Ìtẹnumọ́ Onípele Gíga, Gbólóhùn Ìtọ́kasí, àti Ìtọ́kasí Ọ̀rọ̀
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Use ni focus constructions to identify and emphasize a subject or object within a longer, formal sentence.
- Build relative clauses with tí to add identifying or descriptive detail to a noun phrase.
- Combine focus and relative clauses to track a single participant across several linked sentences.
- Use strong pronouns for contrast and emphasis without destabilizing ordinary word order.
- Maintain clear reference chains across an extended passage, avoiding ambiguous or dropped reference.
- Recognize, without independent production, how question focus and negative focus interact with relative clauses.
- Preserve tone accuracy across long phrases containing focus markers and relative clauses.
- Edit a passage for reference clarity, correcting ambiguous pronouns and unclear participant tracking.
Opening Communication Scenario
The regional media association has replied to Adé and Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi's analysis from Chapter 11 with interest, and has asked them to prepare a short profile of the radio station for publication. A profile of this kind must clearly identify who did what, when, and why, across several linked sentences, without leaving the reader unsure which person or event a pronoun refers back to.
- This chapter develops the focus system and the relative-clause system that have been active since earlier chapters, applying them to longer stretches of connected discourse.
- No entirely new clause type is introduced. Instead, focus and relative clauses are combined with pronoun choice to keep reference clear across several sentences.
- By the end of the chapter, you will edit a short profile for reference clarity, correcting places where a reader might lose track of who or what is being discussed.
Core Vocabulary
This chapter's vocabulary supports writing and discussing a formal profile: identifying roles, describing founding and growth, and referring back to people and events already mentioned.
| Yorùbá | English | Function |
|---|---|---|
| ẹni tí | the person who | relative-clause head + marker |
| ohun tí | the thing that | relative-clause head + marker |
| òun ni | it is he/she/it (strong pronoun + focus) | strong pronoun + `ni` focus |
| àwọn ni | it is they, they are the ones | strong plural pronoun + `ni` focus |
| olùdásílẹ̀ | founder | profile noun |
| alábòójútó | manager, supervisor | profile noun |
| ìtàn ìdásílẹ̀ | founding history | profile noun |
| ipò | position, role | profile noun |
| ìdàgbàsókè | growth, development | profile noun |
| gẹ́gẹ́ bí | as, in the capacity of | role-marking expression |
| ẹni náà | that same person | reference-tracking expression |
| èyí tí a mẹ́nu kàn | the one already mentioned | reference-tracking expression |
Pronunciation Focus — Long-Phrase Tone Control
Focus markers and relative clauses often sit in the middle of a longer sentence, and learners sometimes let the tone flatten just at these points, because attention shifts to word order rather than to pitch. This chapter's pronunciation focus continues Chapter 11's long-sentence rhythm skill, applied specifically to phrases built around ni and tí.
- Practice ni and tí in short phrases first, keeping their tone crisp and distinct from surrounding words.
- When a relative clause interrupts a main clause, keep the tone of the main clause stable both before and after the interruption.
- Read the model dialogue and profile passage below slowly at first, then again at a natural conversational pace.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This chapter develops the focus and relative-clause systems that have been active since earlier chapters. It does not introduce a new independent clause type; it develops how focus, relative clauses, and pronoun choice work together to track participants clearly across several linked sentences.
Reviewing ni Focus in Longer Sentences
[Focused element] ni [rest of clause].
The focused element is fronted before ni; the rest of the clause follows in ordinary word order. In longer, formal sentences, the focused element is often a full noun phrase rather than a single word.
Adé ni ó dá ilé-iṣẹ́ rédíò yìí sílẹ̀ ní ọdún mẹ́wàá sẹ́yìn.
It is Adé who founded this radio station ten years ago.
