Relative Clauses
ORACIONES DE RELATIVO
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Las Relative Clauses son la solución definitiva. Sirven para unir dos ideas en una sola frase, usando palabras como who, which o that para dar información extra sobre una persona, cosa o lugar sin tener que empezar una oración nueva.
En castellano, su equivalencia más exacta es el uso del pronombre "que" (el chico que vino, la casa que compré), aunque en inglés tenemos varios pronombres dependiendo de si hablamos de personas, objetos o posesiones.
Who, Which, That, Where
En este nivel aprendemos a identificar de quién o de qué estamos hablando. Son las llamadas Defining Relative Clauses (u oraciones de relativo especificativas).
1. ¿Qué pronombre elijo?
Who: Para personas.
Example: That’s the boy who plays Fortnite all day.
Which: Para cosas o animales.
Example: I lost the ring which belonged to my grandmother.
That: El "comodín". Sirve para personas y cosas. Es muy común en el lenguaje hablado.
Example: The movie that we saw last night was boring.
Where: Para lugares.
Example: This is the skatepark where I met my friends.
2. La regla de oro: Omitir el pronombre
En inglés, si el pronombre de relativo hace de objeto (es decir, ya hay otro sujeto después), puedes quitarlo y la frase sigue siendo perfecta.
Example: The phone (that) I bought yesterday is already broken. (Como el sujeto es "I", puedo quitar el that).
¡Ojo! Si el pronombre hace de sujeto, nunca se quita.
Mal: The man lives next door is a doctor.
Bien: The man who lives next door is a doctor.
Whose, Whom, oraciones especificativas (defining), oraciones explicativas (non-defining)
A medida que avanzas, necesitas añadir detalles que no son esenciales para identificar al sujeto, sino que simplemente aportan curiosidades. Estas son las Non-defining Relative Clauses.
1. El uso de las comas Estas oraciones siempre van entre comas y en ellas NUNCA se puede usar that ni se puede omitir el pronombre.
Example: My brother Ben, who lives in Hong Kong, is an architect. (Ya sé quién es mi hermano Ben, la información de que vive en Hong Kong es extra).
2. Whose (Posesión) Equivale a nuestro "cuyo/a/os/as" (equivalencia exacta) y se usa para hablar de pertenencia.
Example: That’s the girl whose mother is a famous TikToker.
Dato PRO: También se puede usar para cosas (inanimados).
3. Preposiciones y relativos
Estilo informal: Ponemos la preposición al final de la frase. Estas estructuras de relativo son muy comunes en el inglés informal y hablado.
Example: The man (who)I was talking to.
This is the building (which) I've lived in for three years. (Este es el edificio en el que he vivido durante tres años.)
Es importante recordar que, en las oraciones especificativas (defining), cuando la preposición va al final, el pronombre (that, which, who) suele actuar como objeto y, por lo tanto, puede omitirse por completo.
Puedes sustituir el relativo where (donde) por el pronombre that si mueves la preposición al final de la frase.
This is the city where he was born.
This is the city that he was born in.
Estilo formal: Ponemos la preposición delante y usamos whom para personas (equivalencia: "con quien", "a quien").
Example: The person to whom I spoke wasn't helpful.
This is the building in which I've lived for three years.
That nunca puede aparecer detrás de una preposición
Después de preposiciones empleamos whom para personas y which para cosas.
What is the difference in meaning between these two sentences?
My brother who lives in Calgary is a student.
My brother, who lives in Calgary, is a student.
Añaden información que no es necesaria para identificar el antecedente y van entre comas. Se forman con who, which, when, where y whose, que no se pueden omitir ni sustituir por that.
Mike, who is a remarkable student, always goes over his notes before an exam. (Mike, que es un alumna extraordinario, siempre repasa sus apuntes antes de un examen.)
📝 Mejora tu Writing: El uso de "Which" para referirse a ideas completas
En niveles intermedios, solemos usar pronombres como this o that para referirnos a algo que acabamos de decir. Sin embargo, para escribir de forma más sofisticada, podemos unir dos oraciones usando ", which".
En esta estructura, which no se refiere a la palabra que tiene justo delante, sino a todo el hecho o situación mencionado en la frase anterior.
Nivel básico: The movie became a blockbuster. This was a surprise.
Nivel avanzado: The movie became a blockbuster*, which** was a surprise.* (Aquí, which significa "el hecho de que la película fuera un éxito").
¡Cuidado con la coma!
