Monday 5 January 2015

Relative clauses – defining relative clauses

Relative clauses add extra information to a sentence by defining a noun. They are usually divided into two types –defining relative clauses and non-defining relative clauses.

Defining relative clauses

Look at this sentence:

The woman who lives next door works in a bank.

‘who lives next door’ is a defining relative clause. It tells us which woman we are talking about.

Look at some more examples:

Look out! There’s the dog that bit my brother.
The film that we saw last week was awful.
This is the skirt I bought in the sales.

Can you identify the defining relative clauses? They tell us which dog, which film and which skirt we are talking about.

Relative pronouns

Relative clauses are usually introduced by a relative pronoun (usually who, which, that, but when, where and whoseare also possible)

With defining relative clauses we can use who or that to talk about people. There is no difference in meaning between these, though 'who' tends to be preferred in more formal use.

She’s the woman who cuts my hair.
She’s the woman that cuts my hair.

We can use that or which to talk about things. Again, there is no difference in meaning between these, though 'which' tends to be preferred in more formal use.

This is the dog that bit my brother.
This is the dog which bit my brother.

Simplifying defining relative clauses

Defining relative clauses can be simplified, or reduced, in several ways:

If the relative pronoun is the object of the verb then it can be omitted:

This is the skirt that I bought in the sales.
This is the skirt which I bought in the sales.
This is the skirt I bought in the sales.

In this sentence ‘skirt’ is the object of the verb (buy). ‘I’ is the subject. When the relative pronoun is the object, it can be omitted.

Note that if the relative pronoun is the subject of the verb then it cannot be omitted:

This is the dog that bit my brother.
This is the dog which bit my brother.

BUT NOT

~~This is the dog bit my brother.~~

If the relative clause contains the verb 'be' + any of the following then it can be reduced:

(a) be + an adjective phrase

The man who is interested in your car will telephone later.
The man interested in your car will telephone later.

Note that other verbs are possible here as well as 'be', such as 'seem', 'look' and 'appear'.

(b) be + a prepositional phrase

The books which are on the table have been read.
The books on the table have been read.

A person who has been tricked once is careful the next time.
A person tricked once is careful the next time.

(d) be + a present participle [a continuous form]

The family who are living in the house are very rich.
The family living in the house are very rich.

Wednesday 24 December 2014

IELTS The THIRD Conditional

The Third Conditional

We make the third conditional by using the past perfect after 'if' and then 'would have' and the past participle in the second part of the sentence:

if + past perfect, ...would + have + past participle

It talks about the past. It's used to describe a situation that didn't happen, and to imagine the result of this situation.

If she had studied, she would have passed the exam (but, really we know she didn't study and so she didn't pass)
If I hadn't eaten so much, I wouldn't have felt sick (but I did eat a lot, and so I did feel sick).
If we had taken a taxi, we wouldn't have missed the plane
She wouldn't have been tired if she had gone to bed earlier
She would have become a teacher if she had gone to university
He would have been on time for the interview if he had left the house at nine

Third Conditionals

Put in the correct third conditional verb form:

1. If you ______________ (not / be) late, we ______________ (not / miss) the

bus.

2. If she ______________ (study), she ______________ (pass) the exam.

3. If we ______________ (arrive) earlier, we ______________ (see) John.

4. If they ______________ (go) to bed early, they ______________ (not / wake)

up late.

5. If he ______________ (become) a musician, he ______________ (record) a

CD.

6. If she ______________ (go) to art school, she ______________ (become) a

painter.

7. If I ______________ (be) born in a different country, I ______________

(learn) to speak a different language.

8. If she ______________ (go) to university, she ______________ (study)

French.

9. If we ______________ (not / go) to the party, we ______________ (not /

meet) them.

May be freely copied for personal or classroom use.

11. He ______________ (be) happier if he ______________ (stay) at home.

12. She ______________ (pass) the exam if she ______________ (study) harder.

13. We ______________ (not / get) married if we ______________ (not / go) to

the same university.

14. They ______________ (be) late if they ______________ (not / take) a taxi.

15. She ______________ (not / meet) him if she ______________ (not / come) to

London.

16. He ______________ (take) a taxi if he ______________ (have) enough

money.

17. I ______________ (call) you if I ______________ (not / forget) my phone.

18. We ______________ (come) if we ______________ (be) invited.

19. She ______________ (not / do) it if she ______________ (know) you were ill.

20. He ______________ (be) on time if he ______________ (leave) earlier.

IELTS The SECOND Conditional

The Second Conditional

The second conditional uses the past simple after if, then 'would' and the infinitive:

if + past simple, ...would + infinitive

(We can use 'were' instead of 'was' with 'I' and 'he/she/it'. This is mostly done in formal writing).

It has two uses.

First, we can use it to talk about things in the future that are probably not going to be true. Maybe I'm imagining some dream for example.

If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house.(I probably won't win the lottery)
If I met the Queen of England, I would say hello.
She would travel all over the world if she were rich.
She would pass the exam if she ever studied.(She never studies, so this won't happen)

Second, we can use it to talk about something in the present which is impossible, because it's not true. Is that clear? Have a look at the examples:

If I had his number, I would call him. (I don't have his number now, so it's impossible for me to call him).
If I were you, I wouldn't go out with that man.

How is this different from the first conditional?

This kind of conditional sentence is different from the first conditional because this is a lot more unlikely.

For example (second conditional): If I had enough money I would buy a house with twenty bedrooms and a swimming pool (I'm probably not going to have this much money, it's just a dream, not very real)

But (first conditional): If I have enough money, I'll buy some new shoes (It's much more likely that'll have enough money to buy some shoes)

Second Conditional Exercise

Second Conditionals - put the verb into the correct tense:

1. If I _________________ (be) you, I _________________ (get) a new job.

2. If he _________________ (be) younger, he _________________ (travel)

more.