Relative Clauses with tí
- Adé, ẹni tí ó dá ilé-iṣẹ́ yìí sílẹ̀, ń ṣiṣẹ́ gẹ́gẹ́ bí alábòójútó títí di òní. Adé, the person who founded this station, has worked as its manager to this day. ẹni tí = "the person who" (relative clause modifying Adé)
- Ohun tí ó ṣe pàtàkì jùlọ nínú ìtàn ìdásílẹ̀ ni bí Adé ṣe rí owó láti bẹ̀rẹ̀. What is most important in the founding history is how Adé found money to begin. ohun tí = "the thing that" (relative clause as focused subject before ni)
A relative clause with tí can itself become the focused element before ni, as in ohun tí ó ṣe pàtàkì jùlọ ni... ("what is most important is..."). Here the whole relative clause — not just one word — is fronted for focus. This is a recognition-level pattern in this chapter: notice it when it appears in the readings, but continue to build your own sentences from the simpler focus and relative patterns modeled above.
Strong Pronouns for Contrast and Emphasis
Òun ni [rest of clause]. / Àwọn ni [rest of clause].
Òun and àwọn are strong pronouns used with ni to emphasize or contrast a person or group already introduced in the discourse, rather than to introduce someone new.
Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi bẹ̀rẹ̀ sí ṣiṣẹ́ ní ilé-iṣẹ́ yìí ní ọdún mẹ́ta sẹ́yìn; òun ni ó kọ́kọ́ dábàá iṣẹ́ ìtàkurọ̀sọ orí ayélujára.
Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi began working at this station three years ago; it is she who first proposed the online broadcasting work.
Keeping Reference Chains Clear
- Adé àti Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi ń ṣiṣẹ́ pọ̀ láti ọdún mẹ́ta sẹ́yìn; ẹni akọ́kọ́ ni olùdásílẹ̀, ẹni kejì sì ni alábòójútó ìtàkurọ̀sọ orí ayélujára. Adé and Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi have worked together since three years ago; the first person is the founder, and the second is the online-broadcasting manager. ẹni akọ́kọ́ / ẹni kejì = explicit reference labels avoiding pronoun ambiguity
- Nígbà tí Adé bá ń sọ̀rọ̀ nípa ìdàgbàsókè ilé-iṣẹ́, ẹni náà máa ń mẹ́nu kan iṣẹ́ Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi pẹ̀lú. Whenever Adé speaks about the station's growth, that same person also mentions Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi's work. ẹni náà = "that same person," repeating the subject explicitly to avoid ambiguity after a time clause
When a passage introduces two or more people, avoid a bare pronoun immediately after both have been mentioned, since a reader cannot always tell which person it points to. Prefer an explicit noun phrase, a relative clause, an ordinal label such as ẹni akọ́kọ́ or ẹni kejì, or a repeated name at the point where ambiguity would otherwise arise. Once a single participant has been clearly established as the topic of a stretch of discourse, a pronoun may again be used safely.
The passages and dialogue below may include focus combined with questions (asking specifically "who" or "what" through fronting) or with negation (denying that a particular person or thing is responsible for something). These combinations are receptive at this stage. Focus your own production on the identification, contrast, and reference-tracking patterns introduced above.
Model Dialogue
Ipò: Adé àti Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi ń gbìmọ̀ràn nípa bí wọn yóò ṣe kọ àpèjúwe ilé-iṣẹ́ rédíò wọn fún àjọ àwọn ilé-iṣẹ́ agbéròyìnjáde àgbègbè.
Setting: Adé and Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi are planning how to write a profile of their radio station for the regional media association.
Guided Practice
- Underline every use of ni focus in the dialogue above and identify what element is focused in each case.
- Underline every relative clause with tí, and state which noun it modifies.
- Find the place where òun is used, and identify who it refers to and why a strong pronoun was needed there.
- Find the two places where ẹni akọ́kọ́, ẹni kejì, or ẹni náà is used instead of a bare pronoun, and explain why the bare pronoun would have been ambiguous.
- Combine the following two short sentences into one, using a relative clause with tí: "Adé ń ṣiṣẹ́ gẹ́gẹ́ bí alábòójútó. Adé dá ilé-iṣẹ́ yìí sílẹ̀."
Listening Practice
Ask an instructor, study partner, or qualified Yorùbá speaker to read the passage below aloud, or read it aloud yourself and then cover it before answering.
If no speaker is available, this is a Listening Script for Independent Use. Machine text-to-speech must be checked by a qualified Yorùbá speaker before use as a pronunciation model.