Cuando usamos which de esta manera, siempre actúa como una oración de relativo explicativa (non-defining), por lo que siempre debe llevar una coma delante.
¿Which o What?
Muchos estudiantes soléis usar what en estas frases, pero es incorrecto. Para referirse a una idea anterior, siempre debemos usar which.
The actor forgot his lines, what was embarrassing.
The actor forgot his lines*, which** was embarrassing.*.
Fíjate en los siguientes ejemplos:
The series is at the top of the charts, which is amazing news for the producers.
The script was leaked online before the premiere, which caused a lot of problems for the studio.
That viral video has reached ten million views, which shows how popular it is.
The audience gave the musical a standing ovation, which made the cast very emotional.
Participios y Cuantificadores
1. Reduced Relative Clauses (Relativos reducidos) Podemos acortar frases usando la forma -ing (activa) o -ed (pasiva). Es muy común en literatura y noticias.
Example: The girl talking to Tom is my cousin. (= The girl who is talking...).
Example: The boy injured in the accident is in hospital. (= The boy who was injured...).
2. Relativos con cuantificadores Se usa en oraciones de información extra para hablar de una parte de un grupo.
Example: The school has 20 laptops, half of which are brand new.
Example: I have three brothers, all of whom live in London.
3. Cleft Sentences (Frases de realce) Para dar énfasis a una parte de la frase usamos: It is/was + [sujeto] + who/that.
Example: It was Mark who told me the secret.
Common Mistakes
Repetir el pronombre personal: No añadas he, she, it o them si ya has puesto el relativo.
The dress Lisa bought it. ➡️ The dress Lisa bought.
A man who he lives in London. ➡️ A man who lives in London.
That con comas: Nunca uses that en oraciones con comas (información extra).
My car, that is very old, broke down. ➡️ My car, which is very old...
Confundir Whose y Who's: Whose es posesión ("cuyo"), Who's es "quién es/ha".
Which para personas: ¡Nunca! Usa siempre who o that.
THAT Vs. WHAT ⬇️
THAT Vs. WHAT ⬇️
"what" equivale/se puede sustituir por "the thing that".
I didn’t know _____________________________ e-sports were until today.
A controller and a screen is all _____________________________ you need.
Show me _____________________________ you bought.
I believe _____________________________ he told me.
You're that smart banker _____________________________ killed his wife
The police usually ask for every detail _____________________________ helps identify the missing person.
I could get you a job here if that’s _____________________________ you want.
There are so many things _____________________________ can go wrong.
Dessert is all _____________________________ he wants.
That's the thing _____________________________ I was talking about.
That's _____________________________ I was talking about.
This is _____________________________ we need
This is just the thing _____________________________ we need.
Nothing _____________________________ you say will make me feel any better about losing my pet.
Have you seen _____________________________ someone’s written on the wall?
Don’t worry about _____________________________ other people think.
WHICH Vs. WHERE FOR PLACES ⬇️
WHICH Vs. WHERE FOR PLACES ⬇️
1. That city, ___________ is mostly famous for its fountains, is Rome.
2. Do you know the drawer ___________ your mother keeps her jewelry?
3. Vegas is the city ___________ I got married.
4. Paris, ___________ is one of the most desired destinations in the world, is the capital of France.
5. The university ___________ I got my education is Davis.
6. The bridge ___________ was damaged by the hurricane is being rebuilt now.
7. Do you still remember the restaurant ___________ we met?
8. This is the place ___________ the accident took place.
9. That’s the famous Egyptian Palace ___________ is known worldwide.
10. Have you visited the museum ___________ was once a church?
11. The factory ___________ was shut down two years ago is currently functioning.
12. Has anybody seen the box ___________ I put my tools?
13. The hotel ___________ I work is very close to my house.
14. Have you been to the café ___________ is run by my friend Andrew?
15. How can I go to the beach ___________ we used to hang out?
Activities
Activities
Practice
A. Combine the following sentences using a relative clause. If possible, put the preposition at the end.
This is the series. I was telling you about it yesterday.
That is the director. I want to work with him in the future.
The musical was a huge success. We went to it last night.
This is the track. I am listening to it right now.
B. Rewrite the sentences replacing "where" with "that" and moving the preposition to the end.
That is the studio where the viral video was filmed.
This is the cinema where we saw the latest blockbuster.
I can't remember the club where the band played their first gig.
C. Combine using a non-defining relative clause (remember the commas!).
The script is amazing. It was put together by two famous writers.
The author has won an award. Her bestseller is at the top of the charts. (Use whose)
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