Typical forms of reduced relative clauses and types of applied exercises in english at the apper secondary lyvel of education

Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 “Typical Forms of Reduced Relative Clauses and Types of Applied Exercises in English at the Upper-secondary Level of Education” ☼☼☼☼☼☼ PART I: INTRODUCTION I Rationale for selecting the topic of the study: A clause, in English grammar, is the smallest grammatical unit that can express a complete proposition Generally, a simple sentence consists of a single clause while a more complex sentence may contain multiple clauses Clauses in English are divided into two major types, main clauses and subordinate ones As it can be seen, there are a variety of subordinate clauses Among these subordinate clauses are adjective clauses, also called relative clauses The module of Relative Clauses is an important content constantly appearing in a number of units in the English textbooks in upper-secondary education One of the most important part related to this content is probably the very diversity of forms of reduced relative clauses which is considered as the most confusing to learners A variety of forms of reduced relative clauses, in fact, are frequently used in everyday communications, in written English, as well as tested in students’ tests and examinations With my own practical teaching in the recent years, I notice that in order to avoid misunderstanding others in communications and getting into big troubles in tests and examinations related to the phenomena of relative clause reduction, students are required to have a thorough knowledge of all the aspects of the relative clauses such as relative pronouns and adverbs, different types of relative clauses, distinctive features of each type that are important determinants of the way how a relative clause is reduced, etc… Although much attention has recently been paid to learning English, Mai Anh Tuan high school students’ knowledge of English, in general, is rather limited, even some of them have a lack of the basic knowledge Thus, studying the reduction of relative clauses and solving exercises or questions related to this grammatical knowledge seem to be a big challenge that may make the students extremely confused and nervous Moreover, the English textbooks at high school only introduce the topics without any detailed explanation or instruction, it is undoubtedly difficult for students to study, understand clearly and thoroughly, and memorize the lessons just by mechanically following some examples given in the textbook What is more, in the textbooks, applied exercises focus on only some basic forms of reduced relative clauses while there is actually a wide range of other forms also commonly used It will be better if students know and use them correctly and flexibly The facts mentioned above have constantly encouraged me to find out a solution to better the situation, which leads to my decision to select the topic “Typical Forms of Reduced Relative Clauses and Types of Applied Exercises in English at the Upper-secondary Level of Education” to study more thoroughly in my teaching experience initiative Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 II Purposes of the study: This study has been conducted with a strong desire that I can help my students be aware of the importance of forms of reduced relative clauses in everyday communications, in written English, as well as in their tests and examinations On that basis, they will gradually be able to raise their awareness of practicing and improving their skills in solving relevant exercises and questions Besides, I would like to provide the students with a detailed and logical system of adequate theoretical contents and typical skills related to this topic for them to learn, use and apply in practice rapidly and productively Furthermore, through this experience initiative, I hope to contribute some of my personal ideas on issues of forms of reduced relative clauses to teaching experience sources for my teacher colleagues to use as a reference in the English teaching process III Objects of the study: In this teaching experience initiative, researching a system of theoretical points and practical skills related to forms of reduced relative clauses, and supplementary exercises based on these points and skills for further practice has been specially focused on IV Scope of the study: The topic was studied in the English programme for high school students at Mai Anh Tuan High School in the school-year 2015-2016, and through English tests, examinations of all kinds at Mai Anh Tuan High School and other schools in Thanh Hoa province as well as other provinces all over the country in the recent years V Bases of the study: The experience initiative has been studied based on my own practical teaching experiences, referring to documents related to the researched topic, observing other teachers’ lessons, and consulting my colleagues PART II: DEVELOPMENT To use typical forms reduced relative clauses correctly and flexibly, firstly, it is necessary for students to understand what a relative clause is, what type of relative clauses it is, what distinctive features each type of relative clauses has, and how to use relative pronouns and adverbs A Relative Clauses Overview: I Relative Clause Definition: A relative clause, also known as an adjective clause, is a subordinate clause that generally modifies a noun or noun phrase and is introduced by a relative pronoun Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 (who, whom, which, that, whose), a relative adverb (when, where, why), or a zero relative pronoun (a relative in which the relative is omitted) A relative clause follows the noun (phrase) it modifies, and can come both at the end and in the middle of the sentence, and often follows one of these common patterns: Relative pronoun/adverb + Subject + Verb +… Relative pronoun (as subject) + Verb +… Ex: This is the man who lives near my house (extracted from Oxford.edu.vn) Here is the laptop (which) I bought years ago (extracted from Oxford.edu.vn) II Types of relative clauses: Relative clauses are classified depending on their relationship with the nouns or noun phrases they modify They are traditionally divided into two types: defining relative clauses and non-defining relative clauses Defining relative clauses: A defining relative clause is a subordinate one that identifies or categorizes its noun (phrase) That means it tells us about the specific person or thing we are talking about in a larger group of people or things If a defining relative clause is removed from the