Modal Verbs

Los verbos modales son verbos auxiliares que no pueden funcionar como un verbo principal, a
diferencia de los verbos auxiliares "be", "do" y "have" que s pueden funcionar como un verbo
principal.

Los verbos modales expresan modalidad. Pueden expresar habilidad, posibilidad, necesidad u otra
condicin. Son verbos auxiliares del futuro y del condicional. Los tiempos verbales ingleses no son
suficientes para expresar ideas de posibilidad o incertidumbre. No existe un tiempo verbal del
condicional en ingls. A la vez, se usan verbos auxiliares para el condicional. Tampoco hay un
tiempo verbal como el subjuntivo en espaol. Por eso, es muy importante entender los usos de los
verbos modales.

Como verbos complementarios que son, los verbos modales no funcionan sin otro verbo. Este otro
verbo siempre va despus del verbo modal y est en la forma de base (el infinitivo sin "to"). No se
conjugan los verbos modales y no tienen tiempo.

Usos
Can
"Can" indica habilidad o posibilidad. En estos casos puede ser traducido como "poder" en espaol.
Ejemplos:
I can speak five languages. (Puedo hablar cinco idiomas.)
We can work late tonight if you need us. (Podemos trabajar hasta tarde esta noche si nos necesitas.)
Bill and Tom can't help you. (Bill y Tom no pueden ayudarte.)
The restaurant can be expensive if you drink a lot of wine. (El restaurante puede ser caro si bebes
mucho vino.)
It can be dangerous to drive if you are tired. (Conducir puede ser peligroso si ests cansado.)

En frases interrogativas, el uso de "can" puede solicitar permiso o preguntar sobre

posibilidades.
Ejemplos:
Can I have a glass of water? (Puedo tomar un vaso de agua?)
Can you help me? (Puedes ayudarme?)
Can they work late tonight? (Pueden trabajar hasta tarde esta noche?)

Could
"Could" es el pasado de "can"; indica posibilidad o habilidad en el pasado.
Ejemplos:
Joe could speak Spanish when he was young. (Joe poda hablar espaol cuando era joven.)
I couldn't sleep last night. (No pude dormir anoche.)
It could have been worse. (Podra haber sido peor.)
Could you play an instrument when you were a child? (Podas tocar un instrumento cuando eras
un nio?)

Tambin se puede usar "could" para posibilidades en el futuro.

Ejemplos:
You could pass the test if you studied. (Podras pasar el examen si estudiaras.)
I think it could rain later. (Creo que podra llover ms tarde.)

Como "can", en frases interrogativas "could" puede solicitar permiso o preguntar sobre las
posibilidades, pero es ms formal.

Ejemplos:
Could you pass the salt please? (Podra pasarme la sal por favor?)
Could you help me? (Podras ayudarme?)
Could I be wrong? (Podra estar equivocado?)
Nota: Se usa "could" en frases condicionales.

May
Como "could", se usa "may" para indicar posibilidades en el futuro.
Ejemplos:
I would bring an umbrella, it may rain later. (Llevara un paraguas, puede llover ms tarde.)
It may be better to finish this now, rather than wait until tomorrow. (Tal vez sea mejor terminar esto
ahora, en lugar de esperar hasta maana.)

Tambin se puede utilizar para dar permisos o instrucciones.

Ejemplos:
You may leave if you like. (Puede salir si quiere.)
You may use your cell phones now. (Podis usar sus telfonos ahora.)

En frases interrogativas, el uso de "may" es ms educado que "can" o "could".

Ejemplos:
May I have a glass of water? (Podra tomar un vaso de agua?)
May I leave now? (Podra salir ahora?)

Might
Se usa "might" para indicar posibilidades en el presente o el futuro. En estos casos, es un
sinnimo de "may".
Ejemplos:
I would bring an umbrella, it might rain later. (Yo llevara un paraguas, puede llover ms tarde.)
It might be better to finish this now, rather than wait until tomorrow. (Tal vez sea mejor terminar
esto ahora, en lugar de esperar hasta maana.)

Tambin se puede usar, al igual que "may", para pedir permisos o hacer peticiones corteses,
aunque este uso es mucho ms comn en el Reino Unido que en los Estados Unidos.

Will
Como hemos visto, se utiliza "will" para formar el tiempo futuro.

Tambin el uso de "will" significa voluntad o determinacin.

Ejemplos:
I will help you. (Te ayudar.)
We will learn English. (Aprenderemos ingls.)

