E8 G - Defining relative clauses use securely
aiMOOCE8 G - Defining relative clauses use securely
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E8 G - Defining relative clauses use securely
Mini-Beschreibung: Use who, which and that to give the information that a listener needs about a person, thing or place. Klasse 8, G-Niveau, Englisch als erste Fremdsprache, Baden-Württemberg.
English first. Work with short, connected ideas. Try in English before you use German help. You do not need perfect pronunciation. You need clear meaning.
Media start: Look, notice, describe
Look at the photo. Do not guess names or private facts. Describe only what you can see.
Context: You want to tell a partner exactly which person, thing or place you mean.
Try:
- Say one sentence about a person: a student who ...
- Say one sentence about a thing: a book which ...
- Say one sentence about a place: a classroom that ...
Ask: Which noun are you describing: a person, a thing or a place?
Hint: Put the describing part directly after the noun.
German help if needed: who passt sicher zu Personen; which zu Dingen; that kann in defining relative clauses oft Personen oder Dinge beschreiben. Ein Ort kann als Ding-Begriff beschrieben werden: a park that has a skate area.
Watch only the first part at first. Listen for who, which and that. Do not open subtitles on your first try.
I-can goals
- I can identify the noun that needs a description.
- I can use who for a person.
- I can use which for a thing or place noun.
- I can use that in a defining relative clause.
- I can join two short ideas into one clear sentence.
- I can check a sentence and fix a common relative-clause mistake.
- I can speak and write a few connected sentences with a reason.
What you already know
You already know simple sentences with a subject and a verb.
This student helps at the club.
The bike is next to the wall.
The library opens at eight.
Now you add a needed description:
This is the student who helps at the club.
I use the bike that is next to the wall.
We meet at the library which opens at eight.
The bold part tells your listener which one you mean.
Support ladder
- Context: Read, look or listen first.
- Try: Make your own short answer in English.
- Ask: Ask a partner or teacher what is unclear.
- Hint: Use one frame: person who ..., thing which ..., person or thing that ....
- German help if needed: defining bedeutet hier: Die Information ist nötig, damit klar ist, welche Person oder Sache gemeint ist.
Functional grammar: say exactly which one
A defining relative clause gives information that is needed to identify a person or thing. It comes directly after the noun.
| You describe | Secure choice | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a person | who | The student who helps me is Sam. |
| a thing | which | I need the bag which has a green zip. |
| a person or thing | that | The club that meets on Friday is free. |
| a place as a thing noun | which / that | The park that has a skate area is near school. |
For this course, keep the relative word. Do not practise dropping it yet.
Important: In a defining relative clause, we normally do not put commas around the needed information.
Safe G-level rule: Choose who for people first. Choose which for things first. Use that when you are sure the clause is defining. English also has where for place relations, but it is not the focus here.
Visual grammar check
Do not learn every term in the image. Find only two parts: the noun and the clause that describes the noun.
Try: Point to the noun in one example and say: This is the noun that gets more information.
Context vocabulary
| English | Short help |
|---|---|
| person | a human being |
| thing | an object or idea |
| place | a location |
| describe | say what someone or something is like |
| necessary | needed |
| youth centre | Jugendzentrum |
| volunteer | freiwillige Helferin / freiwilliger Helfer |
| stage | Bühne |
| zip | Reißverschluss |
Use German help only when the English explanation is not enough.
Pronunciation for clear meaning
Say the three words slowly, then in a short phrase.
| Word | Sound help | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| who | /huː/ | a person who helps |
| which | /wɪtʃ/ | a bag which is blue |
| that | /ðæt/ | a place that is open |
Focus on being understood, not on sounding native. For that, put the tongue lightly between the teeth for /ð/. If that is hard, slow down and keep the word clear.
Listening and viewing
First listening: Watch from the start to about 1:40 without subtitles.
- What is the speaker trying to describe: people, things or places?
- Which relative word do you hear for people?
- Which words do you hear for things?
Second listening: Watch the same part again. Now pause after an example and repeat it.
Third step if needed: Turn on English subtitles. Use them only after you have tried to listen.
Direct check: If you can hear the noun and the relative word, you already have the key information.
Optional viewing: more practice
Use this longer BBC lesson only after the short lesson. Stop after one example you understand. Write one pattern, not a full transcript.