"Ilé-iṣẹ́ rédíò àdúgbò wa ní olórí méjì tí ọ̀pọ̀ ènìyàn mọ̀ dáadáa. Ẹni akọ́kọ́ ni Adé, ẹni tí ó dá ilé-iṣẹ́ yìí sílẹ̀ ní ọdún mẹ́wàá sẹ́yìn, tí ó sì ń ṣiṣẹ́ gẹ́gẹ́ bí alábòójútó títí di òní. Ẹni kejì ni Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi, ẹni tí ó bẹ̀rẹ̀ sí ṣiṣẹ́ níbẹ̀ ní ọdún mẹ́ta sẹ́yìn. Òun ni ẹni tí ó kọ́kọ́ dábàá iṣẹ́ ìtàkurọ̀sọ orí ayélujára, ohun tí ó yí ìdàgbàsókè ilé-iṣẹ́ padà pátápátá. Nígbà tí àwọn méjèèjì bá ń jíroro ọjọ́ iwájú ilé-iṣẹ́, ẹni akọ́kọ́ máa ń dá lórí ìtàn ìdásílẹ̀, ẹni kejì sì máa ń dá lórí bí wọ́n ṣe lè kàn àwọn ọ̀dọ́ àti àgbà méjèèjì."
1. Who is described as the founder, and how is that person identified in the passage?
2. Who first proposed the online broadcasting work, and how does the passage make this clear without ambiguity?
3. How does the passage distinguish what each person tends to focus on when discussing the station's future?
Iṣẹ́ rẹ — Your task: Answer the three questions above in complete Yorùbá sentences, using at least one ni focus construction, one relative clause with tí, and one explicit reference label such as ẹni akọ́kọ́ or ẹni náà.
Speaking Practice
Tier 1 — Supported
Read the model dialogue aloud with a partner, then substitute two different people and two different roles of your own choosing.
Tier 2 — Guided
Describe two people you know or two roles in an organization, using one ni focus sentence, one relative clause with tí, and one explicit reference label to keep the two people clearly distinguished.
Tier 3 — Independent
Present aloud, in 90–120 seconds, a short profile of two people connected to the same organization, project, or family, using focus, relative clauses, strong pronouns, and explicit reference labels to keep every reference completely clear, while maintaining accurate tone across long phrases.
Reading Practice
Àpèjúwe Ilé-iṣẹ́ Rédíò Wa — A Profile of Our Radio Station
Adé ni olùdásílẹ̀ ilé-iṣẹ́ rédíò àdúgbò yìí, ẹni tí ó bẹ̀rẹ̀ iṣẹ́ yìí ní ọdún mẹ́wàá sẹ́yìn nítorí pé ó fẹ́ràn láti pín ìròyìn tí ó ṣe pàtàkì fún àdúgbò rẹ̀. Ẹni tí ó bá a ṣiṣẹ́ pọ̀ jùlọ ni Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi, ẹni tí ó darapọ̀ mọ́ ilé-iṣẹ́ náà ní ọdún mẹ́ta sẹ́yìn. Òun ni ẹni tí ó kọ́kọ́ dábàá pé kí ilé-iṣẹ́ náà bẹ̀rẹ̀ sí í lo ìtàkurọ̀sọ orí ayélujára, ohun tí ó mú kí iye àwọn olùgbọ́ pọ̀ sí i ní kíakíá. Ẹni akọ́kọ́, ìyẹn Adé, ń bójú tó gbogbo ètò-iṣẹ́ ilé-iṣẹ́ náà lápapọ̀; ẹni kejì, ìyẹn Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi, ń bójú tó pàápàá ọ̀nà tí ilé-iṣẹ́ ń gbà kan àwọn ọ̀dọ́ lórí ẹ̀rọ ayélujára. Nígbà tí ẹnikẹ́ni bá béèrè ìbéèrè nípa ọjọ́ iwájú ilé-iṣẹ́ náà, àwọn méjèèjì máa ń dáhùn pọ̀, kí ìdáhùn wọn baà lè fi ojú méjèèjì hàn — ti ìtàn ìdásílẹ̀, àti ti ìdàgbàsókè ọjọ́ iwájú.
