Understanding Grammar: Relative Clauses

In this week's Premier Skills English Podcast, Jack and Rich focus on grammar and take a look at relative clauses. In the roleplay, they visit a sports expo and talk about unusual or minority sports. Your task is to describe an unusual sport or minority sport in your country using relative clauses and other listeners have to guess the sport you are describing. Don't forget to listen to the end of the podcast because we have a new football phrase for you to guess, too. Enjoy!

If the listening was a bit difficult, you can listen again and read the transcript at the same time.

Read and listen at the same time.

Introduction

Jack: Hello my name’s Jack

Rich: and I’m Rich and welcome to this week’s Premier Skills English podcast

Jack: Where we talk about football and help you with your English.

Rich: We recommend that you listen to this podcast on the Premier Skills English website because that is where we have the transcript, language examples, activities, quizzes and a discussion page to help you understand everything we talk about.

Jack: However, if you’re listening on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, you can leave answers to our questions in the review section. We do read all the reviews and would love to hear from you.

Rich: In this week’s podcast, we’re going to help you with a tricky bit of grammar. We’re going to look at things called relative clauses.

Jack: Relative clauses are parts of more complicated sentences and are really useful when we are speaking or writing in more complex ways.

Rich: Relative clauses use relative pronouns to join two parts of a sentence together. Examples are words such as that, which, who and whose.

Jack: We’ll look at these in more detail later on. The topic of the podcast is unusual sports or minority sports; sports that are less popular than common sports like football.

Rich: We’re going to be speaking about some more unusual sports in this week’s roleplay and this week’s task is to describe an unusual or minority sport and to read and guess some sports from other listeners descriptions.

Jack: OK, unusual sports, relative clauses and writing a description to come but before all that, we need to take a look at last week’s football phrase.

Last week’s Football Phrase

Jack: Last week’s phrase was really difficult, Rich.

Rich: I thought it was, but we still got a few right answers and Luibomyr from Ukraine actually said it wasn’t one of our tougher football phrases.

Jack: I’ll have to disagree with Luibomyr, there. I thought it was really tough. But well done to those few of you who got it right. Luibomyr from Ukraine was one of them but a big well done to Ahmed Abdallah from Egypt who also got the correct answer.

Rich: Right, well, if you didn’t hear it last week we’re going to give you one more chance to guess now and we’ll give you the correct answer at the end of the show when we give you a new football phrase.

Jack: OK, if you remember the phrase was connected to the countryside which was the topic of last week’s podcast. Let’s hear it one more time, Rich.

Rich: The phrase is ****** ** *** **** ** *** ***** and it describes a team that is at the bottom of the league by a big margin and there is little chance of them moving upwards - they are stuck. The key word in the phrase is the part of a plant that grows under the ground.

Jack: Have a think and we’ll give you the answer at the end of the show. I will also have a new football phrase for you to guess. I think I’ll make this week’s football phrase a bit easier.

Introduction to roleplay

Rich: This week Jack and I are visiting a sports expo at a sports centre in his town.

Jack: A sports expo that’s a bit much. It’s not that big.

Rich: OK, well there is an exhibition in Jack’s local sports centre. There are lots of local sports clubs there and they are trying to encourage people to join up and register for their club.

Jack: That’s right. There are loads of different sports, some that lots of people play like football and tennis and more unusual sports like taekwondo, fencing and canoeing.

Rich: After our conversation, we’ll talk about some of the language we used and focus on relative clauses.

Jack: While you listen, we want you to answer a question. The question is:

Rich: Which sports do I sign up for?

Roleplay

Rich: Hey, Jack. What kept you? I’ve been here for an hour already?

Jack: Yeah, sorry. Traffic ..., weather ..., I overslept. Yep, that one. My alarm didn’t go off.

Rich: Alright, whatever. You’re here now.

Jack: It’s busy - lots of people here. I see you’ve been busy, too. You’ve got a pile of leaflets there.

Rich: I know. This one is for the 5-a-side football club, this one is for the squash club, this one is for the water polo club, this is for fencing and this one is for the local bowls team …

Jack: Bowls? Bowls? Don’t you do this every year? You pick up loads of leaflets, talk to the people, you even join up and then ... nothing.

Rich: That's not true. I go to the gym. I have an occasional game of five-a-side. I go swimming sometimes and get my bike out when it’s sunny.

Jack: I’m not saying you don’t do anything but you sign up to these minority sports but then never do them.

Rich: I did baseball last year.

Jack: How many times did you go?

Rich: Once, but that was because I was standing too close to the batter and he broke my nose. I wasn’t going to go back after that. I tried abseiling the year before though.

Jack: But you’re scared of heights, aren’t you?

Rich: Mmm yeah … but, bowls, I think it would be good. Not too tiring or frightening and I don’t think I’m going to get injured.

Jack: What do you even know about bowls?

Rich: I know that there are more bowling greens than football pitches in the UK.

Jack: Really? That’s not true, is it?

