E8 G - Contact clauses recognise
aiMOOCE8 G - Contact clauses recognise
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E8 G - Contact clauses recognise
Mini-Beschreibung: Erkenne rezeptiv einfache contact clauses, in denen das relative pronoun entfallen kann, und erschließe ihre Bedeutung aus dem Kontext. Zielgruppe: Englisch als erste Fremdsprache, Klasse 8, Baden-Württemberg, G-Niveau.
English first: Look at the speech bubbles. Imagine you hear:
- This is the game I told you about.
- That’s the friend I played with.
What do the bold parts tell you about the game and the friend? Try from context first. Ask for a hint only if you need one.
Einleitung
A contact clause is a short kind of defining relative clause. In sentences such as The game I bought is fun, the missing relative pronoun would be that or which. You can leave it out because it is the object inside the relative clause. You do not leave it out when the relative pronoun is the subject: The game that looks fun is new.
For this course, your main job is recognising and understanding, not forcing the form into your own speaking or writing.
I-can-Ziele
| I can ... | Check |
|---|---|
| recognise a simple contact clause in a familiar text. | ☐ |
| use the words around it to understand who or what is meant. | ☐ |
| tell when a missing relative pronoun is possible and when it is not. | ☐ |
| understand contact clauses in clear audio after one or two listens. | ☐ |
| explain the basic idea with a short example. | ☐ |
Vorwissen
You already know simple relative clauses with who, which or that.
Try: Which sentence gives information about a thing?
- The bike that is outside is mine.
- The bike that I use is old.
Hint: In the second sentence, there is already a subject after that: I. That is the pattern you need today.
Media start: watch and notice
First viewing: Watch the part about subject and object relative clauses. Do not stop for every word. Listen for who, which, that and for examples where the pronoun can disappear.
Second viewing: Pause after one example. Ask yourself: Who does the action? If another subject such as I, we, she, they is already there, the relative pronoun may be the object.
Functional grammar: the recognition trick
| Pattern | Example | What you notice |
|---|---|---|
| noun + relative pronoun + subject + verb | the film that we watched | we is the subject; that is the object and can often disappear. |
| noun + relative pronoun + verb | the film that starts at eight | that is the subject; it cannot simply disappear. |
So:
- the film that we watched → the film we watched
- the film that starts at eight → not the film starts at eight when you mean one noun phrase.
German help if needed: Wenn nach who/which/that schon ein eigenes Subjekt steht, kann das Relativpronomen in einem defining relative clause oft entfallen. Fehlt dieses eigene Subjekt, bleibt das Relativpronomen.
Listening and Viewing
Use the section around the explanation of omitting an object relative pronoun.
Listen 1: No transcript. Catch the main idea.
Listen 2: If captions are available, switch them on only now. Write down one noun and the subject that follows it.
Check: If you hear something like the person we met, the sequence we met tells you what kind of person is meant.
Reading: a short chat
Maya: Is that the project you told me about?
Jay: Yes. The photos we chose are from our town. The person who helped us works at the library.
Maya: I like the title you picked. Is this the website that shows the final version?
Jay: Yes. The page we need is at the top.
Try: Find the contact clauses. Look for a noun followed directly by a subject and a verb.
Hint 1: Start with the project ...
Hint 2: You can mentally add that after project, photos, title and page.
German help if needed: Du musst nicht jedes Wort übersetzen. Prüfe zuerst: Auf welches Nomen bezieht sich die folgende Wortgruppe?
Context vocabulary
Try the meaning from context first.
| Word | English clue | German help if needed |
|---|---|---|
| project | work you plan and create | Projekt |
| choose | decide which one you want | auswählen |
| title | the name of a text, film or project | Titel |
| page | one part of a website or book | Seite |
| tip | a small piece of useful advice | Tipp |
Pronunciation and listening chunks
Clarity is more important than accent. In a contact clause, the missing pronoun gives you no sound signal, so listen in meaning chunks:
- the song | I like
- the bag | we found
- the person | you called
Read each line once slowly, then once naturally. Keep the noun and the following clause connected in meaning.
Speaking: recognise, do not force
Work with a partner.
- Person A chooses one prompt: a film / a game / a place / a person.
- Person A describes it with either two simple sentences or a relative clause.
- Person B listens and says which noun the extra information belongs to.
