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Part 1 • Building Better Sentences
The Problem: Robotic English
When we first learn English, we speak in very short, simple sentences.
While this is grammatically correct, it sounds like a robot is talking.
In university writing, this makes our essays look very basic and repetitive.
"I have a friend. My friend is a student. My friend lives in Kandy. My friend likes grammar."
Good morning everyone. We are Group 4, and today we are going to learn about Relative Pronouns and Clauses.
Before we look at the grammar rules, I want to talk about why we need them.
[Look at the audience] Have you ever heard someone speak in very short, basic sentences?
Look at the example on the board: "I have a friend. My friend is a student. My friend lives in Kandy."
This is not wrong... but it sounds like a robot is talking. It is very repetitive. We need a way to fix this for our university essays.
Part 1 • Building Better Sentences
The Solution: Grammar Glue
To speak naturally, we need a way to connect these short ideas together.
We use Relative Pronouns as "grammar glue".
They allow us to take two separate sentences and stick them into one elegant sentence.
Before: "I like the car. The car is fast."
After: "I like the car which is fast."
The solution to robotic English is "grammar glue."
[Smile and point to the slide] We call this grammar glue: Relative Pronouns.
Instead of stopping after every single thought, these words allow us to stick sentences together smoothly.
Look at the example. Instead of saying "I like the car. The car is fast.", we use the glue word 'which' to say "I like the car which is fast." It sounds much more professional and natural!
Part 1 • Building Better Sentences
The 5 Main Glue Words
There are five main relative pronouns we use in English.
Each one has a specific job depending on what we are talking about.
If you master these five words, your English fluency will improve instantly.
So, what are these glue words?
There are exactly five main relative pronouns that we use every day in English.
[Click the Reveal button]
They are: Who, Which, That, Whose, and Whom.
Each word has a very specific rule. If you use the wrong glue, the sentence will sound strange.
My friend and colleague will now take over to explain exactly how to choose the correct word. [Hand over to Presenter 2]
Part 2 • Picking the Right Word
Who vs. Which
WHO: We ONLY use this for People. We never use it for animals or things.
WHICH: We use this for Things, Places, and Animals.
"The girl who is reading a book." (Person = Who) "The book which is on the table." (Thing = Which)
Thank you! Good morning everyone. Let's talk about how to choose between the first two words: Who and Which.
This is the easiest rule to remember. You just have to separate humans from everything else in the world.
If you are talking about a person, you must use WHO. If you are talking about a table, a city, or a dog, you must use WHICH.
[Click the Quick Test button]
Look at this popout. "The dog [blank] barked." Even if your pet dog is part of your family, in English grammar, an animal takes 'which', not 'who'!
Part 2 • Showing Ownership
Using "Whose"
WHOSE: We use this to show ownership (that something belongs to someone).
It acts as a replacement for words like his, her, their, or its.
You can use "Whose" for people, animals, AND things!
"I met a man. His car was stolen." ➔ "I met a man whose car was stolen."
The next word is Whose. This word is very powerful because it shows ownership.
Whenever you want to combine a sentence that has the word 'his', 'her', or 'their', you can replace it with 'Whose'.
[Read the example slowly]
"I met a man. His car was stolen." To stick these together, we drop 'His' and use 'Whose'. "I met a man whose car was stolen."
[Pause for 3 seconds] And here is a fun fact: you can use 'whose' for animals and things too! Like "The tree whose leaves are falling."
Part 2 • Formal Objects
Using "Whom"
WHOM: This is a very formal word. We use it when the person is the object (they are receiving the action).
Many students get confused by this, but there is a very easy trick to remember it.
The He/Him Trick: Ask a question. If the answer is 'him', use 'whom'!
Our final word for this section is Whom.
This word confuses many university students. We use it when the person is the object—meaning they are receiving the action, not doing it.
But don't worry about the grammar terms. I am going to teach you the 'He/Him Trick'.
[Click the button]
Look at the screen. "The client [blank] I called." To figure out the word, ask yourself: Did I call he or did I call him? I called him! Because 'him' ends with the letter M, we use Whom!
