RELATIVE CLAUSES

5.1. Relative Clauses and Other Kinds of Relatives

By relative clauses we understand:
all the wh-complements mentioned in the previous section.
other kinds of relative clauses such as that relatives (those relative clauses introduced
by THAT)
(1)

This is a gift that you fully deserve.

(Acesta este un cadou pe care l merii pe deplin.)
participial relatives
(2)
The fellow wearing those odd clothes is Janes husband.
(Brbatul n haine ciudate este soul lui Jane.)
infinitival relatives
(3)
I need some tools with which to fix the car.
(Am nevoie de unelte cu care s repar maina.)
We will mainly focus on wh-complements leaving aside other kinds of relatives and
cleft sentences.
5.2. The Co-reference Condition - a discussion of attributive relatives
As we shall see, relative clauses can have more than one syntactical function. The best
known function, normally associated with relative clauses is that of Attribute. We shall first
discuss relative clauses functioning as attributes in order to establish the mechanism that
grants their existence.
These relative clauses represent a type of subordination that is based on the fact that
the main clause and the subordinate clause share a nominal constituent. Consider the
following:
(4)

I met a woman. John loves that woman.

By combining these two clauses, we obtain

(5)

I met a woman whom John loves.

(Am cunoscut o femeie pe care o iubete John.)

What has happened? The common element woman appears in the main clause only
and is resumed by the relative pronoun introducing the second clause. We presuppose that the
phrase the woman in the second clause under (4) has been transformed into a relative
constituent (it has been relativized) and moved at the beginning of the clause to link it to the
previous one. The place where the phrase the woman used to stand has remained empty, like a
gap:
(6)

I met a woman whom John loves _____.

Since the phrase a woman and the relative pronoun whom under (6) refer to the same
object, we can co-index them (that is we place the same index under each of them):
(7)

I met a womani whomi John loves _____.

But how do we mark the fact that the verb loves used to have a direct object right after
it that has been moved up front?
We place the same index under the letter t (that stands for trace):
(8)

I met a womani whomi John loves ti.

This way, we can clearly indicate that the co-reference condition that stipulated the
necessity of a shared nominal for the main clause and the relative attributive clause has been
observed.
The relative pronoun preserves its function of a direct object within the relative
subordinate. Let us supply an example where the relative pronoun functions as a prepositional
object:
(9)

I met a woman. John offered flowers to that woman.

The common element woman is present, so the co-reference condition (that the two
clauses should have co-referring elements) is observed. The resulting structure can have two
forms:
(10)

a. I met a womani whoi John had offered flowers to ti

b. I met a womani to whomi John had offered flowers ti

In point of terminology, we call the nominal that the relative clause refers to the
antecedent of the relative clause. The element that has been moved in front position and
transformed into a relative pronoun is called the relativized constituent.
The mechanism that allows for the appearance of relative attributive clauses is
movement: the movement of the relativized constituent in initial position, by leaving behind a
trace.
5.3. The Classification of Relative Clauses
According to the criterion of form, relative clauses are divided into:
dependent relative clauses (clauses that have an overt antecedent, i.e. whose main
clause contains a nominal that can be co-indexed with the introducing relative
pronoun)
(11)

This is the mani whomi I love.

(Acesta este brbatul pe care l iubesc.)

Under (11) the relative subordinate finds its antecedent in the main clause: the phrase
the man.
independent relative clauses or Free Relative Clauses (those clauses which lack an
overt antecedent, that do not have an expressed antecedent in the main clause)
(12)
(13)

Who breaks pays.

(Cine stric pltete.)
Whoever swims in sin shall swim sorrow.
(Cine pctuiete mult va suferi.)

Example (12) is an instance of a relative clause (introduced by a wh-element) whose

antecedent has been deleted, is no longer overtly expressed, unlike in the case of (14), where
we are looking at a more obsolete (i.e. far-fetched) form of the same sentence:

(14)

Hei whoi breaks pays.

(Cel care stric pltete.)

So, in a manner of speaking, we can assume that Independent or Free Relative Clauses
must have originated from dependent ones; only their antecedent is no longer expressed, it is
covert. Unlike their sisters, these relatives, cannot function as attributes, they currently fulfil
the function of subjects or objects, as follows:
Subject Free Relative Clause
(15)

Whoever touches pitch shall be defiled.