- Optional: Person B notices whether a contact clause was used.
Example: It’s a game. We played it yesterday. or It’s the game we played yesterday.
You do not need to use contact clauses yourself to succeed here.
Writing: short message
Write a short message of about 60–80 words about a familiar topic such as a school project, a game, a film or a day out.
Use this small frame:
- I want to tell you about ...
- One thing I liked was ... because ...
- The person / place / thing ... was ...
- In the end, I think ... because ...
Then read your own text and check whether any noun is followed by extra information. A contact clause is optional.
Mediation: meaning first
A German classmate says: „Ich meine den Film, den wir gestern im Unterricht gesehen haben.“
Your English-speaking partner does not need a word-for-word translation. Pass on the meaning in simple English. You may say:
- I mean the film we watched in class yesterday.
Focus on the message, not on copying the German structure.
Direct feedback and error analysis
| Sentence | Feedback |
|---|---|
| The book I borrowed was funny. | Good: I is the subject of borrowed; the missing pronoun is the object. |
| The book won a prize was funny. | Check again: for the meaning the book that won a prize, that would be the subject of won, so it must stay. |
| The friend I called her was busy. | Check again: the object is doubled. In the contact clause, do not add her. |
| The friend who called me was busy. | Good: who is the subject, so it stays. |
Repair routine: Find the noun → find the verb in the extra clause → ask who does that verb → if another subject is already there, the missing pronoun may be the object.
Optional German help video
Try the English examples first. Use this only when the rule is still unclear.
Watch only the section on contact clauses. Then return to one English example and explain it in your own simple words.
Safety, privacy and AI use
Recordings are voluntary and can stay private on your device or in the classroom system. Do not upload recordings, names, profiles or other personal data without a clear instruction and permission.
If you use AI for a hint, check the grammar level, facts and feedback. AI may help you notice a pattern, but it should not replace your own text or your own decision.
Can-do check
| Statement | Yes | Not yet |
|---|---|---|
| I can spot the book I read as one noun group with extra information. | ☐ | ☐ |
| I know why that can disappear in the game that we played. | ☐ | ☐ |
| I know why who stays in the friend who helped me. | ☐ | ☐ |
| I can use context instead of translating every word. | ☐ | ☐ |
Next course: E8 G - Relative clauses in context
Interaktive Aufgaben
Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen
Which sentence contains a contact clause? (The game we played was fun.) (!The game that starts now is fun.) (!We played the game after school.) (!The game is fun because it is new.)
Why can that be left out in The book that I bought is new? (I is already the subject of bought.) (!Book is the subject of bought.) (!That is always optional.) (!New is the object of bought.)
Which sentence needs the relative pronoun because it is the subject? (The student who helped me was kind.) (!The student I met was kind.) (!The student we called was kind.) (!The student they know was kind.)
What does the contact clause tell you in The film we watched was funny? (Which film is meant.) (!When the film was made.) (!Who made the film.) (!Why all films are funny.)
Which sentence has the same basic meaning as The song that we chose is great? (The song we chose is great.) (!The song chose us is great.) (!We are the song that chose.) (!The song that chose is great.)
What should you look for after the noun to recognise a contact clause? (A subject and a verb.) (!Only an adjective.) (!Only a comma.) (!A second object pronoun.)
Which sentence is not a correct contact clause pattern? (The bike rides fast is mine.) (!The bike I use is mine.) (!The bike we found is mine.) (!The bike she likes is mine.)
In The person you called is here, who does the action called? (You.) (!The person.) (!Here.) (!Nobody.)
What is the best first strategy when you meet a contact clause in a text? (Use the noun and the context to build the meaning.) (!Translate every word before reading on.) (!Ignore the whole sentence.) (!Add a comma after every noun.)
Which statement matches the learning goal of this course? (I mainly need to recognise and understand contact clauses.) (!I must use contact clauses in every sentence I write.) (!I must learn long grammar definitions by heart.) (!I must speak with a perfect accent.)