sentence, the meaning of the sentence changes significantly This clause is not separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma or commas In a defining relative clause, a relative pronoun functioning as an object can be omitted if it does not come right after a preposition Ex: The doctor who helped me while I was in sick was very kind The girl (that) I met in Paris has already been engaged Non-defining relative clauses: A non-defining relative clause a subordinate clause that is used to give additional information about the noun or noun phrase but not to identify it or to create categories That means it provide us with more information about the person or thing we are talking about If a non-defining relative clause is removed from the sentence, we lose some details, but the overall meaning of the sentence remains the same Non-defining relative clauses are always set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma or commas In non-defining relative clauses, a relative pronoun functioning as an object cannot be omitted Non-defining relative clauses often follow such antecedents as below: a proper nouns: Ex: Mrs Beckett, who is a detective, is working for NYPD b nouns or noun phrases modified by possessive adjectives: my, your, her, his,… Ex: My mother, who is a farmer, has lived on her farm for all her life Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 c nouns or noun phrases modified by demonstrative adjectives: this, that, these those Ex: That film star, whom I met at the news conference, has just won a big cinema prize d nouns or noun phrases modified by possessive cases Ex: Mary’s cat, which she loves very much, is very clever and lovely e nouns or noun phrases modified by adjective phrases Ex: The woman in white, who came to meet you, is my aunt III Common Relative Pronouns and Adverbs Overview: Relative Pronouns & Adverbs Who Whom Antecedent modified Person/People Person/People Which Thing(s) Functions Prepositions Types of Relative Clauses applicable Subject cannot come before “who” Defining and Non-defining Object can come before “whom” Defining and Non-defining Subject cannot come before “which” Object can come before “which” Object (informal) Subject That Person/People and thing(s) Whose Person/People and things When Where Le Thi Lan Anh Defining and Non-defining Defining Object cannot come before “that” Replacing possessive adjectives/cases can come before “whose” Defining and Non-defining Time Replacing adverbs of time cannot come before “when” Defining and Non-defining Place(s) Replacing adverbs of place cannot come before “where” Defining and Non-defining Replacing the cannot come Mai Anh Tuan High School Page Teaching Experience Initiative Why Reason(s) phrase “for the reason(s)” School-year: 2015-2016 before “why” Defining B Typical Forms of Relative Clauses: Generally, relative clauses are widely used in both spoken and written English to make sentences become clear in meaning and easy to understand Relative clauses can be spoken or written in the reduced forms However, not all relative clauses can be reduced The reduction of relative clauses can only be applied to subject relative clauses not object relative clauses A subjective relative clause is a relative clause with the relative pronoun serving the function of the subject Although it is not possible to omit the relative pronoun in the subject relative clauses, we can, if we want, omit an even larger piece of the relative clause and still retain a grammatically acceptable sentence In fact, there are a variety of ways to reduce the subject relative clauses Below are typical forms of relative clauses, and necessary steps to practise the reduction effectively and accurately in certain situations I Reduced relative clauses in the form of nouns or noun phrases: When a non-defining relative clause is in the form that follows, it can be reduced to a noun or noun phrase …who/which + be/ linking V + N(Phr)… = …N(Phr)… Practical steps of reduction: Step 1: Identify the relative clause starting with a relative pronoun “who/which” Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which” from the relative clause Step 3: Leave out the verb “be” or the linking verb from the relative clause Ex: Full Sentence: Lee Davis, who is a business teacher, wrote this book Step 1: The relative clause is “who is a business teacher” Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun-“who is a business teacher” Step 3: Leave out the verb “be”-“is a business teacher” Reduced Sentence: Lee Davis, a business teacher, wrote this book II Reduced relative clauses in the form of preposition phrases: A relative clause in the form that follows can be reduced to a preposition phrase … who/which/that + be + Prep.Phr = …Prep.Phr Practical steps of reduction: Step 1: Identify the relative clause starting with a relative pronoun “who/which/that” Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which/that” from the relative clause Step 3: Leave out the verb “be” from the relative clause Ex: Full Sentence: Please pass me the document that is on the desk Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 Step 1: The relative clause is “that is on the desk” Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun-“that is on the desk” Step 3: Leave out the verb “be”-“is on the desk” Reduced Sentence: Please pass me the document on the desk III Reduced relative clauses in the form of adjectives or adjective phrases: Reducing a relative clause to an adjective (phrase) is quite confusing because it is rather complicated and depends on a number of certain factors Here are some typical forms of reduction commonly used Form 1: A reduced relative clause in the form of an adjective (phrase), standing right after its antecedent A relative clause reduced to an adjective (phrase), standing right after its antecedent if: its antecedent is an infinite pronoun: something, someone, anyone,… its antecedent is a proper noun: Sue, David, James… it is a non-definite relative clause with at least two adjectives it is a relative clause with the adjective phrase that is in a complicated form (containing a noun/noun phrase ), or modifies the be verb in the negative form … who/which/that + be + Adj (Phr) … = … Adj (Phr) … Practical steps of reduction: Step 1: Identify the relative clause starting with a relative pronoun “who/which/that”, paying attention to its antecedent, the type of this clause, and the form of the adjective phrase Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which/that” from the relative clause Step 3: Leave out the verb “be” from the relative clause Ex: Full Sentences: I