Grammar
Relative clauses (who, which, that)
We can use relative clauses to join two sentences or to give more information about something. We use relative clauses to describe people, things, time, places or reasons. Relative pronoun comes after the noun it describes.
Example:
The boy who/that won the prize was happy.
Those jeans which/that you want to buy are really expensive.
Relative pronouns and adverbs
Relative clauses can be identifying (ограничительные) or non-identifying (распространительные). Identifying clauses give essential information. The sentence will not be complete without them. In writing, we don’t use commas in defining relative clauses:
This is the new car that I bought yesterday. – Это новая машина, которую я купил вчера.
The ring which he bought for her is beautiful. – Кольцо, которое он купил для нее, прекрасно.
Not: The ring, which he bought for her is beautiful.
The book that you see on the table cost me twenty pounds. – Книга, которую ты видишь на столе, стоила мне двадцать фунтов.
Non-identifying clauses are more often used in written English than in spoken English. They give extra information and it is not necessary to understand the sense of the sentence. In writing, we use commas around non-defining relative clauses. We don’t use that to introduce a non-defining relative clause. Example:
The school, where I studied, is in the centre of the city. – Школа, где я учился, в центре города.
The textbooks, which the students like, have lots of helpful examples. – В учебниках, которые нравятся студентам, очень много полезных примеров.
John, who plays football, is always busy at weekends. – Джон, который играет в футбол, очень занят на выходных.
Exercises
1. Join two sentences using a relative pronoun. Example: I wrote to the friend. He had a birthday last week. – I wrote to the friend who / that had a birthday last week.
1. I bought a house. It was nice.
2. Alice has got a friend. He dances well.
3. He received the letter. He was waiting for it.
4. Max has become an actor. You met him last year.
5. I was happy to get a letter from my friend. He has been travelling around the world.
6. This dress costs a lot of money. It has a handmade embroidery.
7. I forgot to print the article. I wrote it yesterday.
8. The boy was sad. His bike was broken.
2. Combine the sentences using a relative clause. Use relatvie pronouns only where necessary. Note that you have to use commas in some of the sentences.
A holiday in Scotland
1. We spent our holiday in Scotland last year. Scotland is in the north of Great Britain.
Last year we spent our holidays in Scotland, which is in the north of Great Britain.
2. People live in Scotland. They are called Scots.
The people 
3. We first went to Edinburgh. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland.
We first
4. Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh. He wrote the Sherlock Holmes stories.
Arthur Conan Doyle
5. Then we visited a lake. It is in the Highlands.
The lake
6. Loch Ness is 37 km long. People know it for its friendly monster.
Loch Ness
7. There we met an old man. He told us that he had seen Nessie.
An old man
8. We then travelled to a mountain. The mountain is near the town of Fort William.
We then
9. The mountain is the highest mountain in Great Britain. It is called Ben Nevis.
The mountain
10. I sent you a postcard. It was written on the summit of Ben Nevis.
The postcard
3. Translate the sentences into English:
1) Мужчине, который живет по соседству, 60 лет. 2) Мальчик, который потерял свой дневник, очень невнимательный. 3) Игрушки, которые лежат на столе, мои. 4) Книга, которую я читаю, очень интересная. 5) Я не знаю никого, чьи родители были бы учителями. 6) Мама выбрала продукты, которые были дешевле. 7) Те люди, которые мало спят, чаще подвержены перепадам настроения. 8) Спортсмены, которые много тренируются, побеждают на соревнованиях.
Reading
History of Kazakh Marriage Ceremony
a) Before all, according to Kazakh traditions, a man and a woman wishing to marry each other had to prove they weren’t relatives in seven generations. This rule is still observed today – not knowing your own background counts as ignorance.
At the beginning of the last century early marriages were a normal thing. Usually a bride’s age was 13-14 years and a groom was 14-15. The laws of the steppes did not allow open dating among the youth. In some cases, a girl wouldn’t know who her future husband is. Nowadays such marriages are not practiced.
