Relative Pronouns

 - A relative pronoun is used to connect a clause or phrase to a noun or pronoun. 

Use of the relatives pronouns:

1-Who: It can only be used to refer to people.

Ex: The driver who ran the stop sign was careless.

Explanation: "who" refers to the driver, which is a person.

2- Whom: It is used to refer to an indirect object of the verb (who is frequently used in place of whom).

Ex: This is John, whom I met the last week.

Explanation: "whom" refers to John, which is the object.

3- Whose: It is used to indicate posession, both for people and things.

Ex: That is the kid whose parents got divorced last month.

Explanation: The parents who got divorced are the parents of that specific kid.

4- Which: It is used only to refer to things. 

Ex: The house which I lived ten years burned down yesterday.

Explanation: "which" refers to the house, a thing.

5- That:  It is used to refer to people or things (usually is used instead of which who, or whom).

Ex: This is the book that everyone is talking about is very good.

Explanation: "that" refers to the book, a thing.

Ex: My friend is that guy over there.

Explanation: "that refers to the friend, aperson.

My experience:

 This topic is very to understand and basic. However, it is important to use the correct relative pronoun according to the situation, especially in essays.

(click here to watch a video about relative pronouns)

Embedded Questions

 - An embedded question is a question that is included inside another question or statement.

- Usually they are use after an introductory paragraph, such as:

I wonder
Could you tell me
Do you know
Can you remember
Let's ask
We need to find out
I'd like to know

There are certain rules in order to use an embbededed question correctly.

1- In first place, if the embedded question is a part of a statement, it is necessary to use a period at the end not a question mark. Also, it is necessary to omit auxiliary verbs, such as do, does or did, and use the verb in the appropiate form.

Ex: 

Direct Question	What time did he leave?
Embedded Question	I wonder what time he left.

2- Secondly, If the embedded question includes the verb to be, it is necessary to reverse the position of the subject and the verb.

Ex: 

Direct Question	Can you help me?
Embedded Question	I wonder if you could help me.

Direct Question	Is he a doctor?
Embedded Question	Do you know if he is a doctor?

3- Thirdly, when there is no question word in the sentence, embedded questions should be introduce by whether, whether or not, or if.

Ex:

Direct Yes/No Question	Will he be there?
Embedded Question	Do you know if he will be there? Do you know whether or not he will be there? Do you know whether he will be there or not?

4- Finally, in embedded questions an infinitive can follow a question word.

Ex: 

Direct Question	What should I do?
Embedded Question	Please tell me what I should do.
Embedded Question with an Infinitive	Please tell me what to do.

My experience: 

I found this topic a bit complex, since there are different rules and structures to make an embbededed question correctly. However, with practice and analyzing the examples it is quite easy to understand.

(click here to watch a video about embedded questions)

Transitive and Intrasitive verbs

 Transitive verbs

Transitive verbs require an object to complete their meaning.

Ex: She likes pizza.

Explanation: The verb "like" is a transitive verb, so it needs an object after the verb. Otherwise, the sentence is incomplete, or  it may lose its meaning.

Other examples of transitive verbs: 

Intransitive verbs

Intransitive verbs cannot have or do not need have a direct object after them.

Ex: He arrived.

Explanation: In this case the verb arrive do not need and object after it to be a complete sentence, it expresses an action that is complete in itself.

Other examples of intransitive verbs: 

Transitive and Intransitive verbs

Some verbs can be transitive in one sentence and intransitive in another sentence.

Ex: I stopped the car. (transitive)

      The car stopped.  (intransitive)

Other examples of transitive and intrasitive verbs: 

My experience:

In my case, this topic was quite easy to understand. The context helps a lot to identify if it is a transitive or intransitive verbs. Also, there are a variety of lists on the internet to memorize them.

(click here to watch a video about Transitive and Intrasitive verbs)

Adjective, Adverb, and noun clauses

 

Independent clause: It is a sentence that can stand by itself.

Ex: Summer is very relaxing.

Dependent clause: It is a sentence that cannot stand by itself.

Ex: Since there is no school summer is very relaxing.

Types of clauses

1. Adjective clause: It is a subordinate clause that describes a noun or a pronoun.

Ex: Summer, which is my favorite season, is fun an enjoyable

2. Adverb clause: It is a subordinate clause that modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb.

Ex: The lake is very enjoyable, as long as the water isn’t freezing cold.

3. Noun clause: It is a subordinate clause used as a noun (it can be used as a subject, direct or indirect object, object of a preposition, or a predicate noun).

Ex: Whoever had a fun summer doesn’t like returning to school.

My own sentences:

Adjective clause:

1. Apple, which is my favorite fruit, is very healthy.

2. That man, who is very tall, is my father.

Adverb clause:

1. I played videogames until my hands heart.

2. I’m going to drink the tea, as long as it still hot.  

Noun clause:

1. Whoever pick that restaurant has a good taste.

2. Where I come from is very beautiful.