Relative Clauses
Which of the following cannot be used as a relative pronoun?
what / who / where / when
What
What is a gerund?
A verb in "-ing" form used as a noun.
Which young man magically falls in love with Helena first?
Lysander
How old is Mike in "The Destructors"?
Nine
In "Charge of the Light Brigade", which two sides fought in the battle the poem is based on?
The British vs. the Russians
Which relative pronoun cannot be preceded by a comma?
That
What do we call a verb in its most basic form?
Bare infinitive.
Give the two exact words Hermia name-calls Helena when she gets angry with Helena.
"painted maypole"
What causes Blackie to lose his position as leader of the gang at the start of the story?
T. comes up with the much more daring idea of destroying Mr. Thomas' house (compared to Blackie's suggestion of pinching free rides on the public buses).
In "War Photographer", how many pictures does the photographer develop, and how many end up printed in the newspaper?
Hundreds; only five or six.
What is the difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses in terms of their meanings?
Defining: Used to narrow down who or what the speaker is talking about
Non-defining: Used to give extra information about who or what the speaker is talking about
Fill in the blank with either a gerund or an infinitive.
She managed ___ (submit) her essay three seconds before the deadline.
to submit
What is a special feature in Act 5 that concerns the staging of the A Midsummer Night's Dream play?
It uses the play-within-a-play device.
"There was no sign of anybody anywhere. The loo stood like a tomb in a neglected graveyard."
What happens after this description, and what atmosphere is created here?
The boys start to destroy Mr. Thomas' house. An eerie / gloomy atmosphere is created (to create suspense).
"Cannon to right of them / Cannon to left of them / Cannon in front of them"
What does the use of repetition here emphasise?
The word "cannon" is repeated to emphasise the amount of gunfire the Light Brigade faced during their charge towards the enemy lines. (It demonstrates how fearless they were.)
Combine these two sentences into one with a relative clause:
The dress is in my wardrobe. I wore it to my graduation dinner.
The dress (which / that) I wore to my graduation dinner is in my wardrobe.
Fill in the blank with a gerund or an infinitive.
They wanted to do something adventurous at night, so we suggested ___ (fish) for squid in Sai Kung.
fishing
Give two examples of how the mechanicals' performance of "Pyramus and Thisbe" is comical.
Any two out of the following:
Each character announces his identity even though this is already obvious from the costuming. OR
There are many examples of malapropism in the mechanicals' lines. OR
Quince tells the whole story at the start, which spoils it for the audience. OR
There is physical comedy, such as Bottom hitting the wall or Flute and Bottom kissing on stage. OR
Flute is a young man playing a woman; this kind of cross-dressing generates humour.
He [the driver] said, "I'm sorry. I can't help it, Mr. Thomas. There's nothing personal, but you got to admit it's funny."
Which line from here is repeated elsewhere in the story, and what does it reflect of the world of the characters?
"There's nothing personal."
Because "nothing" is ever "personal", people are very indifferent and apathetic towards one another.
In "War Photographer", what person is the photographer compared to in his dark room? What atmosphere is created through this comparison?
The war photographer is compared to a priest (like he is about to lead a funeral service for the victims of war). It creates a reverent / sorrowful / sombre atmosphere.
Combine these two sentences into one with a relative clause:
Machu Picchu is located in Peru. It is the remains of a city that dates back to the 15th century.
Machu Picchu, which is the remains of a city that dates back to the 15th century, is located in Peru.
Complete this sentence with three words or more:
I enjoy ____
Anything as long as "enjoy" is followed by a gerund and adverbial clauses are grammatically accurate.
E.g. I enjoy watching flour fall through a sieve.
Theseus says, "The best in kind are but shadows..."
Which group of people is he commenting on, and what theme about the play does he explore through this comment?
He is commenting on the mechanicals (enacting the story of Pyramus and Thisbe).
Because "shadows" are insubstantial, they are like how characters in a story are fabricated, and are therefore an illusion.
"T. stood with his back to the rubble like a boxer knocked groggy against the ropes. He had no words as his dreams shook and slid."
What causes T. to feel this way? What two sides to T.'s character do we see in the story?
T. is in shock because the prospect of successfully destroying Mr. Thomas' house seems hopeless (as Mr. Thomas is coming back).
T. acts tough and gives the other boys the sense he is a dangerous character, but we see his vulnerability here.
"Stormed at with shot and shell"
Apart from alliteration, what other literary device is used here, and how does it create sound imagery?
Sibilance is used here. The repeated "sh-" sounds can be interpreted as imitating the powdery sound of the battle ground when an explosion has occurred.