Relative Clauses (defining and non-defining clauses)
We use relative clauses to give additional information about something without
starting another sentence.
By combining sentences with a relative clause, your text becomes more fluent and
you can avoid repeating certain words.
Children who love chocolate are pretty common.
These are the pens that have been used lately.
Defining clauses
Defining clauses give us important information that tells us who or what we are
talking about.
The folder which has the most papers is the most important.
The person that ran the marathon is an avid runner.
1) Who/that
We can use who or that to talk about people. That is considered a bit more
informal.
He is the man who washes my car.
She’s the woman that delivers my mail.
2) Which/that
We use which or that to talk about things.
There was an accident on the road which caused some traffic.
The food that we bought last night was delicious!
3) When
Used to talk about a time.
Swimming was so fun when I was a child
4) Where
Used to talk about a place.
That’s the palace where the Queen lives.
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5) Whose
Used to refer to the person that something belongs to.
He’s the doctor whose clinic was on TV.
When we can omit the relative pronoun.
We can leave out who, which or that when it is followed by a subject.
The nurse (that) she had was very patient.
However, we can’t omit if it is followed by a verb.
The nurse that helped us was very patient.
Grammar Practice - Defining Clauses
Make one sentence from the two short ones. The sentence in italics should become
the relative clause. The relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause.
1) She worked for a man. The man used to be an athlete.
_______________________________________________________________
2) They called a lawyer. The lawyer lived nearby.
_______________________________________________________________
3) I sent an email to my brother. My brother lives in Australia.
_______________________________________________________________
4) The customer liked the waitress. The waitress was very friendly.
_______________________________________________________________
5) We broke the computer. The computer belonged to my father.
_______________________________________________________________
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Non-defining Clauses
Non-defining clauses give us extra information about someone or something. It is
not relevant information in order to understand who or what we are talking
about. With these types of clauses we do not use that.
Here are some examples of non-defining clauses:
The cinema, which is the biggest one in the block, is showing my favourite movie.
My mother, who is sleeping, is going to cook dinner tonight.
My neighbor, whose daughter was my friend, came over to ask for some sugar.
Unlike defining clauses, commas are used in non-defining clauses.
1) Who
We use who to talk about people. It acts as a subject pronoun (personal
pronoun that is used as the subject of a verb).
My brother, who just started a new job, called me last night.
My friend who gave me a present, is coming over later today.
2) Which
Is used to talk about things
The apartment, which is small and old, is owned by neighbors.
The bike which is red and white, hit the lamp post yesterday.
3) Whose
It is used to refer to the person or thing that something belongs to.
My sister-in-law, whose garden is beautiful, has just left my home.
My cousin’s daughter, whose clothes are adorable, is 3 years old.
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4) Whom
Used for people only. It acts as an object pronoun (pronouns that receive
the action in a sentence).
Mr. Pearson, whom I adore, has invited us to a party.
Which + preposition can be used to talk about places and times. Where and when
also be used (most common form).
The zoo, which we went to, was full of exotic animals.
The zoo, where we went, was full of exotic animals.
May, which my anniversary is celebrated in, is the perfect time to go on vacation.
May, when my anniversary is celebrated, is the perfect time to go on vacation.
However, where or when can’t be used when we use which without a preposition.
Noon, which is the time we have lunch, is always quiet.
Holy week, which is celebrated before Easter, is a Catholic holiday.
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Grammar Practice – Non – defining clauses
Combine the sentences using non-defining relative pronouns.
1) Valencia is a great place. Valencia is east of Madrid.
______________________________________________________________________
2) Lucy is living in London now. Lucy got divorced last year.
______________________________________________________________________
3) Clare is a good teacher. I don't like Clare very much.
______________________________________________________________________
4) The Irish pub is amazing. I met my girlfriend in The Irish pub.
(use WHERE)
______________________________________________________________________
5) My smart neighbour stinks of after-shave. My smart neighbour is a lawyer.
_____________________________________________________________________
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Aptis Writing
Part 1
The first part of the writing test consists of five questions that need short answers.
The questions are general questions that ask for information about you.
The general idea is that you have joined a club, or society, or a course and the
other members are asking you questions by text about you (don’t use text
message shorthand though)
This part of the test is only worth a few marks and only assesses you to A1 level
and you are recommended to spend three-minutes doing it if you want to get a
high score. For this part of the test, you are not expected to write sentences and if
the answer is good, individual words are fine.
You will be asked to write 1-5 words. Don’t write more than this.
However, you should try to balance your replies so that they sound natural.
For example, this sentence is too long:
Question: How are you?
Response: I am feeling wonderful, thank you very much. And how are you?
This sentence is too short and sounds a little rude:
Question: How are you?
Response: Fine!
This sentence achieves the task.
Question: How are you?
Response: I’m fine thanks.
The focus of this section is only on communication and factors like spelling, using
capital letters and grammar are not considered.
However, try to Include the relevant articles and prepositions if you can to make
sure you receive the highest mark.
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*Note. Unless you are speaking to a close friend, or you are well into a
conversation, one-word answers are not generally considered polite in English (it
makes the person you are communicating with think you are not interested in
talking to them).
If you get a question that requires only a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer, try to extend it-
‘Yes, it is’. ‘No, it isn’t’ etc.
Below are some example questions for APTIS writing part 1.
Part 2
Part 2 of the APTIS writing is Short Text Writing. In this part, you have to write one
or two short texts of about 20-30 words on a similar topic to part 1. If, for
example, this had been about joining a book club.
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How to answer.
The mark you receive will depend on you answering the question-completely and
if you stay on point. You will be evaluated for: grammatical range and accuracy,
punctuation, vocabulary range and accuracy, and cohesion.