Reading: A youth centre
Rina and Ben are fictional students.
Rina is a student who helps at a youth centre. She likes the room that has a small stage. Ben chooses the corner which has two computers. The centre was opened last year. Before it opened, the team had collected ideas from young people. Rina says that the music room is her favourite place.
Your job:
- Underline the person that gets a description.
- Circle the two place or thing nouns that get a description.
- Find who, which and that.
- Say why each relative clause is useful.
Receptive note: You only need to understand was opened and had collected here. You do not need to build these forms in this course. In Rina says that the music room is her favourite place, reported speech is used without backshift.
Media practice: things and places
Try: Complete: This is a bag that ... Then make a second sentence with which.
Try: Choose one: The bike which is ... or The bike that is .... Add one visible detail.
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Try: Describe the place without guessing facts about people. Use: This is a market that ...
Transfer: Make two connected statements: I would use a library that ... because ...
Speaking
Work with a partner. Use fictional people and ordinary objects.
Task: Guess the noun. One person gives a description. The other guesses.
It is a person who helps students.
It is a thing that carries books.
It is a place which has many books.
Then add a reason:
I like places that are quiet because I can focus.
Recording: A recording is optional. Keep it private unless your teacher has set a safe school system and you choose to share it. No upload is required.
Writing
Write a short email of about 70–90 words about a fictional school club or youth centre. Use at least three defining relative clauses.
Use only these three starters if you need them:
There is a person who ...
We use a room that ...
I like the activity which ... because ...
Then continue with your own sentences. Connect ideas with and, but, because.
Self-check: Do not force passive forms or past perfect into your text. They are receptive at this level.
Mediation
Read this short German notice:
Unser fiktives Jugendhaus sucht Jugendliche für ein Medienprojekt. Gesucht werden Personen, die gern Fotos machen. Es gibt einen Raum mit Computern und einen Treffpunkt mit kleiner Bühne.
Tell an English-speaking visitor the important points. Do not translate every word. Use two relative clauses, for example a person who ... and a room that ...
Direct feedback and error analysis
| If you see this | Check | Better |
|---|---|---|
| a person + which | Is the noun a person? | Use who first. |
| a thing + who | Is the noun a thing? | Use which or that. |
| the boy who he plays | Is there a double subject? | the boy who plays |
| the bag, that has a zip | Is the information needed to identify the bag? | the bag that has a zip |
Feedback code: P = person choice, T = thing choice, D = double subject, C = comma. Fix only the marked point first. Then read the whole sentence again.
Safe and useful AI use
AI is not needed for this course. If your school allows an AI tool, use it only to check a sentence you already wrote.
- Do not enter private names, accounts, photos or social-media data.
- Do not ask an external AI to replace your own text.
- Check every suggestion: Does it still say what you mean? Is who / which / that used for the right noun?
- Ask a teacher or use a trusted grammar source when an AI answer looks strange.
- Never upload a recording or image just because a tool asks for it.
Can-do check
| I can ... | Yes | Almost | Not yet |
|---|---|---|---|
| choose who for a person | □ | □ | □ |
| choose which for a thing | □ | □ | □ |
| use that in a defining clause | □ | □ | □ |
| describe a place with a clause such as a park that has ... | □ | □ | □ |
| join ideas and give a reason | □ | □ | □ |
| find and fix one common error | □ | □ | □ |
If you have three or more Almost / Not yet, repeat the media practice and the short BBC video. If most answers are Yes, continue with E8 G - Relative clauses in short texts.