Rich: Probably not but there are a lot and it is true that it’s a really old sport. It’s been played in England since the 12th century.

Jack: I’ve done a bit of bowling before I reckon bowls would be much easier.

Rich: You’re talking about ten-pin bowling. Everyone can do that. I think bowls is much more difficult. That’s why I’ve signed up.

Jack: I’m not sure about that and it’s played by … how should I say this ... people who no longer play more energetic sports.

Rich: That’s a bit of a myth. Loads of younger people play bowls. The world champion is in his early thirties, that’s not too old, is it?

Jack: I suppose not. So tell me a bit more about what you found out? When and where do you play bowls? How do you play?!

Rich: You play outside on something that is called a green, which is basically a flat square area of short grass. You throw a small white ball, which is called the jack, and then one player throws red balls, that are actually called bowls, and the other player throws blue bowls. The winner is the player whose bowl gets the closest to the jack. You can also hit the other player’s bowls out of the way, which is a lot of fun.

Jack: Nah! I’m not signing up for that. It’s a bit slow-paced, isn’t it? I want something that is fun but that will also keep me fit.

Rich: Well, I’ve also signed up for ice-hockey, weight-lifting, triathlon and Zumba classes.

Jack: You haven’t, have you?

Rich: No, but I might next year.

Language Focus: Defining Relative Clauses

Jack: Right, did you get the answer to the question we gave you: which sports did Rich sign up for?

Rich: I only actually signed up for bowls. I got information about fencing, 5-a-side football, squash and water polo and I was joking about ice-hockey, weight-lifting, triathlon and Zumba classes.

Jack: Bit I wouldn’t be surprised if you signed up for the lot. You’ll never go though.

Rich: Probably not.

Jack: In the roleplay, we were at a sports expo where you get the chance to find out about or try out lots of different sports.

Rich: The sport I signed up for and said I was going to try out is bowls which can be described as a minority sport especially outside of the UK.

Jack: Minority sports are sports that have less exposure in the media and on television and fewer participants or players than popular sports.

Rich: Many of the sports we mentioned in the roleplay could be described as minority sports in the UK. Sports like water polo, fencing, abseiling, squash, weightlifting, triathlon even 5-a-side football can be described as minority sports in the UK.

Jack: Your task this week is to describe one of those sports we’ve just mentioned or another minority sport in your country.

Rich: When you write your description we want you to include some defining relative clauses. I used these when talking about bowls.

Jack: So, let’s look at what defining relative clauses are and how to use them in your speaking and writing.

Rich: A relative clause is the part of a sentence that comes after words like ‘which’, ‘that’, ‘who’, ‘when’, ‘where’ and ‘whose’. These words are called relative pronouns. Relative clauses are connected or related to the first part of the sentence.

Jack: For example, Manchester City is the club that won the Premier League last season. Here we are using the relative pronoun ‘that’ and the relative clause is ‘that won the Premier League last season’.

Rich: Or to take an example from the roleplay: A sports expo is a place where you get the chance to find out about or try out lots of different sports. Here we are using the relative pronoun ‘where’ and the relative clause is ‘where you get the chance to find out about or try out lots of different sports’.

Jack: A defining relative clause is when the relative clause is essential for the sentence to make sense. Both of the above examples are defining relative clauses.

Rich: There are also non-defining relative clauses which just add extra information and are not essential for the meaning of the sentence.

Jack: Listen to this example: Sergio Aguero, who has 7 goals already this season, will be in action on Saturday.

Rich: Here we used a non-defining relative clause. The information is extra - the sentence makes sense without the non-defining relative clause.

Jack: Sergio Aguero will be in action on Saturday.

Rich: When we write non-defining relative clauses we use commas at the beginning and the end of the clause.

Jack: When Rich was talking about bowls he used a few relative clauses. Listen to Rich talking about bowls again. Can you hear the relative clauses? There are six to find.

Rich: You play outside on something that is called a green, which is basically a flat square area of short grass. You throw a small white ball, which is called the jack, and then one player throws red balls, that are actually called bowls, and the other player throws blue bowls. The winner is the player whose bowl gets the closest to the jack. You can also hit the other player’s bowls out of the way, which is a lot of fun.

Jack: Did you hear them all? If you want to learn more about how to use relative clauses, take a look at the page for this podcast on the Premier Skills English website or take a look at the grammar pages on our Learn English website.

Task

Rich: If you are confident about how to use relative clauses, we want you to have a go at our task, which is to describe a minority sport.

Jack: The sport can be one of the minority sports we mentioned in the roleplay or a minority sport in your country.

Rich: When you describe your sport we want you to use relative clauses but we don’t want you to tell us the name of the sport.

Jack: No, don’t tell us the name of the sport you are describing. We want other listeners to try and guess the sport in the comments section.

Rich: OK, so write your descriptions of a minority sport in the comments section on the Premier Skills website but don’t say the name of the sport!