3. If we _________________ (not / be) friends, I _________________ (be)

angry with you.

4. If I _________________ (have) enough money, I _________________ (buy)

a big house.

5. If she _________________ (not / be) always so late, she _________________

(be) promoted.

6. If we _________________ (win) the lottery, we _________________ (travel)

the world.

7. If you _________________ (have) a better job, we _________________ (be)

able to buy a new car

8. If I _________________ (speak) perfect English, I _________________

(have) a good job.

9. If we _________________ (live) in Mexico, I _________________ (speak)

Spanish.

10. If she _________________ (pass) the exam, she _________________ (be)

May be freely copied for personal or classroom use.

11. She _________________ (be) happier if she _________________ (have)

more friends.

12. We _________________ (buy) a house if we _________________ (decide) to

stay here.

13. They _________________ (have) more money if they _________________

(not / buy) so many clothes

14. We _________________ (come) to dinner if we _________________ (have)

time.

15. She _________________ (call) him if she _________________ (know) his

number.

16. They _________________ (go) to Spain on holiday if they _______________

(like) hot weather.

17. She _________________ (pass) the exam if she _________________ (study)

more.

18. I _________________ (marry) someone famous if I _________________ (be)

a movie star.

19. We never _________________ (be) late again if we _________________

(buy) a new car.

20. You _________________ (lose) weight if you _________________ (eat) less.

Sunday 21 December 2014

IELTS The FIRST Conditional

The First Conditional

The first conditional has the present simple after 'if', then the future simple in the other clause:

if + present simple, ... will + infinitive

It's used to talk about things which might happen in the future. Of course, we can't know what will happen in the future, but this describes possible things, which could easily come true.

If it rains, I won't go to the park.
If I study today, I'll go to the party tonight.
If I have enough money, I'll buy some new shoes.
She'll be late if the train is delayed.
She'll miss the bus if she doesn't leave soon.
If I see her, I'll tell her.

First vs. Zero Conditional:

The first conditional describes a particular situation, whereas the zero conditional describes what happens in general.

For example (zero conditional): if you sit in the sun, you get burned (here I'm talking about every time a person sits in the sun - the burning is a natural consequence of the sitting)

But (first conditional): if you sit in the sun, you'll get burned (here I'm talking about what will happen today, another day might be different)

First vs. Second Conditional:

The first conditional describes things that I think are likely to happen in the future, whereas the second conditional talks about things that I don't think will really happen. It's subjective; it depends on my point of view.

For example (first conditional): If she studies harder, she'll pass the exam (I think it's possible she will study harder and so she'll pass)

But (second conditional): If she studied harder, she would pass the exam (I think that she won't study harder, or it's very unlikely, and so she won't pass)

First Conditional Exercise
Put the verb into the correct first conditional form:
1. If I __________________ (go) out tonight, I __________________ (go) to the
cinema.
2. If you __________________ (get) back late, I __________________ (be)
angry.
3. If we __________________ (not / see) each other tomorrow, we
__________________ (see) each other next week.
4. If he __________________ (come), I __________________ (be) surprised.
5. If we __________________ (wait) here, we __________________ (be) late.
6. If we __________________ (go) on holiday this summer, we
__________________ (go) to Spain.
7. If the weather __________________ (not / improve), we
__________________ (not / have) a picnic.
8. If I __________________ (not / go) to bed early, I __________________ (be)
tired tomorrow.
9. If we __________________ (eat) all this cake, we __________________
(feel) sick.
10. If you __________________ (not / want) to go out, I __________________
(cook) dinner at home.

IELTS The ZERO Conditional

The Zero Conditional

We can make a zero conditional sentence with two present simple verbs (one in the 'if clause' and one in the 'main clause'):

If + present simple, .... present simple.

This conditional is used when the result will always happen. So, if water reaches 100 degrees, it always boils. It's a fact. I'm talking in general, not about one particular situation. The result of the 'if clause' is always the main cluase.

The 'if' in this conditional can usually be replaced by 'when' without changing the meaning.

For example: If water reaches 100 degrees, it boils. (It is always true, there can't be a different result sometimes). If I eat peanuts, I am sick. (This is true only for me, maybe, not for everyone, but it's still true that I'm sick every time I eat peanuts)

Here are some more examples:

If people eat too much, they get fat.
If you touch a fire, you get burned.
People die if they don't eat.
You get water if you mix hydrogen and oxygen.
Snakes bite if they are scared
If babies are hungry, they cry

See our next blog for information about the first conditional and to learn about the difference between the first and the zero conditionals. The first conditional is about a specific situation, but the zero is talking in general.

The Zero Conditional
Make zero conditionals:
For example:
(not / rain / the flowers / die)
____ If it doesn’t rain, the flowers die.______________________________________
1. (I / wake up late / I / be late for work)
_______________________________________________________________
2. (my husband / cook / he / burn the food)
_______________________________________________________________
3. (Julie / not wear a hat / she / get sunstroke)
_______________________________________________________________
4. (children / not eat well / they / not be healthy)
_______________________________________________________________
5. (you / mix water and electricity / you / get a shock)
_______________________________________________________________
6. (people / eat / too many sweets / they / get fat)
_______________________________________________________________
7. (you / smoke / you / get yellow fingers)
_______________________________________________________________
8. (children / play outside / they / not get overweight)
_______________________________________________________________
9. (you / heat ice / it / melt)
_______________________________________________________________
10. (I / speak to John / he / get annoyed)
_______________________________________________________________