know there is something that is wrong with you My grandmother, who is old and sick, never goes out of the house Small distinctions among stamps, which are unimportant to the average person, would mean a great deal to the stamp collector Step 1: The relative clause: “that is wrong with you”, after the antecedent “something” “who is old and sick”, there are two adjectives “old and sick” “which are unimportant to the average person”, the adjective phrase contains a noun phrase “the average person” Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun: “that is wrong with you” “who is old and sick” “which are unimportant to the average person” Step 3: Leave out the verb “be”: “is wrong with you” “is old and sick” Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 “are unimportant to the average person” Reduced Sentences: I know there is something wrong with you My grandmother, old and sick, never goes out of the house Small distinctions among stamps, unimportant to the average person, would mean a great deal to the stamp collector Form 2: A reduced relative clause in the form of an adjective (phrase), standing right before the noun it modifies A relative clause reduced to an adjective (phrase), standing right before the noun it modifies if it is a non-defining relative clause with only one single adjective, or a defining relative clause with one or more than one single adjectives …N(,) + who/which/that + be + Adj (Phr)… = … Adj (Phr) + N… Practical steps of reduction: Step 1: Identify the subjective relative clause starting with a relative pronoun “who/which/that”, paying attention to whether the relative clause is defining or non-defining, and has one or more than one single adjectives Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which/that” from the relative clause Step 3: Leave out the verb “be” from the relative clause Step 4: Place the adjective or adjective phrase before the noun it modifies Ex: Full Sentences: That lady, who is old, is living in a nursing home Jane has just bought a pair of glasses which is beautiful and fashionable Step 1: The relative clause is: “who is old”, a non-definite relative clause with one single adjective “old” “which is beautiful and fashionable”, a definite relative clause with more than one single adjectives “beautiful and fashionable” Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun: “who is old” “which is beautiful and fashionable” Step 3: Leave out the verb “be”: “is old” “is beautiful and fashionable” Step 4: Place the adjective or adjective phrase before the noun it modifies old lady beautiful and fashionable glasses Reduced Sentences: That old lady is living in a nursing home Jane has just bought a pair of beautiful and fashionable glasses IV Reduced relative clauses in the form of compound adjectives: Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 Sometimes, learners not pay much attention to this type of reduction, however, it is very common in both spoken and written English that a relative clause can be reduced to a compound adjective and placed in front of the antecedent noun …N1 (,) + who/which/that + be/have/last/… + Cardinal + N2… = …Cardinal-N2(sing) + N1 Practical steps of reduction: Step 1: Identify the relative clause starting with a relative pronoun “who/which/that”, and containing a phrase formed from a cardinal and a noun Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which/that” from the relative clause Step 3: Leave out the verb “be/have/last/…” from the relative clause Step 4: Form the compound adjective from a cardinal and a noun in the relative clause by placing a hyphen between them, the noun must be in the singular form Step 5: Place the compound adjective in front of the antecedent noun Ex: Full Sentence: They have a house which has five rooms Step 1: The relative clause is “which has twenty rooms” Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun-“which has five rooms” Step 3: Leave out the verb-“has five rooms” Step 4: Form the compound adjective-“ five-room” Step 5: Place the compound adjective before the antecedent noun-“ five-room house” Reduced Sentence: They have a five-room house V Reduced relative clauses in the form of paraphrases: It is also common in English that a reduced relative clause can be in the form of a paraphrase, a statement that expresses something that somebody has written or said using different words, especially in order to make it easier to understand When the verb “have” meaning possession, we can omit relative pronoun and “have” and use with(+) or without(-) … who/which/that + have(+/-) + N(Phr)… = …with/ without + N(Phr)… Practical steps of reduction: Step 1: Identify the relative clause in the form “…who/which/that + have(+/-) + N(Phr)” Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which/that” from the relative clause Step 3: Leave out the verb “have(+/-)” from the relative clause Step 4: Use “with/without” in front of the noun/noun phrase of the relative clause “With” is used for the affirmative form of the verb “have”, and “without” for the negative Ex: Full Sentences: The man likes bikes which has new wheels and tires He puts new tires on bikes which don’t have good tires Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 Step 1: The relative clause is: “which has new wheels and tires” “which don’t have good tires” Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun: “which has new wheels and tires” “which don’t have good tires” Step 3: Leave out the verb “have(+/-)”: “has new wheels and tires” “don’t have good tires” Step 4: Use “with/without” in front of the noun/noun phrase where it is suitable with new wheels and tires (affirmative) without good tires (negative) Reduced Sentences: The man likes bikes with new wheels and tires He puts new tires on bikes without good tires VI Reduced relative clauses in the form of infinitive phrases: This form of reduced relative clause is very familiar to learners due to its frequent appearance, however, mistakes are unavoidable because they fail to recognize the major factors related to and only applicable to this form Relative clauses can be changed to infinitive phrases when they follow the antecedents with ordinal numbers, the phrase “the only”, or the superlative An infinitive phrase can be a reduction of a relative clause when this clause express necessity/duties/ purposes/ permission In this case, the main clause has the verb “have” and the relative clause contains modal verbs such as can, could, must, have to,…; or the sentence usually starts with “Here + be”/ “There + be” A reduced relative clause can be in the form of either active or passive infinitive