Football Phrase

Jack: OK, it’s time for this week’s football phrase.

Rich: It’s your turn this week, Jack. You’ve been thinking of one that everybody can get right, right?

Jack: I have and I’m also going to use a relative clause.

Rich: I think you definitely should. Let’s hear the phrase then.

Jack: This week’s football phrase is * **** ***. * **** *** is a moment in a basketball or maybe an ice-hockey match when the players stop playing in the middle of the match so the coaches can talk tactics with the players.

Rich: We don’t have **** **** in football though!

Jack: But this week we were talking about minority sports so I thought I’d do that one. I bet loads of people get it right!

Rich: I suppose but we’ll go back to football phrases next week.

Jack: OK. Before we forget, if you’re still thinking about last week’s football phrase - the answer was to be rooted to the foot of the table.

Rich: Write your answers in the comments section on the Premier Skills English website and we’ll announce your name on next week’s show.

Jack: Right, that’s all we have time for this week. Bye for now and enjoy your football!

How much did you understand?

In the podcast, Rich and Jack used some words and phrases that might be new for you. Do you know the words in bold?

Yeah, sorry. Traffic ..., weather ..., I overslept. Yep, that one. My alarm didn’t go off.

I’m not saying you don’t do anything but you sign up to these minority sports but then never do them.

I reckon bowls would be much easier.

That’s a bit of a myth. Loads of younger people play bowls.

It’s a bit slow-paced, isn’t it? I want something that is fun but that will also keep me fit.

All of these phrases were in the roleplay. Listen to the roleplay again and read the transcript. Listen for the phrases in bold. If you're not sure what they mean, have a go at the activity below or ask us a question in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Activity 1: In this activity, try to match the words and phrases to their definitions. All of the words were in this week's podcast.

Ice-hockey is a minority sport in the UK but not in Canada!

Minority Sports

In this week's podcast, Jack and Rich visited a sports expo which is a type of exhibition where sports clubs try to get more members. These types of sports expos or 'fairs' are popular at universities at the start of the academic year. They also give people a chance to get to know more about minority sports and might get the chance to try these sports out.

Minority sports are sports that have less exposure in the media and on television and fewer participants or players than popular sports.

Football is the biggest sport in the UK and is the most popular. Rugby and cricket would also be described as major sports in the UK and also horse racing. There are horse racing tracks all around the UK that attract thousands of spectators every week. Tennis, golf, cycling, motor racing and athletics would also be described as major sports but are more popular at specific times of the year e.g. tennis during the Wimbledon Championships and athletics during the Olympics or Athletics World Championships.

In the roleplay, we mentioned many minority sports. Have a go at this activity and see if you can match the sports to their definitions.

Activity 2: In this activity, match the definitions to the minority sports.

Rich is scared of heights so abseiling is probably not the sport for him.

Relative Clauses

In the language focus, Jack and Rich spoke about relative clauses. Relative clauses give us more information about people and things. To indicate the start of a relative clause we often use a relative pronoun. The pronoun we use depends on what we we are talking about:

which refers to things
that refers to people or things
who refers to people
whose refers to possessions
where refers to places
when refers to times

Fencing is a minority sport in the UK.

In the podcast, Rich and Jack used lots of relative clauses:

Manchester City is the club that won the Premier League last season.

A sports expo is a place where you get the chance to find out about or try out lots of different sports.

The winner is the player whose bowl gets the closest to the jack.

Have a go at this activity and try to choose the correct relative pronoun in each sentence.

Activity 3: In this activity, look at the relative clauses and type the correct relative pronoun in the gap.

Water polo is a minority sport in the UK but more popular in other countries.

Defining and non-defining relative clauses

A defining relative clause is when the relative clause is essential for the sentence to make sense. Both of the above examples are defining relative clauses. There are also non-defining relative clauses which just add extra information and are not essential for the meaning of the sentence. Let's have a look at the differences:

A defining relative clause gives you essential information about the subject. Without the defining relative clause, it wouldn’t be clear who or what you were talking about:

The winner is the player whose bowl gets the closest to the jack

A non-defining relative clause adds extra information and is not essential for the meaning of the rest of the sentence:

Sergio Aguero, who has 7 goals already this season, will be in action on Saturday.

You can find many practice activities about relative clauses on the Learn English website.

Rich broke his nose playing baseball. Where do you think he was standing?

Describe a minority sport

Rich described the sport of bowls in this podcast. Can you describe a minority sport?

Quiz

This week we want you to describe a minority sport. It could be one of the sports we mentioned in the roleplay or a minority sport in your country. Include relative clauses in your description but don't name the sport! Other listeners have to guess the sport you are describing.

Try to answer these questions in your description:

Where is the sport played? Is it played outdoors? Is it played on a court?
Who plays this sport? Who is the best at this sport?
What equipment do you need?
How do you play this sport? What are the rules?
Is this sport becoming more popular?

Write your answers in the comments section below and don't forget to make a guess at this week's football phrase!

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