Memory
| Contact clause | defining relative clause with an omitted object relative pronoun |
| Object | the person or thing affected by the action |
| Subject | the person or thing doing the action |
| Context | words and ideas around a phrase that help meaning |
| Defining | information that identifies which person or thing is meant |
| Relative pronoun | who which or that in the basic pattern |
Drag and Drop
| Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu. | Thema |
|---|---|
| The film we watched | contact clause |
| The film that starts now | subject relative pronoun stays |
| we | subject in the extra clause |
| the film | noun being described |
| watched | verb in the extra clause |
Kreuzworträtsel
| Object | Welche Funktion hat das ausgelassene relative pronoun in einer contact clause? |
| Subject | Wie heißt die Person oder Sache, die die Handlung ausführt? |
| Pronoun | Welches Wort kann bei einer contact clause entfallen? |
| Defining | Wie heißt ein Relativsatz, der bestimmt, welche Person oder Sache gemeint ist? |
| Context | Was hilft Dir, die Bedeutung ohne Vollübersetzung zu erschließen? |
| Clause | Wie heißt ein Satzteil mit eigenem Verb auf Englisch? |
LearningApps
Lückentext
Offene Aufgaben
Leicht
- Contact clause spotting: Find five short contact clauses in the course and underline the noun each one describes.
- Context detective: Choose three examples and explain in simple English what the extra clause tells you.
- Two-sentence match: Turn three contact-clause examples back into two simple ideas, for example the game we played → It is a game. We played it.
- Listening replay: Rewatch a short part of one embedded video and note one example you understand better on the second listen.
Standard
- Mini chat: Write a fictional four-line chat about a film, game or school project. You may use contact clauses, but you do not have to.
- Error clinic: Create three wrong and three correct example sentences, then explain the difference with the recognition trick.
- Pair listening: Read two examples to a partner. Your partner identifies the noun being described. Swap roles.
- Mediation note: Explain the meaning of two German noun phrases with relative information in simple English without translating word for word.
Schwer
- Reading hunt: Find a short age-appropriate English text approved by your teacher and collect up to five contact clauses. Explain the context of each one.
- Audio script: Write a 30–45 second fictional dialogue with familiar vocabulary. Mark any contact clauses for the reader; recording is optional and private.
- Grammar comparison: Compare the friend I called and the friend who called me. Explain how the doer of the action changes.
- Transfer task: Design a small class quiz that helps others recognise contact clauses without forcing them to produce the form.
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Lernkontrolle
- Meaning from context: Read a new short paragraph with two contact clauses and explain which noun each clause describes and how the context helped you.
- Subject or object: Compare two new relative-clause examples and justify why one pronoun can be omitted and the other cannot.
- Listening transfer: After hearing a short teacher-read dialogue twice, identify one noun group with extra information and paraphrase its meaning.
- Error analysis: Explain what is wrong in The person I called her was helpful and repair the meaning without using a long grammar definition.
- Mediation transfer: Pass on the main meaning of a German sentence with relative information in simple English; avoid word-for-word translation.
- Strategy reflection: Describe which strategy helps you most when a contact clause first looks confusing: context, finding the subject, replaying audio or asking for a hint. Give one reason.
Lernnachweis
Für einen Lernnachweis ist wichtig:
- Du erkennst einfache contact clauses in vertrauten Kontexten.
- Du ordnest die Zusatzinformation dem richtigen Nomen zu.
- Du unterscheidest rezeptiv zwischen einem ausgelassenen Objekt und einem nötigen Subjekt-Relativpronomen.
- Du erschließt die Bedeutung überwiegend aus Kontext, Satzbau und bekannten Wörtern.
- Du kannst Deine Strategie an einem Beispiel kurz erklären.
- Du musst contact clauses nicht produktiv erzwingen.
- Verständlichkeit zählt mehr als Akzentfreiheit.
OERs zum Thema
Weitere geprüfte Lernquellen:
- British Council LearnEnglish: Defining relative clauses
- Cambridge Dictionary: Defining and non-defining relative clauses
Mediennachweise
Die Wikimedia-Commons-Medien wurden an Lernstellen eingesetzt, nicht nur dekorativ:
- Speech bubbles.svg – Gesprächseinstieg, CC BY-SA.
- Headphones icon.svg – Listening, CC0.
- OOjs UI icon book-ltr-constructive.svg – Reading, Expat/MIT-Lizenz.
- Microphone icon.svg – Speaking/Pronunciation, CC0.
- Die eingebetteten YouTube-Videos werden über den öffentlichen YouTube-Player eingebunden. Sie dienen dem gezielten Hör-Seh-Verstehen und der Grammatikklärung.
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