1. I am Australian (relative clauses)

Reflexión

Paco has learnt a lot about Australia. All the information provided in the guide books helps him get to know the place he is going to visit far better. As always, he has read where the name of the continent comes from on the plane to Sydney, which, by the way, is about to land.
 
In the passage Paco reads there are some relative clauses. Do you remember what relative clauses are used for?

Important

Taking that into account, relative clauses may refer to:

  • A noun to designate a person.
  • A noun to designate an object.
  • A noun to designate an animal.
  • An abstract noun.
  • A noun to designate a place.
  • A whole main clause.
And that means that the relative clause is always placed immediately after the noun or clause it refers to.
The main pronouns used to form relative clauses are who (persons) and which (objects, animals, abstract nouns, whole clauses). Of course, there is also that, used instead of who or which, but it has limitations in its use, which we will look at.

Solved exercise

In the passage in section 1 about the term Australia, there are several relative clauses.

Read it again and find at least two of them.

Listening activity

As soon as Paco enters the hotel in Sydney, he realizes Australians are really proud of being Australian. While he is signing in at the reception desk, he can hear some background music which makes the point.

 

 
 
 

Listen to the song, read the lyrics and identify a relative clause.

I Am Australian

I came from the dreamtime1 from the dusty red soil plains
I am the ancient heart, the keeper of the flame
I stood upon the rocky shore
I watched the tall ships2 come
For forty thousand years I'd been the first Australian.

I came upon the prison ship3 bowed down by iron chains.
I cured the land, endured the lash and waited for the rains.
I'm a settler.
I'm a farmer's wife on a dry and barren run
A convict then a free man I became Australian.

I'm the daughter of a digger4 who sought the mother lode
The girl became a woman on the long and dusty road
I'm a child of the depression
I saw the good times come
I'm a bushy, I'm a battler
I am Australian.

We are one, but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We share a dream and sing with one voice:
I am, you are, we are Australian

I'm a teller of stories
I'm a singer of songs
I am Albert Namatjira5
I paint the ghostly gums6
I am Clancy7 on his horse
I'm Ned Kelly8 on the run
I'm the one who waltzed Matilda9
I am Australian

I'm the hot wind from the desert
I'm the black soil of the plains
I'm the mountains and the valleys
I'm the drought and flooding rains
I am the rock, I am the sky
The rivers when they run
The spirit of this great land
I am Australian

We are one, but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We share a dream and sing with one voice:
I am, you are, we are Australian (x2)
I am, you are, we are Australian.

 

 

1. the dreamtime= to the Aborigines, it's the period of creation of the trees, rocks, rivers and animals, etc.

2. the tall ships= the ships that first came to Australia, to explore or to bring convicts

3.prison ship= in 1788, the first fleet brought convicted criminals to Botany Bay to establish a prison colony. After a period of years, they were set free. Most decided to stay on and many became rich.

4.a digger= a prospector for gold. Gold was discovered in 1851 leading to the arrival of hundreds of prospective diggers (excavadores).

5. Albert Namatjira is a famous Aborigine artist.

6. the ghostly gums= gum trees are eucalyptus trees, native to Australia. Their trunks are white so they look ghostly (fantasmal). Eucalyptus trees were imported to Spain by Father Rosendo Salvado in 1846.

7. Clancy = character in the poem Clancy of the Overflow by A.B. Banjo Patterson in 1890. Clancy was a sheep drover (= shepherd)

8. Ned Kelly = a famous bandit. He used armour to protect him from bullets but the police shot him in the legs and he was hanged.

9. waltzed Matilda= the song Waltzing Matilda is one of the most famous Australian songs, though it has no connection with dancing.

Self-assessment activity

Pregunta

Which of the following sentences include a relative clause?

Respuestas

The hotel which Paco went to was fantastic.

The hotel was a huge one. Who wouldn't want to stay there?

It was such a great hotel that Paco was surprised.

The receptionist who was at the desk was very polite.

Did Paco know which room he was in before he signed in?

Retroalimentación

Further knowledge

If you want to know more about Australia and Australian people, click here.

Let's go on looking at relative clauses in the  next section. They are really important for your English!