Series ID: EDKS-BASIC-ZH-0047 · Lesson No.047 · A2 Relative Clauses
Relative Clauses for Clearer Description | 用关系从句补充说明
The woman who works at the café is my sister.
在咖啡馆工作的那位女士是我姐姐。
Relative clauses let you attach extra identifying information to a noun. This reduces repetition and makes descriptions more precise.
关系从句的核心工作很简单：把“这个人/这个地方/这个东西”的补充信息直接接在名词后面。
Chinese Edition Hub · 中文版入口 · ← Lesson No.046 · First Conditional for Real Plans
The relative-clause map | 关系从句路线
- who for people
- that for people/things in defining clauses
- which for things
- where for places
- whose recognition
- combine two sentences
- identify vs add information
- subject relative clauses
- object relative clauses
- omit object relative pronoun in simple cases
- avoid repeated pronouns
- Mandarin “……的” transfer
1. Why use a relative clause? | 为什么要用？
Two sentences:
- The woman works at the café.
- The woman is my sister.
Combined:
The woman who works at the café is my sister.
2. Who for people | who 指人
- The man who called me is my manager.
- The student who sits near the window is new.
3. That for people | that 也可指人
- The person that helped me was very kind.
who is often preferred for people, but that is common in defining clauses.
4. Which for things | which 指物
- The phone which is on the table is mine.
- The book which explains the grammar is useful.
5. That for things | that 指物
- The phone that is on the table is mine.
- The book that I bought yesterday is useful.
6. Where for places | where 指地点
- This is the café where we met.
- That’s the station where I change trains.
7. Whose | whose 表所属
Recognition/useful:
- The woman whose bag was missing spoke to staff.
At this level, recognise the pattern before using it heavily.
8. Defining information | 识别所必需的信息
The student who sits by the door is absent.
The clause tells us which student.
9. Identify the noun first | 先找到名词
Head noun:
- the woman
- the book
- the café
Then add the clause.
10. Person + who + verb | 人 + who + 动词
- a teacher who works here
- a friend who lives nearby
- a driver who knows the route
11. Thing + that/which + verb | 物 + that/which + 动词
- a machine that works well
- a book which explains this clearly
12. Place + where + sentence | 地点 + where + 句子
- the office where I work
- the shop where I bought this
13. Subject relative clause | 主语关系从句
The man who called me…
who is the subject of called.
14. Do not repeat the subject | 不要重复主语
- The man who he called me… ✗
- The man who called me… ✓
15. The woman who works here | who 已经是 works 的主语
- The woman who she works here… ✗
- The woman who works here… ✓
16. Object relative clause | 宾语关系从句
The book that I bought yesterday is useful.
Subject inside clause = I; object = that/the book.
17. Object pronoun may be omitted | 宾语关系代词可省略
- The book that I bought yesterday is useful.
- The book I bought yesterday is useful.
This omission is common in defining object clauses.
18. Do not omit subject relative pronoun | 主语关系代词不能这样省
- The man works here is my uncle. ✗
- The man who works here is my uncle. ✓
19. People descriptions | 人物描述
- The woman who is wearing glasses is my teacher.
- The boy who has a red bag is my cousin.
20. Job descriptions | 工作描述
- A pharmacist is a person who works with medicines.
- A teacher is someone who helps people learn.
21. Object definitions | 物品定义
- An umbrella is something that you use when it rains.
- A receipt is a paper or digital record that shows what you paid for.
22. Place definitions | 地点定义
- A pharmacy is a place where you can speak to a pharmacist.
- A station is a place where trains or buses stop.
23. Useful paraphrasing tool | 换说法工具
Relative clauses help when you forget a word:
It’s the thing that you use to open a bottle.
24. The person who… | 找人
- I’m looking for the person who called me.
- Who is the woman who is standing by the door?
25. The thing that… | 找东西
- Where is the file that you sent me?
- I need the form that we used yesterday.
