GRAMMAR PRACTICE RELATIVE CLAUSES- B2

→ PART 1

DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

1. Underline the relative clauses and show the relative pronoun in red.

1. I wouldn't stay in a hotel that refused to accept children.

2. I don't understand people who hate animals.
3. The stereo that I bought last week doesn't work properly.
4. The television that they have designed will be very expensive.
5. The man who complained is always making trouble.
6. The woman who gave us all this money is not very rich.
7. I admire people who can speak more than one language.
8. The assistant that you complained about has been moved.

2. Join the sentences using whose.

1. I met a woman at the party. Her mother writes detective stories.
2. I can't remember the name of the woman whose parents used to work in a
circus.
3. The man came yesterday. His wife is an English teacher.
4. What's the name of the man? You borrowed his car.
5. A few days ago I met a girl. I went to school with her brother.
6. We saw some people. Their car had broken down.

3. Fill in the blanks with the correct relative pronoun. Write S if the
relative is the subject and O if it is the object.

1. Did you see the man ________ stole her bag? …………….
2. The eggs ________ you've bought are bad. ……………
3. Please give me the keys ________ are on the table. ……………
4. Is that the man ________ we saw in the park yesterday? ……………
5. What's the name of the lady ________ babysits for you? ……………
6. Tom is playing with the dog ________ lives next door. ……………
7. Have you eaten all the cakes ________ I made yesterday? ……………
8. How old is the man ________ owns this shop? ……………
9. Have you met the man ________ Jackie is going to marry? ……………
10. Let's all look at the picture ________ is on page seven. ……………
11. Has Peter returned the money ________ he borrowed from you? ……………
 GRAMMAR PRACTICE RELATIVE CLAUSES- B2

12. What colour is the dress ________ you are going to wear tonight? ……………
13. The police have arrested the man ________ murdered his wife. ……………
14. The parcel ________ is on the table is your birthday present. ……………
15. We will ask the man ________ delivers our milk to leave an extra bottle.
……………

4. Join the two clauses into one sentence by changing the clause in
italics into a defining relative clause. The relative pronoun can be the
subject or the object of the relative clause.

Study these examples where two sentences have been connected into one by
using an appropriate relative pronoun.

I bought a new car. It is very fast. → I bought a new car that is very fast.

I live in a city. I study in the city. → I live in the city where I study..

The summer was long and hot. I graduated from university in the summer. → The summer
when I graduated from university was long and hot.

The woman is coming tonight. Her car is a BMW.→ The woman whose car is a BMW is
coming tonight.

1. Yesterday I met a girl. Her sister is a supermodel.

2. The police arrested the man. I saw the man steal a handbag.
3. She wrote to her friend. Her friend lives in Vietnam.
4. Jill ate the sandwich. The sandwich had tomato and cheese inside.
6. The CD is in my bag. The CD has Spanish music.
7. He likes films. The films come from Asia.
8. My nephew broke the plate. I received the plate as a present.
9. The chocolate was very old. We bought the chocolate last week.
10. The TV programme was very funny. Lucy recommended the TV programme.
11. She's the girl. She works in the library.
12. Corfu is an island. It has many beautiful beaches.
13. I've spoken to the man. His house was burgled last Monday.
14. That is the radio. I won it in the competition.
15. John is the man. His house was destroyed by the fire.
16. There is the hospital. I was born there.
17. That was the summer. I met my wife then.
 GRAMMAR PRACTICE RELATIVE CLAUSES- B2

18. France is the country. The best wine is produced there.

19. 1945 was the year. The Second World War ended then.
20. That's the hotel. I stayed there last summer.

5. All of the sentences in this exercise have a preposition.

There are often prepositions in relative clauses, and a relative pronoun is the object of that preposition. In
everyday English, the preposition is normally placed at the end of the relative clause and the pronoun may
be included or omitted. In the examples below, the pronoun between brackets can be omitted:
Is that the man? She arrived with him
Is that the man (who/that) she arrived with?
or
It was the river. The children preferred to swim in that river.
It was the river (which/that) the children preferred to swim in.
In formal English, the preposition is placed before the relative pronoun, and in this case the pronoun
cannot be omitted, “that” is not used and we use the more formal “whom” instead of “who”.
Is that the man with whom she arrived?
It was the river in which the children preferred to swim.
Try to combine the two sentences using the two different ways explained
above.
Example: The woman left my friend after a few weeks. He fell in love with her.
The woman (who/that) my friend fell in love with left him after a few weeks.
The woman with whom my friend fell in love left him after a few weeks.