(Cine se atinge de smoala va fi ntinat.)

Direct Object
(16)

I would like to know what you need.

(A dori s tiu ce vrei.)

Indirect Object (the only clauses that can have this function in fact)
(17)

He gave whoever came to the door a winning smile.

(Oferea un zmbet cuceritor oricui venea la ua lui.)

Prepositional Object
(18)

You should vote for whichever candidate you think best.

(Trebuie s votezi cu candidatul pe care l consideri cel mai potrivit.)

Predicative
(19)

This was what she intended.

(Asta era ceea ce voise ea.)

Adverbial
(20)

Go wherever you want.

(Du-te unde pofteti.)

The second criterion that further classifies relative clauses has to do with meaning and
is restricted to dependent relatives only. They can be thus divided into:
defining or restrictive relative clauses (those dependent relative clauses that identify an
antecedent; they offer crucial information about this antecedent, they define it).
(21)

The man who came to woo me was a god.

(Cel care a venit s m peeasc era un zeu.)
(Only that particular man that was my suitor looked like a god)

non-defining or non-restrictive or appositive relative clauses (those dependent relative

clauses that do not offer crucial information about the antecedent. They only provide
supplementary information about it.)

(22)

Mercury, who is the god of commerce, is my favourite god.

(Mercur, care este zeul negoului, este zeul meu favorit.)
(Mercury, who incidentally is the god of commerce, is my favourite god)

The function of non-restrictive relative clauses is that of Appositive attributes. Their

meaning is also reinforced by orthography, and by the intonation the speaker uses in uttering
the whole sentence.
In conclusion, a diagram would sum up the types of relative clauses discussed:

Dependent
Relative clauses
Independent

Restrictive/defining
The man who came to see me is a genius.
Non-restrictive/non-defining
That man, who came to see me, is a genius.
Whoever came to see me was a genius.

5.4 Restrictions Imposed On The Relative Clause by the Determiner of the Antecedent
When the antecedent has no determiner, it can only be followed by a non-defining
relative clause (an apposition):
(23)

Freddie Mercury, who died a few years ago, composed The Bohemian Rhapsody.
(Freddie Mercury, care a murit acum civa ani, a compus The Bohemian Rhapsody.)

When combined with a restrictive relative clause, the proper name is recategorized into
a common name and receives its own determiner (the, a, etc.):
(24)
(25)

The Freddie Mercury I knew was a rock-star.

(Freddie Mercury pe care-l cunosteam eu era o vedeta rock.)
I know a Freddie Mercury who gives piano lessons.
(Cunosc un Freddie Mercury care d lecii de pian.)

First and second person pronouns do not normally take restrictive relative clauses.
They can be followed only by non-restrictive ones (appositions):
(26)

I, who am your son, can see your shortcomings only too well.
(Eu, care-i sunt fiu, i vd prea bine defectele.)

(27) Anybody else would have done something except myself, who am not a woman, but a
peevish, ill-tempered, dried-up old maid.
(Oricine ar fi acionat, numai eu nu, care nu sunt o femeie, ci o fat btrn
morocnoas, iritabil i uscat.)
(28)

They come to me, who neither work nor am anxious.

(Ei apeleaz la mine, care nici nu muncesc i nici nu sunt ngrijorat.)
Third person pronouns however do accept restrictive relative clauses:

(29)

He who laughs last laughs best (archaic).

(Cine rde la urm rde mai bine.)

5.5 Relative Clause Introducers
Relative clause introducers are usually placed at the beginning of the relative clause. In
literary English they may sometimes be found later in the sentence:
after a present participle
(30)

saying which he left the room

( care lucruri fiind spuse, prsi camera.)

after an infinitive
(31) The African queen issued forth upon the Lake to gain which they had run such dangers
and undergone such toils.
(Regina african se npusti spre lac s redobndeasc cele pentru care trecuser prin
attea pericole i avuseser parte de atta trud.)
As the object of a preposition and after than:
(32)
late.

He consulted his watch at 10-minute intervals, in spite of which the service finished
(Se uita la ceas din zece n zece minute, i cu toate acestea slujba s-a terminat trziu.)