phrase, which depends on whether the form its main verb is active or passive Reduced relative clauses in the form of active infinitive phrases: …the first/ last/ only/ most/…+ N + who/which/that + V(active)+ … = …the first/ last/ only/ most/…+ N + (for + O) + to Vinf + … Practical steps of reduction: Step 1: Identify the relative clause starting with “who/which/that”, with its main verb in the active form, and either its antecedent standing after the ordinal number/ “the only”/ the superlative, or it expresses necessity/ duties/ purposes /permission Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which/that”, the subject, and the modal verb (if there is a modal verb) If there is a preposition before the relative pronoun, move it to the end of the relative clause before omitting the relative pronoun Step 3: Change the form of the main verb in the relative clause to “to Vinf”, then add the phrase “for + O” in front of “to Vinf” if the subject of the main clause and Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 that of the relative clause are not the same The object following “for” comes from the subject omitted with the modal verb of the relative clause Ex: Full Sentences: Jimmy is the youngest person who takes part in the marathon They need a large yard in which they can dry rice Here are some accounts that you must check Step 1: The relative clause is: “who takes part in…”, standing after its antecedent with the superlative “in which they can dry rice”, expressing necessity, the relative pronoun stands after a preposition “that you must check”, expressing a duty Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun, the subject, and the modal verb; and move the preposition to the end of the relative clause if necessary: “who takes part in the marathon” “which they can dry rice in” “that you must check” Step 3: Change the form of the main verb in the relative to “to Vinf”, put the phrase “for + O” in front of “to Vinf” if necessary: “ to take part in…” “ to dry rice in” “for you to check” Reduced Sentences: Jimmy is the youngest person to take part in the marathon They need a large yard to dry rice in Here are some accounts for you to check Reduced relative clauses in the form of passive infinitive phrases: …the first/ last/ only/ most/…+ N + who/which/that + V(passive)+ … = …the first/ last/ only/ most/…+ N + to be Vpp + … Practical steps of reduction: Step 1: Identify the relative clause starting with “who/which/that”, with its main verb in the passive form, and either its antecedent standing after the ordinal number/ “the only”/the superlative, or it expresses necessity/ duties/ purposes/ permission Step 2: Leave out the relative pronoun “who/which/that” from the relative clause Step 3: Change the form of the passive verb in the relative clause to “to be Vpp”, then put the rest part of the relative after “to be Vpp” Ex: Full Sentence: That tree was the only one which was blown down in the storm last night Step 1: The relative clause is “which was blown down in the storm last night”, Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page 10 Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 for students to get right answers To deal with these complex exercises effectively, they should find out the relative clause in each sentence first, then identify what type of relative clause it is and what significant feature(s) it has to select to apply a suitable form of reduced relative clauses mentioned in Part B I Applied exercises following a certain form of reduced relative clauses Exercise 1: Reduce the following sentences to nouns or noun phrases Hanoi, which is the capital of Vietnam, is a major trade center in the country I read a book by Mark Twain, who is a famous American author The pyramids, which were the monumental tombs of ancient Egyptian pharaohs, were constructed more than 4,000 years ago Exercise 2: Reduce the following sentences to preposition phrases My office, which is on the second floor of the building, is very small The path that is at the end of the street leads to the river The people who were in the botanical garden had much pleasure Exercise 3: Reduce the following sentences to adjectives or adjective phrases My teacher of Literature, who is clever, has a sharp tongue Fruit that is fresh tastes better than old, soft, mushy fruit The manager wants to see the architect who is responsible for the project Exercise 4: Reduce the following sentences to compound adjective phrases The students have four short breaks which last minutes Have you ever seen a dog which has six legs? The Soviet cosmonaut who was 27 years old was the first human in space in 1961 Exercise 5: Reduce the following sentences to paraphrases I like the people who have a great sense of humor His wife did not want to live in a house which did not have a private reading room We all praised the collection which has a variety of old stamps Exercise 6: Reduce the following sentences to infinitive phrases We had a river in which we could swim This is the best book which you can read on the long flight (Grade 11 Examination of Quality Survey, Mai Anh Tuan High School, school-year 2015-2016) I was the only one who realized him Exercise 7: Reduce the following sentences to present participle phrases They called a lawyer who lived nearby The man that is wearing a blue jumper is in the garden The woman who wants coffee is over there Exercise 8: Reduce the following sentences to past participle phrases We live in a house which was built by my grandfather Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page 13 Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 The money that was found in the street has been given to charity The robber who was seen by David ran away II Mixed exercises following all the reduced relative clause forms Exercise 9: Reduce the following sentences to phrases I really loved the flowers which were grown in London The man who had one eye looked at the children angrily He is the only man who can solve this problem Mr Jackson, who is a professor, is travelling in the Mideast this year Exercise 10: Write sentences with full relative clauses using the words/phrases given Then reduce the relative clauses to phrases My/radio/very old/recently/stop/work The clothes/be/leave/behind/be/at/ reception desk Brighton/be/on/south coast/be/popular/holiday/resort I/not/like/people/not/have/sense/responsibility Exercise 11: Reorder the words/phrases given to make sentences with full relative clauses Then reduce the relative clauses to phrases Dr Stanton/,/the university/will come/the president/of/soon/is/here/,/who