Author: Gareth

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Structure: Relative clauses 2

Using relative clauses

In relative clauses 1 we looked at some of the basics of relative clauses. This time we’ll discuss another issue with them.

In some relative clauses it’s not necessary to use who, which, or that. You can use it if you want but you don’t have to. Let’s look at a couple of examples where it’s not necessary to use who and which.

The person (who) you met works for Emirates.
The book (which) you bought is expensive.

In these two examples we don’t have to use who and which. But how can we discover when we have to use who, which (or that) and we don’t have to? It depends on whether who, which (or that) is the subject or object of the verb. Very briefly, the subject of a sentence is the person or thing that performs an action. The object of a sentence is affected by the action. Look at the diagram below for more information.

As we can see, he performs the action and the plane is affected by the action (it is flown). Now let’s consider our examples above.

The person (who) you met works for Emirates.

In this sentence you met the person, so ‘you’ is the subject and ‘a person’ is the object is the verb ‘met’. Our rule is that if who, which (or that) is the object of our verb, then we don’t have to use it. Let’s look at our second example from above.

The book (which) you bought is expensive.

In this sentence you bought the book, so ‘you’ is the subject (‘you’ performed the action) of the verb and ‘the book’ is the object of our verb, then once again we don’t have to use which. To fully understand this idea about the subject and object of a verb can take time, so if you’re not sure it’s perfectly correct to use who, which (or that) all the time in relative clauses. When you become more comfortable with subjects and objects of verbs you can decide whether or not to use who, which (or that) in relative clauses.

Now try to write some examples of your own to help clarify when you don’t have to use who, which (or that).

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Video answers: How to design impenetrable airport security

Here are the answers to last Friday’s video, enjoy!

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. There’s no evidence to suggest that the TSA have prevented a terrorist attack.
  2. ICAO doesn’t offer suggestions on how to secure an airport, instead it defines objectives without suggesting how to achieve those objectives.
  3. It means that a place may look secure when in reality it isn’t completely.
  4. Israel has the best airport security in the world.
  5. It’s different because it is based more on the human factor than on scanning equipment (although they still use this too).
  6. Cars are checked before getting to the airport, plain clothes officers move around the check-in area and even before people check-in they pass through in interview which will determine their risk level.
  7. Young Arab men travelling alone are the highest risk group.
  8. After bags are checked in they’re placed in a pressure chamber which simulates the pressure on board an aircraft at cruise altitudes, the idea is to set off any explosives designed to detonate when a place is in flight.
  9. Air marshals are put on every flight.
  10. Flares are deployed if an incoming missile is detected.
  11. That’s hard to measure as Ben Gurion airport only has 20 million passengers per year and doesn’t deal with the volume of some of the bigger international airports. Racial profiling could not be used in other airports around the world as it is illegal.
  12. The number of people travelling has declined by 6% since September 11th 2001.
  13. It’s hard to know, maybe airport security works by deterring terrorists instead of catching them.

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Video: How to design impenetrable airport security

This week’s video talks about the effectiveness of modern airport security and how it could be improved. Watch the video to find out how.

Try to answer the following questions about the video and come back on Monday for the answers.

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. Has the TSA been effective in preventing terrorist acts?
  2. What does ICAO recommend in relation to the type of airport security used?
  3. What does the term ‘security theatre’ mean?
  4. Which country has the best airport security in the world?
  5. How is security different there?
  6. What security procedures are in place there?
  7. Which groups of people are highest risk?
  8. What unusual step happens to bags after being checked-in?
  9. What security exists on board?
  10. What security exists against missiles?
  11. Could these security measures be adopted worldwide?
  12. How has the number of people flying changed since 9/11.
  13. Is airport security effective?

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Have a great weekend!

How to Design Impenetrable Airport Security

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Structure: Relative clauses 1

Using relative clauses

Relative clauses (which are parts of sentences) help the speaker identify the thing or person they are talking about. Let’s see an example.

The woman who we met is a pilot.

In the example above ‘who we met’ is the relative clause, it helps identify the woman we are talking about, without this information it would be impossible to know who the woman is. When we’re using a relative clause to help identify a person we use ‘who’.

The guy who bought your ticket is my cousin.

Again ‘who bought your ticket’ identifies the person we are talking about (and is the relative clause in the sentence).

In these situations we usually have the structure;
‘Person + who + verb (+ object) + information.’
The guy + who + bought + your ticket + is my cousin.

When we’re using a relative clause to help identify a thing instead of a person we use ‘which’. Let’s see an example.

The button which you pressed turns on the wipers.

In the example above ‘which you pressed’ is the relative clause, it helps identify the button (the thing) we are talking about.

The chart which you looked at is the wrong one.

Again ‘which you looked at’ identifies the thing we are talking about (and is the relative clause in this sentence).

In these situations we sometimes have the structure;
‘Thing + which + verb (+ object) + information.’
The chart + which + you looked at + is the wrong one.
(note there is no object in the example above)

Let’s look at another example

The man whose book you borrowed wants it back.

The chart whose corner you ripped is now useless.

In the example above ‘whose book you borrowed’ and ‘whose corner you ripped’ are the relative clauses, they help identify the man and chart we are talking about, without this information it would be impossible to know who the man is or which chart we’re talking about. The difference in these examples is that we use a possessive form ‘whose book’ (you borrowed) and ‘whose corner’ (you ripped) to identify the person and chart.

Tip: In these sentences we don’t use a comma between the noun and the relative clause.

We can also use that instead of who or which in the above examples.

The guy that bought your ticket is my cousin.
The chart that you looked at is the wrong one.

Tip: That can be used in other situations so be careful not to confuse the use of that in relative clauses with other uses of that. Click here and here to review the uses of that.

Remember to use who for people, which for things and whose + noun for possessive forms which help to identify somebody or something.

Now try to write some of your own examples using relative clauses to help identify a person of thing you are talking about.

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Video answers: Why are aircraft always painted white?

Here are the answers to last Friday’s video, enjoy!

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. They’re usually a green colour, which is from an anti-corrosive paint which is used.
  2. Approximately 1,100 kilos of paint is applied to an A380 in the paint shop.
  3. They’re inefficient because a detailed paint job adds unnecessary extra weight to a plane that causes it to burn more fuel as it flies.
  4. It cost them money because they had to frequently polish the surface to prevent it from degrading and becoming tarnished.
  5. It can easily reveal oil leaks, dents and cracks which may occur and be more difficult to spot with other colours painted on the fuselage.
  6. There is a rumour that a white paint job is less prone to bird strikes due to the higher contrast.
  7. It helps to keep temperatures down as white paint is twelve times more reflective than darker colours. This also helps reduce the thermal expansion of the plane and the associated stress placed on it.
  8. Concorde needed a unique type of paint that could deal with the enormous heat generated in the wings during flight.

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Video: Why are aircraft always painted white?

This week’s video explains why aircraft are mostly painted white and answers why airlines decide to paint an aircraft at all. Watch to find out why.

Try to answer the following questions about the video and come back on Monday for the answers.

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. How are planes which have just rolled out of the factory but haven’t had a paint job yet?
  2. Approximately how much paint is applied to an A380 during its paint job?
  3. Why are nice detailed paint jobs inefficient for companies?
  4. How did American Airlines’ polished aluminium look cost them money?
  5. What are the advantages of a white paint job?
  6. What rumours suggest a white paint job may be better in an unexpected way?
  7. What’s the main reason planes are painted white?
  8. What was special about Concorde’s paint job?

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Have a great weekend!

REASON WHY PLANES ARE PAINTED WHITE! Explained by CAPTAIN JOE

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