(33)

He was a railway fanatic, than whom few more can be more crashing.
(Era un fanatic al mersului cu trenul, i puini oameni l ntreceau la asta.)

Sometimes the preposition can have partitive value:

(34) He was prone to an inevitable series of moods, each of which has evolved its own
system of harmony.
(Era nclinat spre stri schimbtoare, i fiecare din aceste stri i dobndise propriul
sistem de armonie.)
(35) The compositions of Cardan, some of the last notes of whose harp he heard, were now
in his possession.
(Compoziiile lui Cardan, ale cror ultime note de harp le auzise, erau acum n
posesia lui.)
Aside from these marginal examples, relative clause introducers retain their clause
initial position. We shall briefly have a look at the most important ones.
5.5.1. Relative Pronouns
Who [+human] with its case forms whom [+human] and whose [ human]:
(36)

a. The woman who came to see my painting was the Queen itself.
(Femeia care a venit s mi vad tabloul era Regina nsi.)
b. The woman to whom you showed the painting was the Queen.
(Femeia creia i-ai artat tabloul era Regina.)
c. The woman whose painting I sold was very young.
(Femeia al crui tablou l-am vndut era foarte tnr.)

d. The painting whose buyer she was looked marvelous.

(Tabloul al crui cumprtor era arta minunat.)
Whose appears as the appropriate genitive form for both [+human] and [-human]
objects, as can be seen in (36d). The genitive form with which is still in use, too, but it is
typical of the formal, literary style:
(37)

a. The book whose cover I lost was very expensive.

(Cartea a crei coperta am pierdut-o era foarte scump.)
b. The book the cover of which I lost was very expensive.
(Cartea a crei copert am pierdut-o era foarte scump.)

(37b) is an example of relative clause introduced by a genitival pronoun where there is

a form of inversion imposed by the presence of the genitive form of which. There are
situations when inversion is not obligatory, but these ones are even more infrequent than those
illustrated under (37b):
(38) as if she were being gradually cornered by a cruelty of which he was the almost
unconscious agent.
(Iris Murdoch, An Accidental Man)
( de parc era ncet-ncet ncolit de o cruzime al crei agent aproape incontient
era el.)
Which [-human]
(39)

The story which he claimed to have told was too fantastic for my taste.
(Povestea pe care pretindea c a spus-o era prea fantastic pentru gustul meu.)
There are a few exceptions when which can acquire the feature [+human]:

When which has a partitive value:

(40)

Which of the two men is nicer?

(Care dintre ei este mai drgu?)
However in rhetorical question who is still preferred:

(41)

Who of us will stain his hands with murder?

(Cine dintre noi i va mnji minile cu o crim?)
with archaic value:

(42)

Our Father, which art in Heaven

(Tatl nostru carele eti n ceruri)
When a personal denotation refers not to an individual, but to a type or a function:

(43) a. Shaw is commonly regarded more as a funny man than as the revolutionary which at
bottom he is.
(Shaw este n general privit mai degrab ca un tip hazliu dect ca revoluionarul care
este n esen.)
b. Freud is the analyst which we must enjoy.

(Freud este psihanalistul pe care trebuie s-l citim)

c. He is not the man which he used to be.
(Nu mai este omul care era odat.)
When its genitive form is used to give a very formal tone to the passage (but this is
very infrequent):
(44) Livia had just been delivered of twin boys, of which, by the way, Sejanus seems to
have been the father.
(Livia tocmai nscuse doi biei gemeni, al cror tat se pare c era Sejanus.)
Both who and which are used for:
collective nouns
(45)

a. This was a tribe who moved from the Baltic Sea.

(Acesta era un trib care venise de la Marea Baltic.)
b. Asiatic tribes and American tribes which resemble each other.
( triburile asiatice i amerindiene care seamn ntre ele.)

states, animals, ships (that can be personified)

(46)

a. Italy, which entered the war in May 1915

(Italia care a intrat n rzboi n mai 1915)
b. France, whom it concerned most closely, did however take certain precautions
( Frana, pe care o privea direct, i-a luat totui nite precauii)

what can normally introduce only free relative clauses:

(47)

I didnt know what they wanted.

(Nu tiam ce vor.)