The/finishes/person/first/be/will/winner/the/who Sue/the/at/stayed/hotel/had/which/swimming/pools/two They/house/the/in/that/was/lived/in/built/1995 Exercise 12: Choose the best sentence that is made from these given words bridge/build/50 years ago/collapse/last storm/./ A The bridge built 50 years ago was collapsed in the last storm B The bridge which built 50 years ago was collapsed in the last storm C The bridge built 50 years ago has collapsed in the last storm D The bridge built 50 years ago collapsed in the last storm (Trial Examination of English, Phan Chau Trinh High School, Da Nang, 2012) Thermometer/something/measure/temperature/./ A The thermometer is something that it measures temperature B The thermometer is something used for measuring temperature C The thermometer is something in which is used for measuring temperature D The thermometer is something can be used for measuring temperature (Trial Examination of English, Thang Long Cultural Center, Hanoi, 2012) Number/factor/relate/voice/reveal/personality/speaker/./ A A number of factors that related to the voice revealed the personality of the speaker B The number of factors related to the voice revealed the personality of the speaker C A number of factors related to the voice reveal the personality of the speaker Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page 14 Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 D A number of factors relating to the voice revealed the personality of the speaker (Trial Examination of English, Le Quy Don, Quang Tri, 2013) Exercise 13: Make one sentence with a reduced relative clause from two sentences given I didn’t talk to the man The man was sitting next to me on the plane There are some words These words are very difficult for us to translate Art Golding was a famous actor He played the ship’s captain in “Iceberg” The book has just been published It has 500 pages Exercise 14: Decide which can be reduced, then reduce them The company sent me a brochure which contained all the information I needed This is Mr Carter, about whom I have told you The window which was broken in the storm last night has been repaired The accident in which nobody was injured was not very serious Exercise 15: Complete the sentences in PART II with reduced relative clauses by using the information in PART I Use commas if necessary (Practical English Usage, Michael Swan) PART I: It had a green cover He designs houses, buildings or bridges They are made in China It is the highest mountain in the world PART II: Mt Everest _ is in Himalayas Helen picked up the book _ We don’t sell any goods _ An architect is a person _ Exercise 16: The following passage contains 10 unnecessary words Find and write down the words (From English Examination for Grade 12 Gifted Students, Thanh Hoa province, 2015-2016) As you will see from my curriculum vitae, I have attended university, where I studied English and Law After finishing my course, I took a job in a travel agency in Paris and now I organise few hours for people who wanting to go to Australia and the United States Although I enjoyed this very much, I feel I need to get more experience and it would seems to me that working as a specialized tour guide in England would help me for that I would rather work in an English-speaking country, as I need to practise much conversation classes and at first I thought that I would find them difficult However, they turned out to be very enjoyable I will have no any difficulty in coming to England for an interview if you will let me know in plenty of the time I enclose details of my present employer who will be too pleased to send you a reference Exercise 17: Identify one error in each of the following sentences, and correct it My favourite teacher, was Ms July, was always willing to help me after class It is important to be polite to people live in the same building Lady Astor was the first woman taking her seat in Parliament Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page 15 Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 Natural resources provide the raw material are needed to produce finished goods Exercise 18: Choose one underlined part that needs correcting I went to a reunion (A) for students educating (B) in the physics (C) department during (D) the 1980s.(English 11 Exercises, Mai Lan Huong) The 14th Asian (A) Games, holding (B) in Korea in 2002 (C), attracted (D) many participants (Grade 11 Examination of Quality Survey, Mai Anh Tuan High School, 2015-2016) The stadium (A) is (B) in bad (C) condition needs to be (D) upgraded The first recorded (A) use of natural gas lighting (B) street lamps was (C) in the (D) of Frederick, New York, in 1825 (Grade 12 Trial Test, Thang Long Cultural Centre, Hanoi 2013) Exercise 19: Complete each sentence with a suitable word or phrase in the box arrested the nearest planet a glove maker wanting Mercury, _ to the Sun, is also the smallest of the nine planets orbiting the Sun Any student not _to go on the trip should inform the office Two-thirds of those _ for car theft are under twenty years of age William Shakespeare’s father, _, owned a shop in Stratford-upon-Avon Exercise 20: Complete each sentence with a suitable form of the word in the box interest speak teach grow Rice _ in many countries is staple food throughout much of the world Did you met anyone _at the party last night? Professor Wilson, an excellent , does volunteer work at the hospital for children Andrew, _ Russian, applied for the job Exercise 21: Choose the best option to complete each sentence below for their strong fiber include flax and hemp A Plants are grown B Plants grown C Plants that grown D To grow plants (English Examination for Grade 12 Gifted Students, Thanh Hoa Province, 2015-2016) Neil Armstrong was the first astronaut _ onto the moon A to step B stepping C stepped D steps (Grade 11 Trial Test, Mai Anh Tuan High School, school-year 2015-2016) They are going to make excursion next month A a two-weeks B two-weeks C two weeks’ D a two-week (English Examination for Grade 10 Gifted Students, Mai Anh Tuan High School, 2015-2016) The man the bank is a millionaire (Textbook, English 11) A is entering B entering C to be entered D to enter Exercise 22: Choose the sentence which is closest in meaning to the printed one(s) Einstein, who failed his university entrance exam, discovered relativity A Einstein, failed his university entrance exam, discovered relativity B Einstein, that failed his university entrance exam, discovered relativity Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page 16 Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 C Einstein, failing