Vocabulary
This means you have to choose words that are appropriate for the level of
formality. You should ask yourself: Who am I writing to and what do I want to
achieve? In the question above you are writing to club members or committee. You
need to be friendly, not too informal.
Grammar
Your grammar should be correct. Remember to use the correct tenses.
In the question above you are not expected to talk about the places you visited.
Furthermore, you don’t have sufficient words to write about your experiences
travelling. This question marks you no higher than an A2 level and is looking for:
‘simple grammatical structures to produce writing at the sentence level.’
Cohesion
The answer in this section should be 20 to 30 words. Therefore, your response to
the question will be around two or three sentences long. For your answer to be
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cohesive you will only have to use one or two linking words and maybe a pronoun
to refer back to the things in your answer.
The sample question: Please tell us why you are interested in travel.
This question only requires the present simple because it is about something that is
generally true. The keyword is ‘interested in’ and so if you use this expression you
will need to remember that we use: interested in + noun/verb + ing. The question
word is ‘why’, therefore you will have to give reasons and will need words that
express reason. Also, there is no right or wrong answer. The question invites you
to express your opinion about the topic of travel.
Part 3
In Part 3 you will answer three social media-type questions. The word count is
between 30-40 words for each answer.
Remember to stay on topic when answering these questions. Make sure you fully
understand what you are being asked. A common mistake amongst test takers is
that they don’t truly understand what is asked of them so they proceed to answer
the question incorrectly.
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What the examiners are looking for here is that you are able to:
- Describe people, places and things
- Are able to say what your likes, preferences and interests are
- Talk about routines and plans
In part 3 you should come across as friendly and interactive.
You can use phrasal verbs, relative pronouns, adverbs and linking words; you can
even add a question in return (but don’t do this for each question you are asked).
Part 4
In this part of the writing, you will find two sections. In the first questions, you
must write an informal email to a friend and in the second part of the exam you
need to write a formal email.
The informal email needs to be about 40-50 words long and the second email is
about 120-150 words.
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Structure for informal emails
Seeing as this is an informal email, the language that will be used will be
informal, meaning, we can use phrasal verbs and colloquial expressions. We can
even use contractions (I’m, they’ve….) will be used.
The structure is:
1) Greeting: it is used to greet the person: Dear, Hi, Hello
2) Introduction: it explains why we are contacting said person. We use
different phrases to start our introduction such as: How are you?, How’s it
going? How are things?, It’s great to hear from you, Sorry I haven’t for ages,
Thanks for….., I hope you’re well
3) Body: here you will answer all the questions or requirements that we have
been asked to do. Each idea or topic will be placed in different paragraphs.
Depending on the purpose of the email, we may use different phrases such
as: listen, did I tell you about…, You’l never believe what…, Just wanted to
let you know that…., By the way, did you know that….
When apologizing for something: I’m really sorry that…, I didn’t mean to…,
Just wanted to apologise for….
Invitations: Thanks a lot for your invitation, we’re having a party, would
like to join us?, Are you doing anything next …?, do you feel like….?
Requests: I was wondering if you could do me a favour…, You don’t mind…..,
do you?, Could I ask you….?
4) Closing paragraph: we use this paragraph to say goodbye and to ask for
an email reply. This part usually contains about three sentences. You can
use phrases like: Hope to hear from you soon., Write back soon., Thank you.
Many thanks, Best wishes, Best.
Remember: it is always a good idea to add your name at the bottom of the
email.
Structure for formal emails
Formal emails typically take a bit more thought and a bit more time.
Consideration must be taken to each email element.
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1) Greeting: this part is used to greet the person you are writing to: Hi, Hello,
Dear, Good morning/afternoon/evening, Greetings, To whom it may concern
(used in situations in which you do not know who the recipient is)
2) Introduction: I would be interested in…., Thank you for your email…., Thank
you for taking the time to hear about ….,
3) Body: explains why you are writing the email: I wanted to tell you that…, I
am writing to tell you about…, This is email is to confirm…., I’m writing
concerning/with regard to/ about…, This is just to let you know…,
4) Closing paragraph: if I can be of further assistance, please let us know…,
thank you for taking this into consideration…, looking forward to hearing
from you…, I’d love to hear your feedback…,
5) Ending your email: Sincerely, yours sincerely, yours faithfully, kind regards,
many thanks, all the best,
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Writing Practice
Part 1
You are in a cooking club. You have 5 messages from a member of the club.
Write short answers (1-5 words) to each message.
1) Where do you work? ____________________________________
2) Where are you from? ___________________________________
3) What did you this week? ________________________________
4) What’s your favourite food? _____________________________
5) What type of books do you like to read? ___________________
Part 2
You are member of a cooking club. Fill in the form.
Write sentences
Use 20-30 words.
Globe Cooking Club
Please write about the first dish you ever cooked.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
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Part 3
You are a member of cooking club. You are talking to some members of said club
in a chat room.
Use 30-40 words per answer.
Sarah: Hello! Welcome to our Cooking Club! Can you remember the first time you
fell in love with cooking? What did you like about it?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Anthony: Great to have someone new join us! Who do you tend to cook for the
most?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Louis: Which recipes would you like to try out?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
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Part 4
You are a member of a Cooking Club. You receive the following email:
Dear member,
We are trying to organize a cooking competition next year. We would like to have a
meeting with all our members to choose which city to have the competition in. If we
are able to pick a city, we can begin the arrangements. If you are interested in
participating in the competition and would like to come to the meeting, please let
the club secretary know as soon as possible.
Write an email to your friend. Write about your feelings and what you are
planning to do.
Write about 50 words.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Write an email to the secretary of the club. Write about your feelings and what
you would like to do.
Write 120-150 words.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
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