Oraciones de relativo (subordinadas adjetivas) en inglés. Tipos de oraciones (explicativas y especificativas). Pronombres y adverbios relativos. Ejercicios

1. Vicent Pérez Zaragoza

2.  Son oraciones subordinadas adjetivas.
 Características.
 Añaden información sobre un objeto, persona,
lugar, etc. Ese nombre es el antecedente de la
oración de relativo.
 Están introducidas por un pronombre o adverbio
relativo, que hace de nexo entre la oración
principal y la subordinada adjetiva.
 La subordinada adjetiva (relative clause) siempre
sigue al antecedente

3.  Hay dos tipos de oraciones de relativo:
 Especificativas: Defining
 La información que aportan es necesaria para definir
el antecedente.
 The man who/that is going to marry Mary is called
Bruce
 Explicativas: Non-defining
 En ellas la información aportada por la oración de
relativo no es necesaria, es una explicación adicional
del antecedente (que ya está perfectamente definido
por sí mismo).
 Al igual que sucede en castellano, este tipo de
oraciones va entre comas.
 Bruce, who is going to marry Mary, is a car salesman

4. • Se usa cuando el antecente es una
Who
persona.
• Puede omitirse si no hace de sujeto.
• I spoke to the man who was next to
me
• Se usa cuando el antecedente es una
Which
cosa o un animal
• Puede omitirse si no hace de sujeto.
• The car which is in front of the house
is John’s
• Se usa cuando el antecedente es una persona,
animal, cosa o circunstancial de tiempo
That • Se puede usar en lugar de who, which o when.
• Puede omitirse si no hace de sujeto.
• NO puede utilizarse en oraciones explicativas.
• That is the man that I saw outside the cinema

5. • Se usa para referirse a tiempo (cuando el
antedente es el complemento circunstancial
When de tiempo).
• SÍ puede omitirse
• SÍ puede sustituirse por that
• 2008 is the year when she got divorced
• Se usa para referirse a lugares (cuando el
antecedente es el complemento
Where
circunstancial de lugar).
• SÓLO se omite en algunas ocasiones
• NO puede sustituirse por that
• That’s the hotel where they stayed during
their holidays

6. • Se usa para hablar de posesión
Whose
• NO se puede omitir.
• NO se puede sustituir por that
• That’s the family whose son is studying at
university
• Se usa detrás de las preposiciones
• SÍ se suele omitir y pasar la preposicion detrás
Whom del verbo
• Those are the boys to whom she spoke in the
park
• Those are the boys she spoke to in the park

7.  Aportan información tan esencial sobre su
antecedente que sin ellas la frase quedaría
incompleta:
 The man who came into the classroom is the new
English teacher
 Aunque se considera más informal, en este tipo
de oraciones frecuentemente se usa that...
 ...en lugar de which para hablar de cosas
 The cat which / that was following us is there
 ...en lugar de who para hablar de personas
 She is the girl who / that I was telling you about
 ...en lugar de when para hablar de tiempo
 I’ll never forget the day when / that I saw you for the
first time

8.  Who, which y that pueden funcionar...
 Como sujeto de la oración de relativo:
 Mary is the girl who works in the office (The girl works in the office)
 Como complemento de la oración de relativo:
 Mary is the girl who we met yesterday (We met the girl yesterday)
 Cuando el pronombre relativo funciona como
complemento de la oración de relativo, se suele omitir.
Aunque whose nunca se omite y where sólo en algunas
ocasiones.
 Mary is the girl (who) we met yesterday
 Si en una oración de relativo cualquier preposición precede
al pronombre relativo, ésta suele colocarse al final de la
oración de relativo, al mismo tiempo que suele omitirse
el relativo:
 The girl with who/whom I go out is American
 The girl (who/whom) I go out with is American