Se utiliza "will" en frases interrogativas para pedir informacin, un favor o sobre opciones.
Ejemplos:
Will they find a cure for cancer? (Encontrarn una cura para el cncer?)
Will you help me move? (Me ayudas a mudarme?)
Will he go to Paris by car or train? (Ir a Pars en coche o en tren?)

Shall
Se usa "shall" como "will" para formar el tiempo futuro. El uso de "shall" es mucho ms comn en
el Reino Unido y en general es ms educado.
Ejemplos:
Chris shall be happy to see you. (Chris estar feliz de verte.)
I'll take the 3 o'clock train. (Tomar el tren a las 15h.)

Nota: Las formas cortas de "will" y "shall" son lo mismo. Entonces "I'll" en el ejemplo anterior
puede significar "I will" o "I shall".

Tambin se puede utilizar "shall" para ofertas y sugerencias o para preguntar sobre opciones o
preferencias.
Ejemplos:
Shall we meet at 10pm? (Quedamos a las 22h?)

Shall we go to the movies or a museum? (Vamos al cine o a un museo?)

Should
"Should" indica una obligacin o recomendacin. Refleja una opinin sobre lo que es correcto.
Se traduce como el condicional de "deber" en espaol.
Ejemplos:
I should call my parents more often. (Debera llamar a mis padres ms a menudo.)
You shouldn't work so hard. (No debera trabajar tan duro.)
They should practice more if they want to win the championship. (Deberan practicar ms si
quieren ganar el campeonato.)

Se utiliza "should" en frases interrogativas para preguntar si existe una obligacin o para pedir
una recomendacin.
Ejemplos:
Should we leave a tip? (Deberamos dejar una propina?)
Should I have the steak or the chicken? (Debera comer el bistec o el pollo?)
Where should they meet you? (Dnde deberan encontrarte?)

Ought to
"Ought to" es un sinnimo de "should".
Ejemplos:
She ought to quit smoking. (Debera dejar de fumar.)
I ought to call my parents more often. (Debera llamar a mis padres ms a menudo.)
They ought to work less. (Deberan trabajar menos.)
Note: Nunca se usa "ought to" en frases interrogativas en ingls americano.

Must
"Must" indica una obligacin, prohibicin o necesidad. Tambin puede emplearse "have to" (tener

que).
Ejemplos:
You must [have to] read this book, it's fantastic. (Tienes que leer este libro, es fantstico.)
You must [have to] brush your teeth two times a day. (Tienes que cepillarte los dientes dos veces al
da.)
We must [have to] leave now or we will be late. (Tenemos que irnos ahora o llegaremos tarde.)
You mustn't drink and drive. (No puedes beber y conducir.)
When must we meet you? (Cundo debemos quedar? )

* "Must" y "Have to" expresan una obligacin. A veces se pueden utilizar indistintamente
(especialmente con la primera persona donde prcticamente tienen el mismo sentido), no obstante
existen ciertas diferencias.
"Must" se utiliza con el tiempo presente y futuro.
"Have to" con pasado, presente y futuro.
"Must": el emisor impone una obligacin.
"Have to": el emisor no impone ninguna obligacin, se limita a comunicar una obligacin que
existe.
Ejemplos:
(Teacher) You must do your homework (El profesor impone el deber de hacer los deberes)
(Student) I have to do my homework (el estudiante se limita a comunicar una obligacin que le ha
sido impuesta)
You must stop making noises (El profesor ordena a sus alumnos)
You have to stop smoking (La mujer le recuerda a su marido una obligacin que le ha impuesto el
medico)
I cannot stay longer, I have to go home (mis obligaciones familiares me obligan a volver a casa)

Cuando la oracin es negativa el significado de estos dos verbos es diferente:

"Mustn't": no se debe hacer algo
"Don't have to": no es necesario hacer algo

You mustn't go to that meeting (no debes ir ya que no has sido invitado)
You don't have to go to that meeting (no es necesario que vaya; no se va a tratar nada interesante)

Tambin se puede usar "must" para indicar probabilidad o asumir algo.

Ejemplos:
John's not here. He must be sick because he never misses class. (John no esta aqu. Debe estar
enfermo porque nunca pierde clases.)
It must be difficult to learn a new language as an adult. (Debe ser difcil aprender un idioma como
adulto.)

Es posible tambin usar "must" para preguntas retricas.