Kazakh wedding process consists of an offer of marriage [ kuda tusu ], a wedding, a kudalyk [a gathering of relatives from both sides to know each other better] and post-wedding rituals.
Offer of marriage may take two stages. An official suit [kuda tusu] begins with the arrival of matchmakers to the girl’s home.
Usually a young man’s parents invite their most respected by age and social status relatives to be their envoys to a girl’s parents. A delegation may consist of five to ten persons. Meantime, the young man stays at home. Adding humor and sayings to the dialogue, the senior envoy gradually leads to the true purpose of the visit. Then begins the important part – the bride-show for what guests need to pay – korimdik. A female relative of the young man puts golden earrings on the girl’s ears – uki. The two are engaged now.
After that, sides agree on kalym and conditions of wedding. Kalym, once known as a ransom for the bride paid to her parents, is now an old tradition. Now it is just the money the groom ’s parents pay to partly compensate what bride ’s side spent on new furniture, homeware, bedding items, carpets and other goods as a dowry.
The tradition of giving 47 heads of cattle [kalym mal] for a bride in the past, now has transformed into a custom of presenting a korzhun [traditional bag] with 47 various things inside. Korzhuns are usually beautified with coins, rings, bead necklaces and tapes.
The groom’s parents also give presents [kit] to the envoys. Here matchmaking is over.
b) Kazakh wedding lasts two days: at the bride’s home first [kyz uzatu], then she is taken to the home of her future husband where the festivities continue.
Wedding itself is rich with traditional solemnities.
The festivity begins with guests standing in a semi-circle row; the bride comes in and walks past the guests, by doing so, she farewells her father’s community. Then the groom and the best man join the bride. They receive blessing [bata] and the festivity begins.
After kyz uzatu the groom’s wedding starts. Traditionally, Kazakh girls wear red wedding outfit, today it is replaced with a European-style white dress.
On the night before the wedding the bride gathers all her female friends. Bridal shower last till the dusk.
A wedding cortege visits a mosque to register the marriage in accordance with Muslim rules, and then the couple drives to registry office.
When the two arrive at the groom’s home the bride veils her face and a meeting crowd showers her head with sweets. When inside, the newly married greet the fireplace [oshak] and then bow to the senior relatives and the guests.
A singer praises the bride to the tunes of dombra and does bet ashar – the ceremony of opening the bride’s face. Wedding ceremonies used to include toasts, horse races, wrestling and many other competitions, games and performances.
When the wedding is over, the bride, now the wife, is accompanied by her sisters-in-law to her new shelter.
After a while, the husband’s parents invite the wife’s parents. The invitees bring the dowry with them. The idea of dowry is that a young wife should come to her new house with her own property. It usually consists of dishes, bedding, carpets, and today - furniture and home appliances.
Following the wedding, usually after a long time, both sides conduct kudalyk: they gather relatives from both sides for better introduction to each other.
Traditional ritualism in the wedding process organically overlaps with new tendencies in modern wedding ceremonials.
1. Divide into two groups. Group 1 read text a) and Group 2 read text b). Upon completing reading two students from the two groups should join and summarize their parts.
2. Read the text and define the words in bold.
3. Make up 5 True/False sentences. In groups, read out loud the sentences and provide the appropriate answers.
4. What new information about the history of Kazakh marriage ceremony have you learned? Are there any statements you disagree with?
Speaking.
Debate:
Divide into two groups. Group 1 should state that they think couples must spend money on a grand wedding celebration. Group 2 should oppose providing objections that it is better to spend money on other more useful purposes such as traveling etc.
Listening:
Wacky Weddings
Before you start
1. Match the key words with the definitions (1-6)
KEYWORDS: Weddings
best man, bride, bridesmaid, groom, guests, priest, registrar
1. he is getting married
2. they are invited to the wedding
3. she is getting married
4. he helps the groom at the wedding
5. he/she performs the wedding ceremony
6. she helps the bride at the wedding