his university entrance exam, discovered relativity D Einstein, his university entrance exam, discovered relativity We all praised the cake which was baked by my mother A We all praised the cake that was baked by my mother B We all praised the cake was baked by my mother C We all praised the cake baked by my mother D Both A and C are correct David was the first student who came to class yesterday A David was the first student came to class yesterday B David was the first student coming to class yesterday C David was the first student to come to class yesterday D David was the first student to class yesterday He read The Old Man and the Sea, which is a novel written by Ernest Hemingway A He read The Old Man and the Sea, a novel written by Ernest Hemingway B He read The Old Man and the Sea, is a novel written by Ernest Hemingway C He read The Old Man and the Sea that is a novel written by Ernest Hemingway D He read The Old Man and the Sea, it is a novel written by Ernest Hemingway My grandparents’ lake house was built in 1953 It was completely destroyed by the forest fire A My grandparents’ lake house was built in 1953 and completely destroyed by the forest fire B My grandparents’ lake house, built in 1953, was completely destroyed by the forest fire C My grandparents’ lake house was built in 1953, so it was completely destroyed by the forest fire D The forest fire destroyed my grandparents’ lake house was built in 1953 Exercise 23: Write a new sentence with a full relative clause from each sentence with a reduced relative clause below (inspired from the book “Ôn tập bồi dưỡng học sinh giỏi trung học phổ thông môn Tiếng Anh” by Le Van Canh-Nguyen Quoc Tuan) The people in this village are very poor My aunt, a widow, loves to play badminton The nurses working in this hospital are very kind The wind, blowing strongly a minute ago, has died down Exercise 24: Rewrite each of the following sentences in such a way that it means the same as the sentence printed before it, using the word(s) given A big red car was parked outside the house (parked)  There was _ I play with the children who often swim in the river near my house (swimming)  I play Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page 17 Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 John’s flat, in the same block as mine, is much larger (which)  John’s flat _ We were taking the first train to London that left at 6.00 (to leave)  We were Exercise 25: Talk or write about a certain topic, trying to use as many relative clauses or phrases as possible Write about your collection of books/stamps (based on the topic of unit 13- English 11) Many species are in danger What should be done to protect them? (based on the topic of unit 10- English 12) Write about a sport that you like most (based on the topic of unit 12- English 12) In about 140 words, write a paragraph about the benefits of reading books The following prompts might be helpful to you: - Widening knowledge, - Improving language, - Relaxing (National General Certificate of Secondary Education Examination of English, 2015) In the teaching process, to warm up the learning atmosphere and to avoid the students feeling that lessons are too difficult and complicated, types of the abovementioned exercises are designed in the form of games such as Lucky Numbers, Who will be the Millionaire?, Role-plays, Picture-description, Head and Tail,… Thus, the students seem to learn the lessons at their ease, and acquire knowledge better PART III: CONCLUSION I Study results: In my English teaching process at Mai Anh Tuan High School, I have gradually provided the students a system of knowledge of English and useful suggestions for practice that step by step help them get familiar with and consolidate the theory of the relative reduction as well as improve their practical skills Various goals have been set for different students based on their own levels of English After applying the method to English teaching for some time, I notice that most of the students have had a thorough grasp of basic knowledge and certain skills to solve problems related to the reduction of relative clauses However, it is quite difficult for weak students to understand and to apply these skills in practice because to practise well with these skills, the students must have a wide range of knowledge covering various contents in English Thus, through my lessons, I constantly help the students revise and consolidate the knowledge that they have learnt and improve their practical skills Below are some achieved results of the study after being applied to English teaching and revision in classes 12D and 12K at Mai Anh Tuan High School in the school-year 2015-2016 These results are based on the 10 question tests related to typical forms of relative clauses at different levels of difficulty the students did at different points in time during this school year Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page 18 Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 Test results at the beginning of the school-year 2015-2016: (before applying the initiative) Class No of student s Number of correct answers to questions related to the reduced relative clause forms-(%) 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 12D 40 (15%) 11 (27.5%) 11 (27.5%) 10 (25%) (5%) (0%) 12K 46 (10.9%) 15 (32.6%) 12 (26.1%) 11 (23.9%) (6.5%) (0%) Test results at the end of the 1st semester of the school-year 2015-2016: (after applying the initiative for a semester) Class No of student s Number of correct answers to questions related to the reduced relative clause forms-(%) 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 12D 40 (5%) (22.5%) 13 (32.5%) 12 (30%) (10%) (0%) 12K 46 (2.2%) 11 (23.9%) 13 (28.3%) 15 (32.6%) (13%) (0%) Test results in the middle of the 2nd semester of the school-year 2015-2016 (after applying the initiative for a semester and a half) Clas s No of student s Number of correct answers to questions related to the reduced relative clause forms-(%) 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 12D 40 (2.5%) (12.5%) 12 (30%) 16 (40%) (12.5%) (2.5%) 12K 46 (0%) (15.2%) 15 (32.6%) 16 (34.8%) (15.2%) (2.2%) Test results at the end of the 2nd semester of the school-year 2015-2016: (after applying the initiative for the whole school-year) Clas s No of student s Le Thi Lan Anh Number of correct answers to questions related to the reduced relative clause forms-(%) 1-2 3-4 5-6 Mai Anh Tuan High School 7-8 9-10 Page 19 Teaching Experience Initiative 12D 40 (0%) (5%) 12K 46 (0%) (4.3%) 11 (27.5%) School-year: 2015-2016 17 (42.5%) (17.5%) (7.5%) 11 (23.9%) 18 (39.1%) 10 (21.7%) (10.9%) The results mentioned above have indicated that the number of students who have had more correct answers to questions related to the reduced relative clause forms has been gradually increasing through time and the number of students who have had a few correct answers has been declining Although the initial results seem not to be very impressive, I would like to share this teaching experience initiative in the hope that it could help contribute a little to improving the quality of teaching English at the upper secondary education Moreover, I wish that the study would be of some value to both teachers and students in their English teaching and learning process II Suggestions: Obviously, the study still has certain limitations Thus, it would be my pleasure to get as many pieces of contributive advice or suggestions as possible to better and help it become more productive in the English teaching and learning process at high schools in the future I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for all the constructive ideas! Thanh Hoa, June 10th 2016 The author Le Thi Lan Anh Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page 20 Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 APPENDICES I SUGGESTED ANSWERS Exercise 1: Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is a major trade center in the country I read a book by Mark Twain, a famous American author The pyramids, the monumental tombs of ancient Egyptian pharaohs, were… Exercise 2: My office, on the second floor of the building, is very small The path at the end of the street leads to the river The people in the botanical garden had much pleasure Exercise 3: My clever teacher of Literature has a sharp tongue Fresh fruit tastes better than old, soft, mushy fruit The manager wants to see the architect responsible for the project Exercise 4: The students have four 5-minute short breaks Have you ever seen a six-leg dog? The 27-year-old Soviet cosmonaut was the first human in space in 1961 Exercise 5: I like the people with a great sense of humor His wife did not want to live in a house without a private reading room We all praised the collection with a variety of old stamps Exercise 6: We had a river to swim This is the best book (for you) to read on the long flight I was the only one to realize him Exercise 7: They called a lawyer living nearby The man wearing a blue jumper is in the garden The woman wanting coffee is over there Exercise 8: We live in a house built by my grandfather The money found in the street has been given to charity The robber seen by David ran away Exercise 9: I really loved the flowers grown in London The one-eye man looked at the children angrily He is the only man to solve this problem Mr Jackson, a professor, is travelling in the Mideast this year Exercise 10: My radio, which is very old, has recently stopped working Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page 21 Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016  My very old radio has recently stopped working The clothes which were left behind are at the reception desk  The clothes left behind are at the reception desk Brighton, which is on the south coast, is a popular holiday resort  Brighton, on the south coast, is a popular holiday resort I not like people who not have a good sense of responsibility  I not like people without a good sense of responsibility Exercise 11: Dr Stanton, who is the president of the university, will come here…  Dr Stanton, the president of the university, will come here soon The person who finishes first will be the winner  The person finishing first will be the winner Sue stayed at the hotel which had two swimming pools  Sue stayed at the hotel with two swimming pools They lived in the house that was built in1995  They lived in the house built in1995 Exercise 12: D B C Exercise 13: I didn’t talk to the man sitting next to me on the plane There are some words very difficult for us to translate Art Golding, a famous actor, played the ship’s captain in “Iceberg” The 500-page book has just been published Exercise 14: The company sent me a brochure containing all the information… The window broken in the storm last night has been repaired Exercise 15: Mt Everest, the highest mountain in the world, is in Himalayas Helen picked up the book with a green cover We don’t sell any goods made in China An architect is a person designing houses, buildings or bridges Exercise 16: few (s2) who (s2) would (s3) for (s3) it(s5) much(s6) any (s8) will (s8) the (s8) 10 too (s9) Exercise 17: was Ms July  (who was) Ms July live  living taking  to take/ who took are needed  needed Exercise 18: B B B B Exercise 19: the nearest planet wanting arrested a glove maker Exercise 20: grown interesting teacher speaking Exercise 21: B A D B Exercise 22: C D C A B Exercise 23: The people who/that are in this village are very poor My aunt, who is a widow, loves to play badminton Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page 22 Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 The nurses who/that work in this hospital are very kind The wind, which was blowing strongly a minute ago, has died down Exercise 24: There was a big red car parked outside the house I play with the children often swimming in the river near my house John’s flat, which is in the same block as mine, is much larger We were taking the first train to London to leave at 6.00 Exercise 25: Sample writing for topic Write about a sport that you like most Of all the sports that have ever appeared in the world, football, the most popular sport throughout the globe, may be the one I like most Football, whose equipment is a leather ball, is frequently played at a football field, a playground or a stadium There are two teams taking part in a match, with eleven players and a goalkeeper in each team Like water polo, the game begins with the ball in the centre of the football field and both teams sprint for it from their own goal lines The goalie, taking the main responsibility for protecting their team’s goal, is the only to hold the ball with both hands The other players have to attack their opponent’s goal and make as many scores as possible They are also sportsmen trying to interfere with the rival’s movements and helping their goalkeeper to keep their goal safe… II QUESTIONNAIRES (for tests) TEST Rewrite each sentence below, using a suitable form of reduced relative clauses Some people who live in Hong Kong earn a lot of money Football, which is a very popular sport, is really good for health David was the last student that arrived at the meeting We have some pictures books