Ejemplos:
Must you always be late? (Siempre tienes que llegar tarde?)
Must she talk so much? (Tiene que hablar tanto?)

Would
Se usa "would" para declarar una preferencia y para preguntar por algo educadamente.
Ejemplos:
She would like to go to New York someday. (Le gustara ir a Nueva York algn da.)
I would like a beer and my wife would like a glass of wine please. (Me gustara una cerveza y a mi
mujer le gustara una copa de vino por favor.)
Would you like some coffee? (Le gustara un caf?)
Would you help me please? (Me ayudaras, por favor?)
When would you like to go to the movies? (Cundo te gustara ir al cine?)
Nota: Se usa "would" en frases condicionales.

Condicionales
Primera condicional
Se forma con if + simple present + simple future. Se emplea cuando una situacin es real o posible:
If it rains today, I'll stay at home. Aqu tienes algunos ejemplos traducidos.
If clause

Main clause

If + Present tense

will / can / may / must + verb

If it rains today,

I'll stay at home

If it rains today, I'll stay at home.

Si llueve hoy, me quedar en casa.

If he is busy now, I will come back tomorrow.

Si est ocupado ahora, regresar maana.

If I have time, I'll visit my parents this afternoon.

Si tengo tiempo, visitar a mis padres esta tarde.

If it is warm tomorrow, we'll go to the beach.

Si est caluroso maana, iremos a la playa.

If it is cold, you must wear warm clothes.

Si est fro, debes usar ropa abrigada.

If he doesn't do his homework, he can not go to the party.

Si l no hace su tarea, no puede ir a la fiesta.

If she doesn't call you, you can call her.

Si ella no te llama, t puedes llamarla.

If you work hard, you may become a millionaire someday.

Si trabajas duro, puede que te conviertas en un millonario algn da

If you spend more than you earn, you'll become a poor man.
Si gastas ms de lo que ganas, te convertirs en un hombre pobre.

If they don't invite you, you must not go.

Si ellos no te invitan, no debes ir.

If we don't hurry, we'll miss our bus.

Si no nos apuramos, perderemos nuestro autobs.

If you pay now, you'll get a discount.

Si pagas ahora, obtendrs un descuento.

If they don't want to go out, they can stay home.

Si no quieren salir, se pueden quedar en casa.

If you drink too much, you'll get drunk.

Si bebes demasiado, te emborrachars.

If you feel sick, you must stay in bed.

Si te sientes enfermo, debes quedarte en cama.

If they don't come here, we'll have to go there.

Si ellos no vienen aqu, tendremos que ir all.

Segunda condicional
Refiere a una situacin hipottica y se forma segn la estructura: if + simple past + simple
condicional. Aqu tienes algunos ejemplos traducidos.
If clause

Main clause

If + Past Simple

would / could / might + verb

If I won the lottery,

I would travel around the world.

If I won the lottery, I would travel around the world.

Si ganara la lotera, viajara por todo el mundo.

If I were in Brazil, I would go to Rio de Janeiro.

Si yo estuviese en Brasil, ira a Ro de Janeiro.

If I were you, I would buy that car.

Si yo fuese t, comprara ese auto.

If he were in my place, he wouldn't do this.

Si l estuviese en mi lugar, no hara esto.

If I had more money, I would buy a nice apartment.

Si yo tuviese ms dinero, me comprara un lindo apartamento.

If she had more time, she would travel more often.

Si ella tuviera ms tiempo, viajara ms a menudo.

If it were not raining, we could go out.

Si no estuviese lloviendo, podramos salir.

If we didn't have to work today, we could have a picnic.

Si no tuvisemos que trabajar hoy, podramos tener un picnic.

If they won the lottery, they wouldn't work anymore.

Si ellos ganaran la lotera, no trabajaran ms.

If I saw her, I would ask her out.

Si la viera, la invitara a salir.

If you went to Brazil, you wouldn't want to come back.

Si fueras a Brazil, no querras regresar.

If they spoke Spanish, we would understand them.

Si ellos hablasen espaol, los entenderamos.

If he didn't live by the river, he couldn't go fishing.

Si el no viviera cerca del ro, no podra ir a pescar.

If I didn't want to go, I would tell you.

Si no quisiera ir, te lo dira.

If they worked for that company, they might have better salaries.
Si ellos trabajaran para esa compaa, podran tener mejores sueldos.

If she wrote a book, it would be a best-seller.

Si ella escribiese un libro, sera un best-seller.