The rare occasions when what functions as an introducer of restrictive relative clauses, it is
archaic
(48)

It is rich what gets the peaches,

It is poor what gets the punches.
(Cei bogai primesc onoruri, cei sraci primesc ponoase.)

dialectal
(49)

a. the bloke what signs our books

(tipul care ne semneaz crile)
b. One cant expect foreigners to have the same ideas what we have.
(one cannot expect foreigners to have the same ideas that we have)
(Nu poi s te atepi ca strinii s aib ce idei avem noi.)

5.5.2 Relative Adverbs: when, where, while, why, how, etc.

When they introduce restrictive relative clauses, their antecedents are nouns expressing
places, time, reason, etc. and can be replaced by prepositional phrases with adverbial function:
(50)

a. Poland is the place where Christine was born.

(Polonia este locul n care s-a nscut Christine.)
b. Poland is the place in which Christine was born.
(Polonia este locul n care s-a nscut Christine.)

(51)

a. Ten oclock is the time when they have lunch.

(Ora zece este momentul cnd ei iau prnzul.)
b. Ten oclock is the time at which they have lunch.
(Ora zece este momentul cnd ei iau prnzul.)

When they introduce free relative clauses, no antecedents are required:

(52)

a. He went where he had been before.

(S-a dus unde mai fusese.)
b.They left when they decided it was proper to.
(Au plecat cnd s-a hotrt c este potrivit.)

There are cases when these adverbs can appear in their older forms (in archaic passages):
(53)

a. The place whither he goes is unknown.

(Locul ctre care merge este necunoscut.)
b. They returned to the land whence they had come.
(S-au ntors n ara din care veniser.)
c. A system where by a new discovery will arise.
(Un sistem prin care va aprea o nou descoperire)
d. A dark forrest wherein dangers lurk.
(O pdure ntunecat n care ne pndesc primejdiile.)
e. This is the place wherefrom they came.
(Acesta este locul din care au venit.)

5.5.3. Relative THAT

Relative THAT normally appears as the introducer of restrictive relative clauses:
(54)

This is the book that pleased her most.

(Aceasta este cartea care o ncnt cel mai mult.)

It is invariable, never preceded by prepositions and requires an antecedent with the

exception of archaic idiomatic contents:
(55)

Handsome is that handsome does.

(Only the person that behaves in a handsome way can be considered handsome).

Moreover, the relative introducer THAT unlike its pair that introduces complement
that-clauses can have almost any syntactic function within the relative clause:
Subject
(56)

Did you see the letter [that came today?]

(Ai vzut scrisoarea care a sosit azi?)

Direct Object
(57)

Did you get the books [that I sent you?]

(Ai primit crile pe care i le-am trimis?)

Prepositional Object
(58)

That is the man [that I was talking about.]

(Acesta este cel despre care vorbeam.)

Predicative
(59)

He is not the man [that he was.]

(Nu este omul care era odinioar.)

Adverbial
(60)

Tuesday was the day [that he left.]

(Ziua n care a plecat a fost o mari.)

When do we prefer to use THAT instead of WHICH/WHO?

When the antecedent is a compound nominal that refers to a human and a thing:
(61)

The children were the parcels that filled the car.

(Copiii erau pachetele ce umpleau maina.)

With a superlative antecedent

(62)

She is the prettiest girl that I have ever seen.

(Este fata cea mai frumoas pe care am vzut-o vreodat.)

With an antecedent preceded by determiners such as: all, every, any, not any, much, little:
(63)

That ugly little house was all the home that I have ever had.
(Csua aceea urt era singurul cmin pe care l-am avut vreodat.)
When the rule of euphony must be observed

(64)

a. Who that knew her would help loving her?

(Cine dintre cei care o cunoteau se puteau mpiedica s o iubeasc?)
b.* Who who knew her could help loving her?

5.5.4. Other relative introducers

There are of course other relative clauses introducers, but they are used very
infrequently: as, but
in standard language
(65)

a. Honest man as he was, it went against the grain with him to step into his shoes.