[Hand over to Presenter 3]
Part 3 • Important Information
Defining Clauses
Now that we know the words, let's build sentences (clauses).
The first type is a Defining Clause.
This sentence gives us 100% essential information. It defines exactly what we are talking about.
"The students who pass the exam will get a certificate."
Good morning everyone. Now that we know which glue words to use, we can start building clauses. The first type is called a Defining Clause.
As the name tells us, this clause 'defines' exactly who or what we are talking about. It gives us 100% essential information.
[Point to the example]
"The students who pass the exam will get a certificate." This information is essential, because if we remove it, it means ALL students get a certificate, which is wrong! We need this information to know exactly which students we mean.
Part 3 • Important Information
The "No Comma" Rule
Because this information is so important, we can never throw it away.
The Golden Rule: We NEVER use commas in a defining clause.
Commas are used to show that something is extra. Essential info is never extra!
Because defining clauses carry such important information, they have one golden rule for punctuation.
NO COMMAS EVER.
In English, we use commas to show that information is extra or separate. But essential information is the heart of the sentence.
[Click the button]
If we put commas around "who broke the window", it means we can throw it away. But if we say "The boy ran away", the listener will ask "Which boy?!". We cannot throw it away, so we do not use commas!
Part 3 • Important Information
The "THAT" Swap
Because there are no commas in these sentences, we are allowed to use a special trick.
In a defining clause, you can easily swap the words Who or Which for the word THAT.
Both ways are 100% grammatically correct!
"The phone which is ringing is mine." ➔ "The phone that is ringing is mine."
Before I finish my section, I want to give you a very useful trick for your writing.
Because defining clauses do not have commas, they allow us to use the word THAT.
In these sentences, the word 'THAT' is like a joker card. It can replace 'who' and it can replace 'which'.
[Read the example]
You can say "The phone WHICH is ringing" or "The phone THAT is ringing." Both are perfectly correct in defining clauses!
[Hand over to Presenter 4]
Part 4 • Non-Essential Details
Non-Defining Clauses
Now let's look at the exact opposite: Non-Defining Clauses.
These sentences give us extra, non-essential details.
Think of it like extra gossip. The sentence already makes perfect sense without it.
"My grandfather, who is 80 years old, goes for a walk every day."
Hello everyone! My colleague just told you about essential information. I am going to teach you the exact opposite: Non-Defining Clauses.
Think of these clauses as giving "extra gossip". The sentence doesn't actually need this information to survive.
[Point to the example]
Look at this sentence. "My grandfather, who is 80 years old, goes for a walk." I already know who my grandfather is. His age is just extra gossip. The sentence makes perfect sense without it!
Part 4 • Non-Essential Details
The Comma Rule
Because this information is just "extra gossip", we must separate it from the main sentence.
Rule: You MUST use commas before and after the clause.
Think of the commas as "handles". You use the handles to lift the extra information out.
Because this information is extra, we have a very strict punctuation rule.
You MUST use commas.
I want you to imagine that commas are like handles on a basket. Because the clause is extra, you can grab the two comma handles, and physically lift the information out of the sentence.
[Click the button]
Look at Dr. Silva. If we grab the commas and remove "who studied in the UK", we get "Dr. Silva is a great teacher." The sentence is still 100% correct!
Part 4 • University Exam Traps
The "THAT" Trap
Please pay close attention to this rule. It is the most common mistake in university exams!
The Trap: You can NEVER use the word "THAT" inside commas.
In simple terms: Commas and the word 'THAT' hate each other.
Please pay very close attention to this slide. If you remember one thing from my presentation, make it this rule.
This is where most students lose marks in grammar exams. It is the 'THAT' Trap.
Remember how Presenter 3 said you can use 'THAT' in defining clauses? Well, in Non-Defining clauses, it is strictly banned. Commas and the word 'THAT' hate each other. They cannot touch!
[Click the button]
If you write "The Eiffel Tower, that is in Paris...", you will lose marks. You must use 'Which' instead!