26. The place where… | 找地点
- Is this the room where the meeting starts?
- That’s the shop where I bought the coat.
27. Combining repeated nouns | 合并重复名词
Before:
I bought a phone. The phone has a good camera.
After:
I bought a phone that has a good camera.
28. Combining person information | 合并人物信息
Before:
Anna is my colleague. Anna speaks three languages.
After:
Anna is my colleague who speaks three languages.
29. Better natural version | 更自然的版本
Anna, who speaks three languages, is my colleague.
This non-defining pattern uses commas and is more advanced. Recognition only for now.
30. Defining vs non-defining | 限定 vs 非限定
At A2, focus mainly on defining clauses without commas.
- The student who sits by the door… → identifies which student.
Non-defining clauses add extra information and usually use commas; leave deep study for later.
31. Which vs that | which / that
In defining clauses about things, both can often work:
- The book that I bought…
- The book which I bought…
Usage varies by style and region.
32. Who vs that | who / that for people
who is a clear default for people.
33. Where vs that | where 与 that
- the café where we met
- the café that we visited
Different structure: where expresses location relation; that can be object of visited.
34. Relative clause inside a longer sentence | 进入长句
I took the bus that stops near my office because the train was delayed.
35. Keep the clause close to its noun | 从句紧跟名词
Weak:
I bought a jacket yesterday that was blue.
Clearer:
I bought a blue jacket yesterday. or I bought a jacket that was blue.
36. Avoid too many relative clauses | 不要叠太多层
At A2, one clear relative clause per sentence is usually enough.
37. Relative clause and articles | 冠词仍然重要
- a person who…
- the person who…
- a place where…
38. Relative clause and tense | 从句也有时态
- the man who works here
- the man who worked here last year
- the man who will help us tomorrow
39. Relative clause and negatives | 从句否定
- a phone that doesn’t work
- a person who doesn’t speak English
40. Relative clause and questions | 问句中的关系从句
- Where is the file that you sent?
- Who is the person who called?
41. Mandarin transfer: “……的” | 中文“的”结构
Chinese often places descriptive information before the noun:
- 在咖啡馆工作的女人
English places the relative clause after the noun:
- the woman who works at the café
42. Mandarin transfer: information order | 信息顺序相反
This is a major structural difference. Do not translate word order directly.
43. Mandarin transfer: omitted relative marker | 英语常需要关系词
Chinese can build “……的” structures differently. English subject relative clauses usually need who/that/which.
44. Mandarin transfer: repeated pronoun error | 重复主语错误
- the man who he works here ✗
- the man who works here ✓
45. Reading practice A: people | 阅读 A
Mei works with three new colleagues. The woman who sits beside her is Anna. The man who manages the team is David. The colleague who joined last week is Leo, who is still learning the office systems.
- Who sits beside Mei?
- Who manages the team?
- Who joined last week?
The last who is non-defining extra information; recognise it without needing to produce it yet.
46. Reading practice B: objects | 阅读 B
David bought a bag that has several small pockets. He keeps the charger that he uses at work in the front pocket. The notebook he bought last week goes in the main section.
- What feature does the bag have?
- Which charger?
- Which notebook?
47. Reading practice C: places | 阅读 C
Anna likes the café where she studies on weekends. It is next to the library that she visits after class. The street where both places are located is usually quiet in the morning.
- Where does Anna study?
- Which library?
- What is the street like?
48. Writing practice: combine pairs | 合并句子
Combine:
- The woman called me. She works at the bank.
- I bought a book. The book explains English grammar.
- This is the café. We met here.