Tercera condicional
Refiere a una situacin hipottica del pasado y se forma segn la estructura: if + past perfect +
conditional perfect. Aqu tienes algunos ejemplos traducidos.

If clause

Main clause

If + Past Perfect tense

would/could/might + have + past participle

If I had won the lottery,

I would have traveled around the world.

If I had won the lottery, I would have traveled around the world.
Si yo hubiera ganado la lotera, habra viajado por todo el mundo.

If I had seen him, I would have told him about you.

Si lo hubiese visto, le habra contado acerca de ti.

If I had known the answer, I would have raised my hand.

Si hubiese sabido la respuesta, habra levantado mi mano.

If she had come on Saturday, I would have seen her.

Si ella hubiese venido el sbado, la habra visto.

If they had left earlier, they would have arrived on time.

Si ellos hubiesen salido ms temprano, habran llegado a tiempo.

If we had studied harder, we might have passed the test.

Si hubisemos estudiado ms duro, podramos haber aprobado la prueba.

If you had gone to Brazil, you would have had lots of fun.
Si tu hubieses ido a Brasil, habras tenido mucha diversin.

If I hadn't been so busy, I could have helped you.

Si no hubiese estado tan ocupado, te podra haber ayudado.

If you had phoned me, I would have known you were here.
Si t me hubieses telefoneado, habra sabido que estabas aqu.

If they had invited us, we would have accepted at once.

Si ellos nos hubiesen invitado, habramos aceptado de inmediato.

If she had explained me the problem, I would have understood it.

Si ella me hubiese explicado el problema, lo habra entendido.

If I hadn't forgotten his number, I would have phoned him.

Si no hubiese olvidado su nmero, lo habra llamado.

If it hadn't rained, we would have gone fishing.

Si no hubiese llovido, habramos ido a pescar.

If my sister had been here, she would have enjoyed this.

Si mi hermana hubiese estado aqu, habra disfrutado esto.

If they hadn't drunk so much last night, they wouldn't have felt sick today.
Si no hubiesen tomado tanto anoche, no se habran sentido enfermos hoy.

If he had worked more, he could have saved more money.

Si l hubiese trabajado ms, podra haber ahorrado ms dinero.

Pasiva
La pasiva de cualquier verbo se forma poniendo el verbo TO BE en el tiempo verbal que
corresponda y el PARTICIPIO del verbo.
Ejemplos en todos los tiempos:
Present - The car is washed
Present Perfect - The car has been washed
Past - The car was washed
Past Perfect - The car had been washed
Future - The car will be washed
Future Perfect - The car will have been washed
Future (going to) - The car is going to be washed
Conditional - The car would be washed
Conditional Perfect - The car would have been washed
Modals - The car (could, must, should,) be washed
Modals + Have (Perfect Modals) - The car (could, must, should,) have been washed

Causativa
Para entender mejor la causativa, cuando decimos:
Voy a

que me arreglen el coche (el mecnico)-have/get my car fixed

cortarme el pelo (la peluquera)have/get my hair cut

revisarme la vista (el oculista)have/get my eyes checked

La causative tiene ese sentido. Somos nosotros los que nos beneficiamos de una accin que no
realizamos en persona sino que mandamos a una tercera persona a que lo haga. Si quisisemos
aclarar quin la realiza, tan solo la aadiremos con la estructura by
Aqu os dejo dos frases como ejemplo para que comparis el significado:

He repaired his car

(l mismo repar su coche)

He had his car repaired (by the mechanic)
(l no repar su coche. Fue el mecnico quien lo hizo)
*Have y get tienen el mismo significado. Get es ms frecuente en el lenguaje oral y en las
formas imperativas.
Por ejemplo: Get your hair cut! (Ve a cortarte el pelo)

Tiempos verbales

La causativa puede usarse en los diferentes tiempos y, obviamente, sigue las mismas normas de
uso. Con lo cual, si sabemos diferenciar los diferentes tiempos y sus usos, no debe haber problemas.
ESTRUCTURA:
(+) Theyre having their windows cleaned now.
(-) They arent having their windows cleaned now.

(?) Are they having their windows cleaned now?

TIEMPO VERBAL HAVE/GET SOMETHING DONE
Present Simple

I have/get my car repaired.

Past Simple

I had/got my car repaired.

Present Continuous Im having/getting my car repaired.

Past Continuous

I was having/getting my car repaired.

Present Perfect

I have had my car repaired.

