Our first song about relative clauses. Look at the title: the man who sold the world. Who is he? We know him only by what he did.
Learn from Songs · Unit 10: Relative clauses · B1–B2
The Man Who Sold the World
A mysterious song whose title is a relative clause: defining relative clauses with who, which, that, whose, where (the man who sold the world), when you can leave out the relative pronoun (the song (that) I love), and reduced clauses (a boy named Sue), with Philo, Sophia, Marcos and Demetria.
SOPHIA
PHILO
That’s exactly what a relative clause does: it tells us which person we mean.
MARCOS
And who was he?
SOPHIA
Nobody knows. That’s the mystery. Not even the man who wrote it gave a clear answer.
Before you listen: the song
London, 1970; New York, 1993
David Bowie wrote “The Man Who Sold the World” in 1970 for the album of the same name. It wasn’t a hit at first, but over the years many artists recorded it.
In November 1993, the American band Nirvana played it at their famous acoustic concert for the TV series MTV Unplugged, filmed in New York in a single take. Their quiet, haunting version became so famous that Bowie said young fans sometimes came up to him and told him it was nice that he was doing a Nirvana song.
The song describes a strange, dreamlike meeting with a mysterious figure who seems to know the singer, perhaps someone from his past, perhaps another version of himself. Bowie said it was about the different parts of ourselves that we don’t always recognise.
The man who…
Listen: a strange meeting
PHILO
Listen once. Where does the meeting happen? How does the singer feel? Who might the other person be?
SOPHIA
Then compare: if you can, listen to Bowie’s 1970 version too. Which do you prefer? Answer Section A.
🌍 Listen to the song: “The Man Who Sold the World” (David Bowie, 1970), sung by Nirvana (1993).Watch the official video →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “The Man Who Sold the World”, David Bowie.Read the lyrics →
Who, which, that, whose, where
DEMETRIA
The man who sold the world. The song which / that made Nirvana famous. The singer whose voice is so strange. The city where they filmed it.
SOPHIA
Defining relative clauses tell us which person or thing we mean. who = people; which = things; that = people or things (informal); whose = possession; where = places; when = times. No commas!
Leaving out the pronoun
MARCOS
The song (that) I love. The man (who) I met.
SOPHIA
When the relative pronoun is the object of the clause, you can leave it out: The book (that) I’m reading is great. But not when it’s the subject: The man who sold the world (who is the subject of sold, so it must stay).
Reduced clauses: named, called, sitting
PHILO
A boy named Sue = a boy who was named Sue. The man sitting at the back = the man who is sitting at the back.
SOPHIA
Relative clauses can be shortened with a past participle (a song written by Bowie) or an -ing form (people living in Alexandria). Remember A Boy Named Sue in Unit 2!
Sophia’s comparison: the double
SOPHIA
In Plato’s Symposium, Aristophanes tells a story: humans were once double beings, then Zeus cut them in half, and ever since, each of us searches for our other half.
PHILO
And Jacob wrestled all night with a mysterious man, and at dawn received a new name. Who was the man who wrestled with Jacob? The Torah doesn’t quite say.
DEMETRIA
So the mysterious stranger is a very old story.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| who / which / that | people / things / both | the man who sold the world |
| whose | possession | the singer whose voice is unforgettable |
| where / when | places / times | the city where they filmed it |
| leaving out the pronoun | only when it is the object | the song (that) I love |
| named, called, sitting… | reduced relative clauses | a boy named Sue |
Practice
Listen to the song for Section A, then do the rest. Press “Check my answers” at the end. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Listen: the song
Listen to the song and choose the best answer.
1. Who wrote the song?
2. Where did Nirvana play it?
3. What is the song about?
4. Who might the mysterious figure be?
5. What did young fans sometimes tell Bowie?
6. How does Nirvana’s version sound?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. The man sold the world. (person, subject)
8. The song made them famous. (thing)
9. The singer voice is unforgettable.
10. New York is the city they filmed the concert.
11. A boy Sue. (reduced clause: name)
12. The book I’m reading great. (be)
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “The man which sold the world.”
14. “The song I like best is this one.”
15. “The singer who his voice is strange.”
16. “A song written by Bowie.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Who am I? Describe a famous person with relative clauses for your partner to guess: I’m thinking of a man who…, whose…, who lived in a city where…
Discuss. 1. Who do you think “the man who sold the world” is? 2. Have you ever met someone who seemed to know you, but you didn’t know them? 3. Why do some cover versions become more famous than the original?
Write (100–120 words). The stranger. Write a short mysterious story about a meeting with a stranger. Use at least six relative clauses with who, which, that, whose, where, and one reduced clause.