49. Speaking practice: define without the word | 不说目标词来解释
Define:
- umbrella
- pharmacy
- teacher
- receipt
Use a thing/person/place that/who/where…
50. Error clinic | 常见错误
| Error | Better English | What broke? |
|---|---|---|
| The man who he called me… ✗ | The man who called me… ✓ | repeated subject |
| The book who I bought… ✗ | The book that/which I bought… ✓ | person vs thing |
| The place who we met… ✗ | The place where we met… ✓ | place relative |
| The man works here is my uncle. ✗ | The man who works here is my uncle. ✓ | missing subject relative |
| The book that I bought it… ✗ | The book that I bought… ✓ | repeated object |
51. First weak link diagnosis | 第一个卡点诊断
- I know the meaning but order sounds Chinese → clause-after-noun structure.
- I mix who/which/where → noun category.
- I repeat he/she/it → relative pronoun already fills role.
- I omit subject relative pronoun → clause completeness.
- I build long confusing clauses → reduce to one clause.
52. Retrieval lab | 提取练习
- 在这里工作的女人 → ______
- 昨天给我打电话的人 → ______
- 我昨天买的书 → ______
- 我们见面的咖啡馆 → ______
- 一个可以帮你的人 → ______
- 一个可以买药的地方 → ______
Suggested answers: the woman who works here / the person who called me yesterday / the book that I bought yesterday / the café where we met / a person who can help you / a place where you can buy medicine.
53. Ten-minute daily practice | 每天十分钟
| 2 min | who | 人 |
| 2 min | that/which | 物 |
| 2 min | where | 地点 |
| 2 min | combine two sentences | 合并 |
| 2 min | definition game | 解释词 |
54. Seven-day training cycle | 七天训练
| Day 1 | who | 人物 |
| Day 2 | that/which | 物品 |
| Day 3 | where | 地点 |
| Day 4 | subject clauses | 主语关系 |
| Day 5 | object clauses | 宾语关系 |
| Day 6 | definitions/paraphrase | 释义 |
| Day 7 | 20-sentence description task | 综合 |
55. Self-test: 30 questions | 30 题自测
- Use who for a person.
- Use that for a thing.
- Use which for a thing.
- Use where for a place.
- Recognise whose.
- Combine two person sentences.
- Combine two thing sentences.
- Combine two place sentences.
- Explain subject relative clause.
- Explain object relative clause.
- When can object relative pronoun be omitted?
- Why can’t subject pronoun usually be omitted?
- Correct repeated subject.
- Correct repeated object.
- Define teacher with who.
- Define umbrella with that.
- Define pharmacy with where.
- Use a past tense relative clause.
- Use a negative relative clause.
- Ask one question containing a relative clause.
- Explain defining information.
- Recognise a non-defining clause.
- Explain clause position after the noun.
- Correct: the book who…
- Correct: the place who…
- Correct: the man who he…
- Combine three sentence pairs.
- Paraphrase one unknown noun.
- Describe one person precisely.
- Describe one place precisely.
Answer key | 答案
1–23 performance answers vary; 24 the book that/which…; 25 the place where…; 26 the man who…; 27–30 performance tasks.
56. For parents and teachers | 给家长和老师
Teach relative clauses as a tool for identifying nouns, not as abstract clause terminology first.
Use picture matching: “Which person?” “Which object?” “Which place?”
For Mandarin speakers, explicitly contrast Chinese pre-noun 的 descriptions with English post-noun relative clauses.
Keep non-defining punctuation as recognition only until defining clauses are stable.
57. Final real-world challenge | 最终真实任务
- Describe five people with who.
- Describe five objects with that/which.
- Describe five places with where.
- Combine ten sentence pairs.
- Avoid repeated pronouns.
- Use past and present inside clauses.
- Use relative clauses in questions.
- Paraphrase three unknown words.
- Write one descriptive paragraph.
- Complete a two-minute “describe and identify” task.
Next: Lesson No.048 | 下一课
The next lesson maps the transition from A2 into B1: longer independent speech, more connected reading and writing, stronger tense control, wider reasoning, greater tolerance for unfamiliar language and reduced reliance on translation.
Lesson No.048 · From A2 to B1 · 从 A2 走向 B1
Reference floor: British Council A2 Pre-intermediate · British Council A1–A2 Grammar.
