two-word verb can be very different from the meanings of the two-parts taken
separately.
·
The meeting had to be put
off. (The meaning of put off is not the same as the meanings of put
and off.)
*MORE:
-
COME ACROSS: to meet or find somebody/something by
chance
- FILL IN: to
complete a form, etc. by writing information on it
-
LOOK AFTER: to be responsible for or to take care of somebody/something/yourself
- TAKE ON: to employ somebody
EXERCISES
Task
1: Rewrite
these sentences so that they are more appropriate for formal written English. Use
preposition + which or preposition + whose, as appropriate:
1. Fleming’s discovery of penicillin, which he was
awarded the Novel Prize for, had a major influence on the lives of people in
the 20th century.
=> Fleming’s discovery of penicillin, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize,
had a major influence on the lives of people in the 20th century.
2. He was the uncle of Ann Boleyn, whose execution in
2536 he lost power after.
=> .............................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................
3. It is her
unmarried name which she is better known by.
=> .............................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................
4. Mr. Wang, whose
land the road will be built across, is unhappy about the plans.
=> .............................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................
5. The election
result, which there can be no doubt about, is a great disappointment.
=> .............................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................
6. The building
which Marcus emerged from was little more than a ruin.
=> .............................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................
7. It is a
medieval palace, whose tower the king hid in during the civil war.
=> .............................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................
8. I am grateful
to Aarav Basu, whose book on the history of the bicycle this information comes
from.
=> .............................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................
Task
2: Complete
the sentences using the endings from the box and which or whom after an appropriate preposition.
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the furniture is to be delivered
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she was divorced in 2005
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he had shown his novel
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I had great respect
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it was named
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the printer was supplied
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most world trade was conducted
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you should be aware
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1. My Maths
teacher, Mr. Kato, was someone for whom I
had great respect.
2. Until 1914 the
pound sterling was the currency....................................
..................................................................................................................
3. They have
changed the date ..................................................................
..................................................................................................................
4. Pasteurization
was discovered by the French chemist Louis Pasteur,....
..................................................................................................................
5. He was
persuaded to stay in England by Charles Dickens, ..................
..................................................................................................................
6. There are a
number of safety procedures ..............................................
..................................................................................................................
7. Details are in
the instruction manual ....................................................
..................................................................................................................
8. Ms. Park was
left the money by her former husband, ..........................
..................................................................................................................
Task
3: If
necessary, suggest corrections or improvements to these sentences or write ü if
they are already correct.
1. The house into
which the thieves broke is owned by Caleb Cruz. ........
2. The school has
been given 20 laptops, half of which are brand new. ...
3. JKL Motorbikes
sells six different models, the first which they started making in 1985. ..................................................................................................................
4. The party, to
which I have been looking forward all week, is at Maxine’s house.
..................................................................................................................
5. The water that
she fell into was freezing cold. ......................................
6. I have heard
her on the violin and clarinet, both which she plays extremely well.
..................................................................................................................
7. The film was
made at Tulloch Castle, part which dates back to 1466. .
8. The college is
home to 30 students from Nepal, almost all of who are studying economics. ................................................................................................