1. The bed wasn't very comfortable. I slept in it last night.

The bed in which I slept last night wasn’t very comfortable.
The bed I slept in last night wasn't very comfortable.
2. The man talked all the time. I was sitting next to him on the plane.
The man next to whom I was sitting on the plane talked all the time.
The man I was sitting next to on the plane talked all the time.
3. Unfortunately we couldn't go to the wedding. We were invited to it.
Unfortunately we couldn’t go to the wedding which we were invited to.
Unfortunately we couldn’t go to the wedding to which we were invited.
4. What's the name of the hotel? You told me about it.
What’s the name of the hotel which you told me about?
What’s the name of the hotel about which you told me?
5. I didn't get the job. I applied for the job.
I didn’t get the job which I applied for.
I didn’t get the job for which I applied.
6. George is a good person. You can rely on him.
George is a good person who you can rely on
George is a good person on whom you can rely.
 GRAMMAR PRACTICE RELATIVE CLAUSES- B2

7. Who was that man in the restaurant? I saw you with a man.
Who was that man in the restaurant who I saw you with?
Who was that man in the restaurant with whom I saw you?
8. We called the secretary. I went to school with the secretary
We called the secretary who I went to school with.
We called the secretary with whom I went to school.
9. The person is very interesting. I talked to her last night.
The person who I talked to last night is very interesting.
The person to whom I talked last night is very interesting.
10 I was amazed at the project. Alex worked on it.
I was amazed at the project which Alex worked on.
I was amazed at the project on which Alex worked.

→ PART 2
NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
6.- Fill in with a relative. Write if the sentence is defining or non-defining.
1. David, ___who_____ is a friendly person, is my cousin. --> non defining
2. The chair _which__ we bought last week is an antique. --> defining
3. My coins, __which__ are very valuable, have been stolen. --> non-defining
4. Mr. Grant, ___who___ you met at the party, is my boss. --> non-defining
5. The records __which__ we are listening to can be used for the party. --> defining
6. The boy __who__ I sit next to comes from London. --> defining
7. Mallorca, __which__ is the largest of the Balearic Islands, is a popular tourist
resort. --> non-defining
8. People ___who__ don’t have British passports need a visa to enter the country.
-→ defining

7.- Non-defining Relative Clauses. Join the sentences using a relative

pronoun.
She lives in New York. She likes living in New York. → She lives in New York, which she likes.
1. Janet is already a famous actress. She is only 16 years old.- Janet, is already a
famous actress, who is only 16 years old.
2. My cousin's flat is in the same building as mine. He bought it last year.
My cousin’s flat, who bought it last year, is in the same building as mine .
3. Steven Spielberg is my favourite director. He directed E.T. and Jurassic Park.
Steven Spielberg, who directed E.T and Jurassic Park, is my favourite director .
4. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. We learned about
him.
Abraham Lincoln, who we learned about, was the 16th president of the United
States.
5. Diana Jones is my sister. She plays the part of Alice.
Diana Jones, who is my sister, plays the part of Alice.
6. The White Elephant is an excellent Indian restaurant. It specialises in tandoori
cooking.
 GRAMMAR PRACTICE RELATIVE CLAUSES- B2

The White Elephant, which specialises in tandoori cooking, is an excellent Indian

restaurant.
7. Paul's children are very clever. They are very naughty. (pillo)
Paul's children, who are very naughty, are very clever.
8. London is one of the most important cities in the world. I lived there for a year.
London, where I lived for a year, is one of the most important cities in the world .
9. Richard Gere is a very good actor. He was the star of Pretty Woman.
Richard Gere, who was the star of Pretty Woman, is a very good actor .
10. Liz has gone to Washington. It’s the capital of the USA.
Liz, which is the capital of the USA, has gone to Washington.

DEFINING or NON-DEFINING?
8.- Join the sentences using a relative pronoun. Use commas if necessary.
Write the relative pronoun between brackets if it can be omitted.
1. I took our visitors to the British Museum. They have a wonderful collection there.
I took our visitors, where have a wonderful collection, to the British Museum .
2. Iliana will never forget the day. She became the captain of the ship then.
Iliana will never forget the day when became the captain of the ship.
3. This is Mr. Jones. His son won a gold medal at the last Olympics.
This is Mr. Jones, whose son won a gold medal at the last Olympics.
4. I told the police about the man. He tried to steal my car.
I told the police about the man who tried to steal my car.
5. Paris is the capital of France. It stands on the River Seine.
Paris, which stands on the River Seine, is the capital of France .
6. This is the necklace. My brother bought it for my birthday.
This is the necklace which my brother bought for my birthday.
7. I want you to meet Martin. I've been writing to him for years.
I want you to meet Martin, who I’ve been writing to for years.
8. You are going to a restaurant. It is very famous for its Indian food.
You are going to a restaurant which is very famous for Indian food.
9. Mary is my wife's only sister. I introduced her to you last night.
Mary, who I introduced to you last night, is my wife’s only sister
10. The spider wasn’t a poisonous one. It bit your child.
The spider wasn’t a poisonous one which bit your child.
11. World War II broke out in 1939. It lasted six years.
World War II, which lasted six years, broke out in 1939.
12. The factory belongs to Mr. Connery. Its walls are made of brick.
The factory belongs to Mr. Connery which walls are made of brick.