[Hand over to Presenter 5]
Part 5 • Dropping Words
Omitting Pronouns
Native English speakers love to speak fast. To do this, they drop words completely!
We can completely delete (omit) the relative pronoun from the sentence.
But we can't do it randomly. There is a simple rule.
"The movie that I watched was great." ➔ "The movie I watched was great."
Good morning class. Have you ever watched an English movie and thought they were speaking too fast? It's because they are dropping words!
In fluent English, we can completely delete the relative pronoun. We call this Omission.
Look at the example. Instead of saying "The movie THAT I watched", a native speaker will just say "The movie I watched."
But you cannot do this to every sentence. In the next slide, I will show you the rule.
Part 5 • Dropping Words
The "Next Word" Rule
To know if you can drop the pronoun, just look at the very next word.
If the next word is a Noun or Pronoun (like I, he, the teacher, Kamal) ➔ DROP IT!
If the next word is a Verb (like is, ran, stole) ➔ KEEP IT!
Here is the easiest way to remember when you can drop the pronoun. I call it the Next Word Rule.
All you have to do is look at the word immediately after the pronoun.
If the next word is a person or a pronoun like 'I', 'she', or 'the doctor', it means you are safe to drop the glue word!
But if the next word is an action verb, like 'is', 'won', or 'stole', you must KEEP the pronoun.
[Click the Practice button and read the popout slowly to the audience]
Part 5 • Academic Formality
Formal Prepositions
Some verbs come with prepositions (like listen to, depend on, speak with).
Informal English: We leave the preposition hanging at the end.
Formal English: In university essays, we move the preposition to the front of the pronoun!
Informal: "The manager who I spoke to." Formal: "The manager to whom I spoke."
My final topic is highly important for your university assignments. It's about Prepositions.
Verbs like 'listen' or 'speak' have prepositions attached to them (listen TO, speak WITH).
In casual, everyday talking, we leave these prepositions hanging at the end of the sentence. "The manager who I spoke TO."
But in a formal essay, this is bad style! We must move the preposition to the front. "The manager TO WHOM I spoke." Remember, when you move it to the front, you must use Whom or Which!
[Hand over to Presenter 6]
Part 6 • Advanced Reductions
Making Sentences Shorter
We just learned how to drop a pronoun. But we can make sentences even shorter.
This is called a Reduced Clause.
We do this by dropping the pronoun AND the 'be' verb (like is, are, was, were).
"The man who is standing..." ➔ "The man standing..."
Greetings everyone. My colleague showed you how to drop one word. But in advanced writing, we can compress sentences even further!
This is called a Reduced Relative Clause.
Instead of just dropping the pronoun, we drop the pronoun AND the helping verb (like is, was, or are).
[Point to the example]
Look at the board. Instead of saying "The man who is standing", we can just say "The man standing". It is much shorter and sounds very professional.
Part 6 • Doing the Action
Active Reduction (-ING)
If the noun is actively doing the action, we call it Active Voice.
The Rule: Change the main verb into an -ING word!
How do we know how to reduce the word? It depends on if the sentence is Active or Passive.
If the noun is doing the action, it is Active.
When it is active, we change the verb into an -ING word.
[Click the button]
Look at this. "The students who study hard". The students are actively studying! So we drop "who", and change "study" to "studying". "The students studying hard will pass."
Part 6 • Receiving the Action
Passive Reduction (-ED)
If the noun is receiving the action, we call it Passive Voice.
The Rule: Just leave the -ED (or past participle) verb as it is!
But what happens if the sentence is Passive?
Passive means the noun is receiving the action. It is not doing anything itself. When this happens, we do not use -ING. We just leave the -ED verb exactly as it is.
[Click the button]
"The car which was stolen". Did the car steal itself? No! It received the action. So we drop "which was", and just leave the word "stolen". "The car stolen is found."
[Hand over to Presenter 7]
Part 7 • Interactive Class Game
The Colombo Heist!
The Story: The famous Star of Kandy diamond was stolen!