Past Perfect

I had had my car repaired.

Will

I will have my car repaired.

Must

I must have my car repaired.

Future continuous I will be having my car repaired.

Future perfect

I will have my car repaired.

Imperative

Get your car repaired!

Direct Speech (estilo directo)

Cuando queremos informar exactamente de lo que otra persona ha dicho, utilizamos el estilo
directo. Con este estilo lo que la persona ha dicho se coloca entre comillas ("...") y deber ser
palabra por palabra.

Ejemplos:

"I am going to London next week," she said. ("Voy a Londres la semana que viene," ella dijo.)
"Do you have a pen I could borrow," he asked. ("Tienes un bolgrafo que puedas prestarme?," l
pregunt.)
Alice said, "I love to dance." (Alice dijo, "Me encanta bailar.")
Chris asked, "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?" (Chris pregunt, "Te
gustara cenar conmigo maana por la noche?")

Reported Speech (estilo

indirecto)
El estilo indirecto, a diferencia del estilo directo, no utiliza las comillas y no necesita ser palabra
por palabra. En general, cuando se usa el estilo indirecto, el tiempo verbal cambia. A continuacin
tienes una explicacin de los cambios que sufren los tiempos verbales.
Nota: Ten en cuenta tambin que las expresiones de tiempo cambian en el estilo indirecto.

Direct Speech

Reported Speech

Present Simple

Past Simple

"He's American," she said.

She said he was American.

"I'm happy to see you," Mary said.

Mary said that she was happy to see me.

He asked, "Are you busy tonight?"

He asked me if I was busy that night.

Present Continuous

Past Continuous

Dan is living in San Francisco," she said.

She said Dan was living in San Francisco.

He said, "I'm making dinner."

He told me that he was making dinner.

"Why are you working so hard?" they asked.

They asked me why I was working so hard.

Past Simple

Past Perfect Simple

"We went to the movies last night," he said.

"Greg said, "I didn't go to work yesterday."

He told me they had gone to the movies the night

before.
Greg said that he hadn't gone to work the day
before.

"Did you buy a new car?" she asked.

She asked me if I had bought a new car.

Past Continuous

Past Perfect Continuous

"I was working late last night," Vicki said.

They said, "we weren't waiting long."

Vicki told me she'd been working late the night

before.
They said that they hadn't been waiting long.

"He asked, "were you sleeping when I called?" He asked if I'd been sleeping when he called.
Present Perfect Simple

Past Perfect Simple

"Heather said, "I've already eaten."

Heather told me that she'd already eaten.

"We haven't been to China," they said.

They said they hadn't been to China.

"Have you worked here before?" I asked.

I asked her if she'd worked there before.

Present Perfect Continuous

Past Perfect Continuous

"I've been studying English for two years,"he

said.

He said he'd been studying English for two years.

"Steve said, "we've been dating for over a year Steve told me that they'd been dating for over a
now."

year.

"Have you been waiting long?" they asked.

They asked if I'd been waiting long.

Past Perfect Simple

Past Perfect Simple (*NO CHANGE)

"I'd been to Chicago before for work," he said.

Past Perfect Continuous

He said that he'd been to Chicago before for

work.
Past Perfect Continuous (*NO CHANGE)

She said, "I'd been dancing for years before the She said she'd been dancing for years before the
accident."

accident.

Nota: Cuando hablamos de algo que no ha cambiado (que sigue siendo cierto) o de algo en el
futuro, no es necesario cambiar el tiempo verbal.

Ejemplos:

"I'm 30 years old," she said. She said she is 30 years old.
Dave said, "Kelly is sick." Dave said Kelly is sick.
"We are going to Tokyo next week," they said. They said they are going to Tokyo next week.
"I'll cut my hair tomorrow," Nina said. Nina said she is cutting her hair tomorrow.
Preguntas
Existen dos tipos de preguntas.
1. WH-question words (preguntas con Why, What, Who, How)
Ejemplo: What is your name? she asked me.
She asked me WHAT my name was.
**Recuerda que en el estilo indirecto ya no es una pregunta y, por lo tanto, tenemos que seguir el
orden lgico de la oracin:

Suj + Verb
S what my name was NO what was my name.
2. YES/NO Questions (preguntas que se responden afirmativa o negativamente)

Ejemplo: Are you hungry now? I asked them

I asked them if they were hungry then.
Imperativo
Los reporting verbs ms frecuentes para dar rdenes y peticiones son: order (ordenar), warn
(advertir), ask (preguntar), advise (aconsejar) y forbid (prohibir).