Interaktive Aufgaben
Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen
What does a defining relative clause do? (It gives necessary information about a noun) (!It changes every verb into the past) (!It always gives unimportant extra information) (!It replaces every noun)
Which word is the secure first choice for a person? (who) (!which) (!because) (!when)
Which word is the secure first choice for a thing? (which) (!who) (!because) (!if)
Which word can often describe a person or thing in a defining relative clause? (that) (!there) (!then) (!than)
Which sentence is correct? (The student who helps me is here) (!The student which helps me is here) (!The student who he helps me is here) (!The student because helps me is here)
Which sentence correctly describes a place as a thing noun? (The park that has a skate area is near school) (!The park who has a skate area is near school) (!The park because has a skate area is near school) (!The park he has a skate area is near school)
Which punctuation is normal for the needed information in a defining relative clause? (No comma around the needed clause) (!A comma before every relative word) (!Two commas around every clause) (!A colon before who)
Which correction is best for The boy who he sits here is my friend? (The boy who sits here is my friend) (!The boy which he sits here is my friend) (!The boy who he here is my friend) (!The boy because sits here is my friend)
Which sentence joins the ideas clearly: I need the bag. It has blue straps.? (I need the bag that has blue straps) (!I need who the bag has blue straps) (!I need the bag because blue straps) (!I need the bag who has blue straps)
Which sentence has a defining relative clause? (I like the room which has two computers) (!I like the room because it is useful) (!I liked the room yesterday) (!The room is useful)
Memory
| who | person |
| which | thing |
| that | flexible defining choice |
| defining clause | necessary information |
| antecedent | noun before the clause |
| no comma | needed description |
Drag and Drop
| Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu. | Thema |
|---|---|
| who | person |
| which | thing |
| that | person or thing in a defining clause |
| defining relative clause | needed description |
| relative word | starts the describing clause |
...
Kreuzworträtsel
| person | Who is used first for what kind of noun? |
| which | Which relative word is the secure first choice for a thing? |
| necessary | What kind of information does a defining relative clause give? |
| relative | What type of clause describes a noun here? |
| pronoun | What kind of word can who and which be called in school grammar? |
| describe | What do relative clauses help us do to a noun? |
LearningApps
Lückentext
Offene Aufgaben
Leicht
- Bildbeschreibung: Choose one Wikimedia image in this aiMOOC and write three short descriptions with who, which or that.
- Fehlerdetektiv: Write four wrong relative-clause sentences and correct them. Mark the exact error.
- Wortschatzkarten: Make six small cards with person, thing, place, describe, necessary and volunteer. Add one English example to each.
- Privates Sprechtraining: Say five relative-clause sentences aloud. A recording is optional and stays private.
Standard
- Fiktives Profil: Create a fictional student profile with four connected sentences and at least two defining relative clauses.
- Mini-E-Mail: Write 70–90 words about a fictional club. Use three relative clauses and one because-sentence.
- Medienvergleich: Compare the classroom and library images. Write four sentences that help a partner identify people, things or places.
- Mediation: Turn the German youth-centre notice into three clear English messages without translating word for word.
Schwer
- Informationsdesign: Create a one-page grammar help sheet with one rule, three examples and one common error. Keep it easy for G-level learners.
- Mini-Interview: Plan a fictional interview with a club helper. Write six questions and then a short report with two defining relative clauses.
- Fehleranalyse: Collect six anonymous or invented errors, sort them into person choice, thing choice, double subject and comma, then explain two corrections.
- Transfertext: Write an 100-word opinion text about a school place that should be improved. Use relative clauses naturally and give two reasons.
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Lernkontrolle
- Clear reference: You see three bags in a picture. Write one sentence that makes clear which bag you mean, then explain why your relative clause is necessary.
- Repair meaning: Correct The student which she helps at the club is Mia and explain both changes.
- Choose for purpose: Write one sentence with who and one with that about the same fictional person. Explain which version feels clearer for a beginner.
- Media transfer: Use the library image to write three connected statements, including one relative clause and one reason.
- Mediation transfer: A German friend says: Ich suche einen Ort, der nach der Schule offen ist. Give an English message that keeps the meaning but is not a word-for-word translation.
- Self-editing: Revise a short paragraph of your own. Highlight the noun each relative clause describes and check whether the clause is really needed.
Lernnachweis
For a successful learning record, show that you can identify the noun, choose who / which / that appropriately, build a clear defining relative clause, avoid a double subject, use punctuation securely, connect ideas, and correct an error with a reason. One short written text and one short speaking task are enough. Speaking recordings are optional and private.
Sources and media notes
- British Council LearnEnglish Teens: Relative clauses gives a learner-friendly explanation of relative clauses and defining information.
- BBC Learning English: Defining relative clauses is used for the short listening/viewing task.
- BBC Learning English: English Class – Defining relative clauses is optional extension viewing.
- The Wikimedia Commons images used above have free reuse licences on their file pages, including CC BY, CC BY-SA or other free terms. Check the linked file page for exact attribution details.
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