(Cinstit cum era, era contrar naturii sale s l urmeze.)

b. Ill get you such things as you may want.
(O s i dau acele lucruri pe care le doreti.)
c. This is the same one that/as you had before.
(Este la fel cu cel pe care l-ai avut.)
in dialect
(66)

a. Uncle George, him as was in China

(Uncle George, who had been in China )
(Unchiul George, care fusese n China)
b. Theres not many asll say that.
(There arent many who will say that)
(Nu-s muli care s spuie asta)

archaic use
(67) a. There is no man but feels pity for starving children. (There isnt a man who doesnt
feel pity )
(Nu e om care s nu simt mil fa de copiii care mor de foame)
b. There is no one of us but wishes to help you.
(Nu este nimeni dintre noi care s nu vrea s te ajute.)
c. I never had a slice of bread
Particularly long and wide
But feel upon the sandy floor,
And always on the buttered side.
(Niciodat nu s-a ntmplat, cnd am avut o bucat de pine mricic, s nu mi cad
pe podeaua murdar, i ntotdeauna pe partea uns cu unt.)
Sometimes in colloquial or dialectal English, the relative clause introducer is omitted:
(68)

a. Its the dry weather does it.

(Its the dry weather that is to blame.)
b. It was me made her think that was the best thing to do.
(It was me who made her think)
This phenomenon is usually met with cleft relative clauses such as those under (68).

This remark brings us to another important question to ask: When can we delete
relative clause introducers? The answer to this question is rather straight: relative introducers
can be deleted whenever THAT can be used as an alternative to the respective relative
introducer.
For instance in
(69)

The man whom John met lives in Boston.

(Omul pe care l-a ntlnit John locuiete n Boston)
The relative pronoun whom can indeed be replaced by that:

(70)

The man that John met lives in Boston.

(Omul pe care l-a ntlnit John locuiete n Boston)

This means that both whom and that can be deleted without the sentence losing its
grammaticality:
(71)

The man John met lives in Boston.

(Omul pe care l-a ntlnit John locuiete n Boston)

Note that deletion is impossible in

(72)

The man whom John spoke to is an idiot.

(Cel cu care vorbete John este un idiot.)

since a replacement of the relative phrase with that cannot be performed in view of the fact
that the relative introducer that cannot preceded by preposition (see subsection 5.5.3):
(73)

a. *The man to that John spoke is an idiot.

b.*The man John spoke to is an idiot.

When the preposition appears at the end of the clause, the replacement is allowed and deletion
is indeed an option:
(74)

a. The man who John spoke to is a genius.

(Cel cu care vorbete John este un geniu.)
b. The man that John spoke to is a genius.
(Cel cu care vorbete John este un geniu.)
c. The man John spoke to is a genius.
(Cel cu care vorbete John este un geniu.)

5.6. Pied Piping and Preposition Stranding

If you go back to our discussion in 5.2, regarding the mechanism that licenses the
formation of relative clauses, you will remember that a relative clause such as that in
(75)

She was the woman [who everybody listened to]

(Ea era cea care pe care o ascultau toi.)

appeared as a result of movement:

(76)

a. She was a woman. Everybody listened to that woman.

b. She was the womani whoi everybody listened to______.
c. She was the womani whoi everybody listened to ti.

The phenomenon by means of which the relativized prepositional phrase is moved in

clause initial position but leaves its preposition behind is called Preposition stranding: the
preposition has been stranded at the end of the sentence.
The opposite phenomenon, by means of which the whole phrase is moved up front
(preposition and all) bears the name of pied piping, where the wh-word is the pied piper that
drags after it another element:
(77)

She was the woman i to whomi everybody listened.

By extension, another case of pied piping is offered by the movement of the genitival phrase
at the beginning of the relative clause:

(78)

a. This is the book. I lost the cover of the book.

b. This is the booki whosei cover I lost ti.
(Aceasta este cartea a crei copert am pierdut-o.)

In this case the wh-word drags the constituent cover in clause initial position, acting
again as a genuine pied piper.
The difference between (77) and (78), apart from the distinct syntactical functions the
prepositional and the genitival phrase have, lies in the fact that in the case of (78) pied piping
is obligatory. We couldnt say something like:
(79)

* This is the book whose I lost cover.