1. According to the passage, why did Adé start the station, and how is Adé identified using a relative clause?
2. What did Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi propose, and how does the passage make clear it was she and not Adé?
3. How does the passage distinguish what each of the two people is responsible for?
4. Why do the two people answer questions about the station's future together?
Iṣẹ́ rẹ — Your task: Answer the four questions above in complete Yorùbá sentences.
Writing Workshop
Write a short profile (200–250 words) of two people connected to the same organization, project, or family, with full tone marks and dot-under letters throughout. Your profile must include at least one ni focus construction, one relative clause with tí, one strong pronoun (òun or àwọn) used for contrast, and at least one explicit reference label (such as ẹni akọ́kọ́, ẹni kejì, or ẹni náà) used to prevent ambiguity.
Include
- a ni focus construction identifying a key contribution
- a relative clause with tí describing a person
- a strong pronoun (òun or àwọn) for contrast or emphasis
- at least one explicit reference label preventing pronoun ambiguity
Avoid
- a bare pronoun immediately after two people have both been introduced
- overusing names when a relative clause or reference label would read more naturally
- omitting tone marks or dot-under letters
- introducing new question-focus or negative-focus structures not yet activated for production
- Every pronoun in the passage points clearly to one identifiable person or thing.
- Wherever two people could be confused, an explicit label, name, or relative clause is used instead of a bare pronoun.
- At least one ni focus construction and one relative clause with tí appear.
- Strong pronouns are used only for contrast or emphasis, not as ordinary subject pronouns.
- Every vowel that should carry a high or low tone mark has one, and
ẹ,ọ, andṣare distinguished throughout.
Culture and Communication
In many Yorùbá professional and institutional contexts, a formal profile often introduces a person's role or contribution clearly before or alongside their name, rather than relying on the name alone to carry meaning for readers unfamiliar with the organization. Focus constructions and relative clauses support this pattern by letting a writer foreground the contribution itself.
Explicit ordinal labels such as ẹni akọ́kọ́ and ẹni kejì are especially common in formal written Yorùbá across regions, including reports, profiles, and academic writing, precisely because they remove ambiguity that spoken conversation can often resolve through gesture, shared context, or immediate clarification.
Common Mistakes
Error: Introducing Adé and Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi in one sentence, then writing "ó ṣe é" ("he/she did it") in the next sentence without making clear which person is meant.
Correction: Replace the bare pronoun with a name, a relative clause, or an explicit label such as ẹni akọ́kọ́ or ẹni náà until the reference is unmistakably clear.
Error: Using òun as a default subject pronoun in every sentence, even where no contrast or emphasis is intended.
Correction: Reserve òun and àwọn for moments of genuine contrast or emphasis, and use ordinary weak subject pronouns or explicit reference labels elsewhere.
Chapter Summary
This chapter developed focus and relative-clause use already active from earlier chapters, applying them to extended discourse where several participants must be tracked clearly. Learners practiced combining ni focus with relative clauses built on tí, using strong pronouns for genuine contrast, and choosing explicit reference labels to prevent ambiguity, while continuing to treat question focus and negative focus as receptive material.
Chapter Review
Apá A — Ìṣàyẹ̀wò Gírámà (Grammar Check)
1. Write one sentence using a ni focus construction to identify who did something.
2. Write one sentence containing a relative clause with tí that describes a person.
3. Write one sentence using òun or àwọn to contrast two people already mentioned.
4. Write two linked sentences introducing two people, using an explicit reference label in the second sentence to avoid ambiguity.
Apá B — Ìṣàyẹ̀wò Ara Ẹni (Self-Check)
1. Which reference-tracking strategy feels most natural to you right now?
2. Which pattern — focus, relative clauses, or reference labeling — do you want to review again before moving into Chapter 13?
Ìfojúsí ẹkọ̀ tẹ́lẹ̀ — Cumulative review check
Before moving to Chapter 13, confirm you can do the following:
- Use a ni focus construction to identify a subject or object.
- Build a relative clause with tí to describe a noun.
- Combine focus and relative clauses to highlight a participant's contribution.
- Use òun or àwọn for genuine contrast, not as a default subject pronoun.
