Grammar: Relative Clauses + Exercises

 Relative clauses 

What are relative clauses?

A relative clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a noun or a noun phrase.

Example:

The man who is smoking is the murderer

The noun the man is modified by the relative clause who is smoking.

Relative clauses give essential information to define or identify the person or thing we are talking about.

Relative Pronouns

who – subject or object pronoun for people

They caught the lady who killed her baby.

which – subject or object pronoun

I read the book which is on the table.
I visited the town which you told me about.

which – referring to a whole sentence

They were unsuccessful which is disappointing.

whom – used for object pronoun for people, especially in non-restrictive relative clauses (in restrictive relative clauses use who)

The boy whom you told me about got the best grades in mathematics.

that – subject or object pronoun for people, animals and things in restrictive relative clauses (who or which are also possible)

I like the vase that is over there.

Relative adverbs

where – referring to a place

The restaurant where I usually have dinner is nice.

when – referring to a time

There are times when I feel so lonely.

why – referring to a reason

This is why she refused the offer.

Subject Pronoun or Object Pronoun?

You can distinguish subject and object pronouns as follows:

• If the relative pronoun is not followed by a noun or pronoun, it is a subject pronoun. Subject relative pronouns can never be omitted (dropped.)
  Example:
  The apple which is lying on the table is sweet.
  The teacher who lives next door is nice.
   
• If the relative pronoun is followed by a noun or pronoun, the relative pronoun is an object pronoun. Object relative pronouns can be omitted (dropped) in restrictive (defining) relative clauses.
  Example:
  The film (which) we watched yesterday was fantastic.
  The writer (who/whom) we met last weekend is very famous.

Do the exercises blow on relative clauses:

1-Choose the correct relative pronoun (who, which, whose).

1. This is the man ………………….saved the kid.
2. The house …………………………………….windows are open is beautiful..
3. The writer ………………………wrote that article won the Nobel Prize.
4. He bought a car ………………………..runs fast.
5. He was wearing a cap ……………………………was black.

2-Rewrite these sentences using relative clauses.

Use who, whose and which.

Example:

He drank the juice. He made the juice. He drank the juice which he made.

1. A lion is an animal. It is very strong.
   A lion……………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. A novelist is a person. He writes novels.
   A novelist  …………………………………………………………………………………………….
3. A bottle opener is a device. It open bottles.
   A bottle opener ……………………………………………………………………………………….
4. The girl speaks Chinese. Her mother writes poems.
   The girl  ………………………………………………………………………………………………….
5. A detective is someone. He discovers the truth about crimes.
   A detective  ……………………………………………………………………………………………

Warning

Before submitting the test, check the following:

• Punctuation and capitalization
• Spelling
• Spaces (don't add any unnecessary spaces)

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