9.  Añaden información adicional sobre el antecedente
 Van siempre entre comas.
 Mary, who lives in Benidorm, is from Argentina
 Pronombres relativos que se utilizan:
 Who
 Which
 When
 Where
 Whose
 El pronombre relativo NO se puede omitir NUNCA,
aunque funcione como complemento de la oración.
  Mary, who lives in Benidorm, is from Argentina 
 En ellas no se puede usar that en sustitución de who,
which o when.
 My first car, which / that I bought in 1983, was a Renault

10. 1. She showed me a photograph of her son. Her son is a policeman.
She showed me a photograph of her son, who is a policeman.
2. We decided not to swim in the sea. The sea looked rather dirty.
We decided not to swim in the sea, which looked rather dirty.
3. We spent a pleasant day by the lake. We had a picnic by the lake.
We spent a pleasant day by the lake, where we had a picnic.
4. The new stadium will be opened next month. The stadium holds
90.000 people.
The new stadium, which holds 90.000 people, will be opened
next month.
5. I recently went back to the town. I was born there.
I recently went back to the town where I was born.

11. 6. The bed was soft. I slept in it.
The bed I slept in was soft.
7. I didn't get the job. I applied for it.
I didn't get the job I applied for.
8. The man has been married twice before. I met him yesterday.
The man (who/that) I met yesterday has been married twice
before.
9. The museum was shut when we got there. We wanted to visit it.
The museum (which/that) we wanted to visit was shut when we
got there.
10. The man has now been released. The police arrested him.
The man (who/that) the police arrested has now been released.

12. 11. John is one of my closest friends. I have known John for eight years.
John, who I have known John for eight years, is one of my closest
friends.
12. That man over there is an artist. I don't remember his name.
That man over there, whose name I don't remember, is an artist.
13. The storm caused a lot of damage. Nobody had been expecting the
storm.
The storm, which nobody had been expecting, caused a lot of
damage.
14. The postman was late this morning. The postman is nearly always on
time.
The postman, who is nearly always on time, was late this morning.
15. We often go to visit our friends in Bristol. Bristol is only 30 miles
away.
We often go to visit our friends in Bristol which is only 30 miles
away.

13. 16. Mr Edwards has gone into hospital for some tests. His health hasn't
been good recently.
Mr Edwards, whose health hasn't been good recently, has gone into
hospital for some tests.
17. Jack looks much nicer without his beard. His beard made him look
much older.
Jack looks much nicer without his beard, which made him look much
older.
18. I went to see the doctor. The doctor told me to rest for a few days.
I went to see the doctor, who told me to rest for a few days.
19. A waiter served us. He was very impolite.
The waiter who served us was very impolite.
20. The population of London is now falling. London was once the
largest city in the world.
The population of London, which was once the largest city in the
world, is now falling.

14. 21. I am looking after some children. They are terribly spoilt.
I am looking after some children, who are terribly spoilt.
22. Romeo and Juliet were two lovers. Their parents hated each
other.
Romeo and Juliet were two lovers whose parents hated each
other.
23. There wasn't any directory in the telephone box. I was phoning
from this box.
There wasn't any directory in the telephone box where I was
phoning from.
24. This is Mrs Jones. Her son won the championship last year.
This is Mrs Jones, whose son won the championship last year.
25. The man was sitting at the desk. I had come specially to see him.
The man (who) I had come specially to see was sitting at the
desk.

15. 26. His girlfriend turned out to be an enemy spy. He trusted her
absolutely.
His girlfriend, whom he trusted absolutely, turned out to be an
enemy spy.
27. The firm is sending me to New York. I work for this firm.
The firm (which) I work for is sending me to New York.
28. I was given my address by a man. I met this man on a train.
I was given my address by the man (who) I met on a train.
29. A man answered the phone. He said Tom was out.
The man who answered the phone said Tom was out.
30. The bar was so noisy that I couldn't hear the person at the other
end of the line. I was telephoning from this bar.
The bar (which) I was telephoning from was so noisy that I
couldn't hear the person at the other end of the line.