5.7 Key Concepts

Relative Clauses can be dependent and in that case they need an antecedent in the main
clause, that is nominal phrase to which the relative clause introducer could send back. The
relative clause introducer is also called the relativized constituent and it corefers with the
antecedent in the main clause.
Dependent relative clause (so called because they are dependent on their antecedent)
can further be split into restrictive ones (that define and identify the antecedent) and nonrestrictive ones (that offer additional information about the antecedent and have an appositive
value). Both these types of relative clauses function as Attributes (appositive or not, as the
case is).
Independent relative clauses are also called Free Relative Clauses because their
antecedent is missing, has been deleted. They do not function as attributes, but as subjects or
objects (in fact fulfilling almost all syntactical functions, including that of Indirect Object
which only they can have).
The mechanism that lies at the basis of dependent (and independent) relative clauses is
movement, as can be seen in those particular sentences exhibiting preposition stranding or
pied piping.

Seminar 5 Relative Clauses

1. Combine the following sentences so as to get relative attributive clauses (some of the
sentences can be combined in two ways):
1. She came to London. I went to London, too. 2. John told his friend a story about the king.
The king was just passing by. 3. They met those students. None of the students agreed with
them. 4. I bought Jim a book. He liked that book. 5. I introduced him to Jim. He told Jim
everything about his plans. 6. Susan wants to meet Jane. She doesnt know anything about
Jane. 7. I had a book. I lost the books cover. 8. This is my husband. I am my husbands wife.
9. The students like their teacher. Any of the students would answer to questions. 10. The
students like their teacher. All of them would answer their teachers questions.
2. Write a sentence as similar as possible to the given one. Use the word in capitals
without changing it:
Whose is the car which is blocking the street?
This is the town in which Charles Dickens was buried.
It was silly of him to tell her the secret.
Hes the author who received the prize.
These are people about whom we cannot tell much.
That couple had their child abducted by terrorists.
It was such a pity that you couldnt join the party.
To whom are you writing this letter?
This is the guy that they first met in Monte Carlo.
These are the tulips that were awarded the big prize.
A lot of tourists went on a trip to Delphi; most of them were from England.

WHOM
WHERE
WHICH
WHO
WHO
WHOSE
WHICH
WHO
WHOM
TO
WHOM

3. Identify the relative clauses stating their type in the sentences below:
1. This is the village where I spent my youth. 2. Did he mention the time when the plane takes
off? 3. Did they tell you the reason why they all left? 4. Shakespeare, who is a genius, is a
great playwright. 5. The advantage of the supermarket is that you can buy what you want at a
place where you can park your car. 6. On the day on which this occurred I was away. 7. He
cannot have been more than twenty when we first met. 8. I have met him where I least
expected. 9 She, on whom nobody could depend, was the one we all welcomed and admired.
10. They are what their parents made them, however sad this may be.
4. Translate the following, paying attention to the restriction imposed by antecedent
determiners on relative clauses:
1. Acesta nu este Bucuretiul pe care-l tiu eu. 2. Dintre toate personajele prezente, prin ul a
ales-o pe Cenureasa, care era cea mai frumoas fat din sal. 3. Dintre toate persoanele de
fa a trebuit s m alegi pe mine s vorbesc, care nu tiu s leg nici dou cuvinte. 4. Cine nu
muncete nu izbndete. 5. Voi care v credei mari i tari, poftii n fa. 6. Cu toii doreau sl aud pe acel Luciano Pavarotti care ncntase mii de iubitori de oper. 7. Mie, creia nu-mi
plcea s las lucrurile neterminate, nu-mi convenea o astfel de situaie.
5. Analyse the syntactic function of the relative clause and of the relative pronoun that
introduces it:

1. She was a poor housewife, but a passionate knitter, the products of whose nimble fingers
were worn by Stollfus. 2. It is therefore not surprising that the theology upon which the
Reformation was founded should be due to a man whose sense of sin was abnormal. 3. He had
entertained hopes of being admitted to a sight of the young ladies, of whose beauty he had
heard so much. 4. He thought how like her her expression was then to what it had been the
moment when she looked round at the doctor. 5. He is also handsome, which a young man
ought likewise to be. 6. And that money, which will not be yours, until your mothers decease,
is all that you may ever be entitled to. 7. And yet, you should go to the place where the river
is, to where the rich and powerful are. 8. I cannot see him whenever he pleases. 9. It was
family pride and filial pride, for he is very proud of what his father was. 10. One evening of
each week was set aside for the reception of whosoever chose to visit him. 11. This law was
that which the senator thought of as his legislative masterpiece. 12. Only three were aware of
what was undoubtedly known there. 13. These people never want to talk about what you want
to talk about. 14. He flunked whatever students he disliked. 15. They listened to what he had
to say.
6. Comment upon the grammaticality of the following:
a) The man who(m)/*which/that/ we saw was nice. b) The book *who(m)/which/that/ I
read last night surprised me. c) The woman who/*whom/*which/that/* came to dinner was
very late. d) The book*whom/which/that/* deals with this problem is very good. e) The man
for whom/*who/*which/*that/* we are looking is not here. f) The man
who(m)/*which/that/ we are looking for is not here. g) The book for
*whom/which/*that/* we are looking is in my bag. h) The book *who(m)/which/that/ we
are looking for is in my bag.
7. Read the following and notice the literary effect caused by the phenomenon of
recursiveness (repeated embeddings of sentences that become relative clauses) in the
passage; try to translate the Romanian text using the same technique.
This is the horse that kicked the policeman, that I saw trying to clear away the crowd that had
collected to watch the fight that the short man had started.
(Iris Murdoch, The Accidental Man)
Guturaiul. Cumnatul meu avea, pe linie patern, un vr primar, al crui unchi pe linie
matern avea un socru, al crui bunic pe linie patern se-nsurase n a doua cstorie cu o
tnr btina, al crei frate ntlnise ntr-una din cltoriile sale o fat de care se
ndrgostise i cu care a avut un fiu, care s-a cstorit cu o farmacist curajoas, care nu era
altceva dect nepoata unui subofier de marin din marina britanic i al crui tat adoptiv
avea o matu care vorbea curgtor spaniol i care era, poate, una din nepoatele unui inginer,
mort de tnr, nepot la rndul lui al unui proprietar de vie din care se ob inea un vin modest,
dar care avea un vr de-al doilea, vajnic plutonier, al crui fiu se nsurase cu o tnr foarte
frumoas, divorat, al crei prim so era fiul unui patriot sincer, care s-a priceput s-i creasc
una din fete n dorina de a face avere i care a reuit s se mrite cu un vntor, care-l
cunoscuse pe Rothschild i al crui frate, dup ce-i schimbase de mai multe ori meseria, s-a
cstorit i a avut o fat, al crei strbunic, pirpiriu, purta nite ochelari pe care-i primise de la
un vr al lui, cumnatul unui portughez, fiu natural al unui morar, nu prea srac, al crui frate
de lapte luase de nevast pe fiica unui fost medic de ar, el nsui frate de lapte cu fiul unui
lptar, la rndul lui fiul natural al unui alt medic de ar, nsurat de trei ori la rnd, a crui a
treia soie
(Eugen Ionesco, Teatru)