- Identify and correct an ambiguous pronoun referring to one of two previously mentioned people.
- Maintain full tone marking and dot-under orthography across longer, focus- and relative-clause-bearing sentences.
Practical Performance Task
Iṣẹ́ aṣeyọrí — Abala 12
Àtúnyẹ̀wò Ìtọ́kasí Nínú Àpèjúwe — Editing Reference Chains in a Text
Produce a complete profile of two connected people and then edit it for reference clarity, entirely in Standard Written Yorùbá.
Component 1 — Draft Profile
- 200–250 words, containing at least one ni focus construction, one relative clause with tí, and one strong pronoun used for contrast.
- Full tone marks and dot-under letters throughout.
Component 2 — Edited Profile
- Apply the Reference Clarity Checkpoint and mark every place where a pronoun was replaced with a name, relative clause, or explicit label.
- Note, in two or three sentences, which reference chain was hardest to keep clear, and why.
Component 3 — Spoken Presentation
- Present the edited profile aloud (90–120 seconds) to a partner, instructor, or recording, maintaining tone accuracy across focus and relative-clause phrases, then respond to one follow-up question asking you to clarify who a specific pronoun refers to.
Assessment note: This task provides evidence of focus and relative-clause accuracy, appropriate strong-pronoun use, reference-chain clarity across an extended text, and integrated tone and orthography accuracy. Question focus and negative focus remain receptive and are not assessed for independent production in this chapter.
Answer Key
Listening Practice Questions
- The founder is Adé, identified in the passage through the relative clause "ẹni tí ó dá ilé-iṣẹ́ yìí sílẹ̀ ní ọdún mẹ́wàá sẹ́yìn" (the person who founded this station ten years ago).
- Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi first proposed the online broadcasting work; the passage makes this clear with the focus construction "òun ni ẹni tí ó kọ́kọ́ dábàá," clearly assigning the action to her rather than to Adé.
- The passage distinguishes them by stating that the first person tends to focus on the founding history, while the second tends to focus on how the station can reach young people and elders through its future development.
Reading Practice Questions
- Adé started the station because he wanted to share news important to his community; he is identified using the relative clause "ẹni tí ó bẹ̀rẹ̀ iṣẹ́ yìí ní ọdún mẹ́wàá sẹ́yìn."
- Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi proposed that the station begin using online broadcasting; the passage uses "òun ni ẹni tí ó kọ́kọ́ dábàá" to make clear it was she, not Adé.
- The passage distinguishes them by explicitly labeling Adé as "ẹni akọ́kọ́," responsible for overall station operations, and Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi as "ẹni kejì," responsible for how the station reaches young people online.
- They answer questions about the future together so that their answer can show both perspectives — the founding history and the future development.
Guided Practice — Sample Response
5. Sample combination: "Adé, ẹni tí ó dá ilé-iṣẹ́ yìí sílẹ̀, ń ṣiṣẹ́ gẹ́gẹ́ bí alábòójútó." (Adé, who founded this station, works as manager.)
Chapter Review — Apá A
Sample answers are not provided in full for this open review, since each learner's sentences will reflect their own content. Confirm each sentence contains the required structure and that pronoun reference remains unambiguous throughout.
Chapter Review — Apá B
Self-check items have no single fixed answer. Confirm your responses against the cumulative review checklist above.
Independent Study Tools
Fún akẹ́kọ̀ọ́ tí ń kọ́ ẹ̀kọ́ fúnra rẹ̀ — For the independent learner
- Keep a one-page reference card listing one model sentence for ni focus, one relative clause with tí, and one contrastive strong pronoun.
- Review a piece of your own recent writing that mentions two or more people, and circle every pronoun to check whether its reference is completely clear.
- Ask a Yorùbá-speaking friend, tutor, or colleague to read your profile and tell you, without prompting, who each pronoun refers to.
- Before moving on, revisit any reference-tracking strategy that still feels unfamiliar.
Looking Ahead
Ohun tí o lè ṣe báyìí — What you can do now
You can now combine focus and relative clauses to highlight a participant's contribution, use strong pronouns for genuine contrast, and keep reference chains clear across an extended profile or report in Standard Written Yorùbá.