Ejemplo: Eat all you food now! the mother asked the little boy.
The mother told the little boy TO EAT all his food then

Dont smoke! the doctor told me.

The doctor told me NOT TO SMOKE.

Modal Verbs (Los verbos modales)

El tiempo verbal cambia en el estilo indirecto tambin con algunos de los verbos modales.
Nota: Con "would", "could", "should", "might" y "ought to", el tiempo no cambia.
Direct Speech

Indirect Speech

Will

Would

"I'll go to the movies

John said he would go to the

tomorrow," John said.

moviesthe next day.

"Will you help me move?" she

She asked me if I would

asked.

help her move.

Can

Could

Debra said, "Allen can

Debra said Allen could

work tomorrow."

work the next day.

"Can you open the window,

He asked me if I could

please?", he asked.

open the window.

Must

Had to

"You must wear your

My mom said I had to

seatbelt," mom said.

wear my seatbelt.

She said, "You must

She said I had to work the

work tomorrow."

next day.

Shall

Should

"Shall we go to the beach

Tom asked if we should go to

today?" Tom asked.

the beachthat day.

"What shall we do tonight?" she

She asked me what we should

asked.

do that night.

May

Might/Could

Jane said, "I may not be in class

Jane said she might not be in

tomorrow."

class the next day.

the boy asked: "May I use the

The boy asked if he could

bathroom, please?"the boy asked.

use the bathroom.

Nota: A continuacin tienes una tabla donde puedes observar los cambios que sufren las
expresiones de tiempo cuando usamos el estilo indirecto.
Direct Speech

Indirect Speech

today

that day

tonight

that night

this week/month/year

that week/month/year

tomorrow

the next day

next week/month/year

the following week/month/year

yesterday

the day before/the previous day

last week/month/year

the day/month/year before o the

previous day/month/year

now

then/at that moment

here

there

ORACIONES DE RELATIVO
Las oraciones de relativo cumplen la misma funcin que la de un adjetivo y es la de complementar a
un sustantivo o un pronombre de la oracin principal que llamaremos antecedente. Dependiendo del
antecedente utilizaremos uno u otro pronombre relativo.
PRONOMBRES RELATIVOS
Who. Se utiliza con personas
Which. Se utiliza con objetos y animales
That. Se utiliza tanto para personas como animales excepto en las non-defining clauses
Where. Se utiliza para lugares; se puede sustituir por IN WHICH
When. Se utiliza para complementos
Whose. Es el posesivo, se traduce por cuyo
Whom. Se utiliza en lugar de WHO cuando el equivalente es him y no he (con preposiciones
delante, por ejemplo).
ORACIONES RELATIVAS ESPECIFICATIVAS (DEFINING CLAUSES)
Las oraciones relativas especificativas tienen como funcin principal definir o diferenciar al
antecedente.
Ejemplos:
Mario is the bot who lives next door.
This1is the novel that/which you lent me.
Como podemos ver en estas oraciones el pronombre relativo se corresponde segn el antecedente
dado en cada oracin.
Para poder diferenciarlas de las oraciones explicativas vamos a destacar 2 aspectos principales:
- No hay comas que separen la oracin de relativo del resto como veremos en las non-defining.
- El pronombre relativo puede omitirse siempre que no funcione como sujeto.

Ejemplos:
This is the woman who cleans my house.
En esta oracin no podra eliminarse el pronombre puesto que est actuando como sujeto.
I have bought the tickets for the concert (that/which) you would like to go.
En esta oracin s podramos eliminar el pronombre ya que la subordinada ya tiene un sujeto
propio.
- El nico pronombre que no puede omitirse es WHOSE.
ORACIONES RELATIVAS EXPLICATIVAS (NON-DEFINING CLAUSES)
Las oraciones explicativas tienen como funcin informacin no imprescindible acerca del
antecedente.
Ejemplo:
My mother, who lives in Holland, work as a clerk (administrativa).
Algunos aspectos que las diferencian de las oraciones especificativas:
- Los pronombres relativos nunca pueden omitirse.
Ejemplo:
William Shakespeare, who was English, wrote many sonnets.
Como vemos, la oracin relativa carece de otro sujeto para que el pronombre pueda ser omitido.
- WHICH nunca puede ser sustituido por THAT. El uso de este pronombre no est permitido en
estas oraciones.