8. Which of the following relative sentences can be reformulated by means of preposition

stranding?
1. The first question with which Ambrose had to deal was that of the statue of victory in
Rome. 2. The time at which he ate breakfast was inconvenient. 3. Thus they remained utterly
obsessed with themselves and each other, and some natural healing process of which Dorina
felt she ought to know. 4. In the interest of public decency, the safeguarding of which was
actually not his task, he requested that the public be excluded. 5. The problem of safe
transportation, no easy answers to which could be offered, has been troubling them forever. 6.
She was the very woman about whom I knew absolutely nothing. 7. This was the ice-pick
with which one had seen her stab her husband to death. 8. She had fully realized how much
her love for Austin cut her off from other people, as if she were being gradually cornered by a
relentlessness of which he was the almost unconscious agent. 9. For the intense anxious sense
of herself with which she was suddenly invested she was quite untrained. 10. Irene, for whom
he had sacrificed his nights and days, he rarely saw now.
9. Identify the cases of Pied Piping in the following sentences:
1. His fathers friends, whose interest he most sincerely shared, were now all gone. 2. This
story, the unravelling of which had cost her many minutes of her life, was now complete. 3.
She had lying in front of her a number of books and dictionaries most of which had been
shipped from remote countries. 4. The only relatives she would have liked to put up with were
her mothers sisters. 5. His friends, no matter which, knew nothing of what he had been
subjected to.
10. Optional Exercises. Translate the following making use of the knowledge acquired
about relative clauses:
De douzeci de ani, din sraca urbe provincial unde vegetau fr speran, capitala le
pruse un pisc inaccesibil, spre care aveau drept s nzuiasc numai cuteztorii cu glezna tare
i plmnii largi.
Toate sfreau. Rmnea un vis urt i lung de care i amintirea va fugi mine
cutremurat.
Cci pentru toi patru copiii, cu toat deosebirea de vrst i fire, capitala era
necunoscutul miraculos () unde fiecare va afla tot ce-i poftete inima i tot ce i-a urzit,
himeric, nchipuirea.
Nelu, al treilea frate n ordinea cronologic, nchipuia capitala ca un fabulos garaj de
unde nu lipsete nici o marc de automobil din cele mai rarisime i ca o vast aren sportiv,
unde n fiecare zi se dezlnuie competiia ntre dou echipe ().
Pentru alii, pentru dumneata bunoar, prect am neles din cele ce-mi vorbeai
adineauri, sunt vrednic de invidiat.
A venit la mine s-mi cear s-i numesc un ginere director. I-am numit ginerele cum a
vrut i unde a vrut, de altfel un biat bun! i nu tia cum s-mi mulumeasc.
Nu-i greu s-i dea seama ct m-am scandalizat i ce tmblu am fcut cnd vzui
cum te-au lsat toi s mucezeti ntr-o asemenea puturoenie de trg.
Vag i amintea c ntr-adevr () fusese chemat s dezlege o ntmplare tulbure i c
n spiritul su drept i-a sacrificat prietenul pentru adevr. Dar ce anume a fost i cum s-a
terminat povestea nu mai tia i nici n-ar fi crezut vreodat c exista cineva care s mai
pstreze o att de fidel amintire. Fostul camarad i apru cu totul altfel de cum l socotise
pn acum.
Eti proaspt sosit aici, nu-i dai poate nc pe deplin seama de cte intrigi i de cte
presiuni uzeaz politicianismul chiar n justiie.

Dac le convingea vreo nsuire ct de mic, speram c aveai s faci dumneata ceea ce
face un frate mai mare pentru unul mai mic. mi spuneam c nu se poate s nu bnuieti n ce
singurtate i dezndejde se afl un om tnr ntr-un ora unde totul i e dumnos!
Tot ce-ai citit dumneata nc nu nseamn nimic! S-i mai adaog i concluzia ultim,
care nu figureaz nici n dezbaterile procesului, nici n searbda mea versiune, la care vd c
tot tragi mereu cu ochii. () Ct golim cetile astea de cafea, i-o rezum la cteva cuvinte.
Ceea ce n-a fcut preedintele de tribunal din Frana, cnd l invitase pe Henri
Rochefort s ia n primire un sector electoral i s se aleag deputat, cu surle i cu tobe, a fcut
el.
(Cezar Petrescu Calea Victoriei slightly adapted)
De altfel chiar i idealuri de felul acesta m strduiesc s nu-mi mai fac pentru c am
observat c mi se ndeplinesc i nu pot alege acum care dintre ele merge n sensul vieii mele
adevrate i care nu, nc netiind care este adevrata mea via.
Voi ncerca s-mi explic de ce la nceput mi s-a prut c ai ochii verzi i de ce astzi,
pn mai adineauri, ochii ti au fost cenuii.
Avea acum un fel de vertij, din care cauz pe Dora, dei att de aproape, o vedea ca de
la o mare distan.
n spatele lor, pe strada Icoanei, tramvaiul venea cu duduit de avalan i bti de
clopote trase furios de o perdea roie i galben, de fier, ntre ele i strzile i casele din urmle, dinspre Maria Rosetti, din direcia creia apoi, de unde venea i Marta, aprur, izvornde
mereu ns tare ndeprtate, cu sclipiri abia vizibile, roiuri de fetie.
E foarte frumos ce-mi spui, zise ea cu ochii mari, pierdui ntr-o direcie vag.
Nici nu ndrznesc s m gndesc la bnuiala care m ncearca. Dar nu vezi? Mai nti
ideea c a rmas srac, apoi c trebuie s lichideze tot i s plece i acum c e bolnav cnd de
fapt cu toii tim c este sntos. Nu i se pare bizar la el care pn acum a fost un brbat att
de energic, optimist i cumpnit?
(Radu Petrescu Matei Iliescu)