Vind Engels Leerkrachten
Lucy Holanda
Hey everyone!
I'm studying Relative Clauses and I have a doubt about the position of the relative pronouns.
-"The police officer who gave me directions was friendly." (this is the key answer of the book)
But, is it correct to say "The police officer who was friendly gave me directions." ? If not, why?
Thanks in advance!
19 aug. 2024 13:05
Antwoorden · 3
2
Yes, both sentences are correct but they emphasize different things:
"The police officer who gave me directions was friendly."
Focus: The key information is that the officer gave directions, and a secondary detail is that they were friendly.
"The police officer who was friendly gave me directions."
Focus: The key information is that the officer was friendly, and a secondary detail is that they gave directions.
Summary:
Both are grammatically correct; it just depends on what you want to emphasize.
19 augustus 2024
Sentence #1: "The police officer, who gave me directions, was friendly."
main clause: "The police officer was friendly."
subordinate phrase describing the police officer: "who gave me directions"
(Which police officer was it? The one who gave me directions)
Sentence #2: "The police officer, who was friendly, gave me directions."
main clause: "The police officer gave me directions"
subordinate phrase identifying the police officer: "who was friendly".
(Which police officer was it? The one who was friendly)
In each case, the main clause is what matters most. The subordinate clauses give secondary information about the police officer. My conclusion is the opposite of the one reached in the previous comment.
Commas to isolate the secondary phrase are helpful but not necessary.
19 augustus 2024
Heb je je antwoorden nog steeds niet gevonden?
Schrijf je vragen op en laat de moedertaalsprekers je helpen!
Lucy Holanda
Taalvaardigheden
Engels, Portugees
Taal die wordt geleerd
Engels
Artikelen die je misschien ook leuk vindt

Speak More Fluently with This Simple Technique
25 likes · 4 Opmerkingen

How to Read and Understand a Business Contract in English
20 likes · 3 Opmerkingen

6 Ways italki Can Help You Succeed in Your School Language Classes
16 likes · 9 Opmerkingen
Meer artikelen