The police need our help. A rookie officer made 9 grammar mistakes across 4 evidence stages.
As Chief Detective, I need the audience to shout out the right answers to catch the thief!
[Walk to the center of the room. Speak loudly and with energy!]
Good morning everyone! I am your final presenter, but for the next ten minutes, I am the Chief Detective, and ALL OF YOU are my investigative unit!
A priceless diamond was just stolen from the museum. We have 4 stages of evidence to get through. But the rookie police officer ruined the grammar on all the files.
If we don't fix the grammar, the judge will throw the case out! I need all of you to shout out the correct answers loud and clear. Are you ready? Let's open Stage 1!
[Click the button]
Part 7 • Stage 1: The Suspects
Pronoun Selection
File 1: "The thief, that wore a mask, is tall."
File 2: "The getaway van which he drove it is fast."
File 3: "We found the guard. His keys were stolen." (Combine!)
[Point to the screen and ask the audience loudly. Take your time!]
File 1: Look at this. "The thief, that wore a mask..." Who remembers Presenter 4's rule about commas? [Wait for the audience to shout 'Who!'] Yes! Commas and 'that' hate each other!
File 2: "The getaway van which he drove it." Look closely at this sentence. Is there an extra word? [Ask the left side of the room to answer. Wait for 'Delete it'] Yes! No double pronouns!
File 3: We need to combine these: "We found the guard. His keys were stolen." Which word shows ownership? [Ask the right side of the room. Wait for 'Whose'] Excellent detective work! Let's go to Stage 2.
Part 7 • Stage 2: The 'THAT' Trap
Commas and 'That'
File 4: "The Star of Kandy, that is a priceless gem, is missing."
File 5: "Colombo, that is a busy city, has many hiding spots."
Stage 2! The 'THAT' trap.
The rookie cop completely forgot how to use commas.
File 4: "The Star of Kandy, that is a priceless gem..." Class, look at the comma! What word must we use instead of 'that' for a gem? [Wait for 'Which'] Perfect!
File 5: "Colombo, that is a busy city..." Once again, a comma! What is the correct word here? [Wait for 'Which'] Yes! You guys are getting it! Let's move to Stage 3.
Part 7 • Stage 3: Official Reports
Formal Prepositions
File 6: "The building which he hid in." (Make it Formal!)
File 7: "The partner who he spoke to." (Make it Formal!)
Stage 3! The Police Chief is very angry. He says these reports are too casual. We need to make them formal!
File 6: "The building which he hid in." Where does the preposition 'in' go to make this formal? [Wait for 'In which'] Brilliant! Preposition fronting!
File 7: "The partner who he spoke to." Move the 'to' to the front. But wait... what word do we use for a person in formal English? [Wait for 'To Whom'] Excellent!
Part 7 • Stage 4: The Getaway
Emergency Reductions
File 8: "The suspect who is driving a red car!" (Reduce it!)
File 9: "The artifact which was recovered is safe!" (Reduce it!)
Stage 4! The Final Chase!
The thief is running, we need to speak fast on the police radio! We need to REDUCE these clauses.
File 8: "The suspect who is driving a red car." How do we actively reduce this? [Wait for 'driving'] Yes! Drop the pronoun and the verb 'is'.
File 9: "The artifact which was recovered is safe." This is passive! How do we reduce it? [Make the whole class answer! Wait for 'recovered']
Incredible! The case is closed and we caught the thief!
Part 7 • Conclusion
Case Closed!
You now know how to use "grammar glue" to connect sentences fluently.
You understand the strict comma rules and the "THAT" trap.
You can make your writing formal and professional using reductions.
Thank You for Playing & Listening!
Group 04 is now open for Q&A.
You solved the case, and you have completely mastered Relative Clauses!
To summarize our 35 minutes together: We learned how to use pronouns to connect ideas, when to avoid commas, why 'THAT' is banned after commas, and how to sound professional in university writing.
On behalf of Group 04, thank you to our lecturer and to all of you for being such a wonderful audience. We are now open for any questions!