that children can read The girl who is ten years old is my daughter The first candidate that was interviewed was James There must be something that is wrong in this case The shop which is beside the bank sells ladies’ shoes The man who is standing in front of the post office is my brother 10 I like books that were written by Nguyen Du Suggested Answers Some people living in Hong Kong earn a lot of money Football, a very popular sport, is really good for health David was the last student to arrive at the meeting Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page 23 Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 We have some pictures books for children to read The ten-year-old girl is my daughter The first candidate to be interviewed was James There must be something wrong in this case The shop beside the bank sells ladies’ shoes The man standing in front of the post office is my brother 10 I like books written by Nguyen Du TEST Rewrite each sentence below, using a suitable form of reduced relative clauses A person who serves in a shop is called a shop assistant John, who is my close friend, has gone abroad for further study She is the only woman who was appointed to the board Be sure to follow the instructions that are given at the top of the page Tom is looking at the picture which is beautiful The most interesting person that they could see was a gentleman He was the first man that escaped from the burning building They had lunch at the café which is opposite our office Where can I catch the bus that goes downtown? 10 Her family has a car which has four seats Suggested Answers A person serving in a shop is called a shop assistant John, my close friend, has gone abroad for further study She is the only woman to be appointed to the board Be sure to follow the instructions given at the top of the page Tom is looking at the beautiful picture The most interesting person for them to see was a gentleman He was the first man to escape from the burning building They had lunch at the café opposite our office Where can I catch the bus going downtown? 10 Her family has a four-seat car TEST Rewrite each sentence below, using a suitable form of reduced relative clauses He is talking to the lady who is in the red dress over there Do you know a nearby restaurant that has good food? I have a class which begins at a.m Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page 24 Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 Did you meet anyone that was interesting at the party last night? The mistakes that you have to correct are very important Michael was the only one who realized me This is the bank which is robbed yesterday I was the last person that was chosen to participate in the workshop This year, you will have a holiday that lasts two months 10 Linda’s grandfather, who is sick, has a very strong will Suggested Answers He is talking to the lady in the red dress over there Do you know a nearby restaurant with good food? I have a class beginning at a.m Did you meet anyone interesting at the party last night? The mistakes for you to correct are very important Michael was the only one to realize me This is the bank robbed yesterday I was the last person to be chosen to participate in the workshop This year, you will have a two-month holiday 10 Linda’s sick grandfather has a very strong will TEST Rewrite each sentence below, using a suitable form of reduced relative clauses Have you ever seen a cow which has six legs? Arizona, which was once thought to be a useless desert, is a rapidly growing area The last photographs which were published in the newspaper were extraordinary Not all artists who are famous have spent years studying Animals that are born in a zoo generally adjust to captivity better than those that are captured in the wild The floor is dusty but I haven’t got a brush with which I can sweep it Never put your faith in a person who does not have any constancy Mary, who is responsible for the company’s development, has managed it very well There are many exercises that have to be finished before school 10 I was awaken by the laughter which came from the room next to mine at the motel Suggested Answers Have you ever seen a six-leg cow? Arizona, once thought to be a useless desert, is a rapidly growing area The last photographs to be published in the newspaper were extraordinary Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page 25 Teaching Experience Initiative School-year: 2015-2016 Not all famous artists have spent years studying Animals born in a zoo generally adjust to captivity better than captured in the wild The floor is dusty but I haven’t got a brush to sweep it with Never put your faith in a person without any constancy Mary, responsible for the company’s development, has managed it very well There are many exercises to be finished before school 10 I was awaken by the laughter coming from the room next to mine at the motel III REFERENCES Tiếng Anh 10, Nhà Xuất Giáo Dục Tiếng Anh 11, Nhà Xuất Giáo Dục Tiếng Anh 12, Nhà Xuất Giáo Dục Kênh Tuyển Sinh, the internet Oxford guide to English grammar, John Eastwood Practical English Usage, Michael Swan Understanding and using English Grammar, Betty Schrampfer Azar English Grammar in Use, Raymond Murphy English grammar explanations, Mai Lan Huong and Ha Thanh Uyen 10 Bài Tập Tiếng Anh 10, Mai Lan Huong 11 Bài Tập Tiếng Anh 11, Mai Lan Huong 12 Bài Tập Tiếng Anh 12, Mai Lan Huong 13 Tuyển Tập Đề Thi Thử Đại Học Ba Miền Bắc-Trung-Nam, Pham Thi Thuy Huong 14 Tuyển Tập Đề Thi Tiếng Anh, Vinh Ba 15 Language Practice, Michael Vince 16 Ôn tập bồi dưỡng học sinh giỏi trung học phổ thông môn Tiếng Anh, Le Van Canh-Nguyen Quoc Tuan 17 Bài Tập Thực Hành Ngữ Pháp Tiếng Anh, The Windy 18 The website English123.com 19 The website Oxford.edu.vn 20 The website violet.vn 21 The website hocmai.vn 22 The website thaytro.net Le Thi Lan Anh Mai Anh Tuan High School Page 26 Teaching Experience Initiative Le Thi Lan Anh School-year: 2015-2016 Mai Anh Tuan High School Page 27 ... phrases they modify They are traditionally divided into two types: defining relative clauses and non-defining relative clauses Defining relative clauses: A defining relative clause is a subordinate... omitting the relative pronoun Step 3: Change the form of the main verb in the relative clause to “to Vinf”, then add the phrase “for + O” in front of “to Vinf” if the subject of the main clause and. .. overall meaning of the sentence remains the same Non-defining relative clauses are always set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma or commas In non-defining relative clauses, a relative pronoun