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GRAMMAR NOTES: RELATIVE CLAUSES
A relative clause is a part of a sentence that describes a noun (a person, animal, thing, or place). We use relative
pronouns to connect the clause to the noun.
Relative Pronoun
Used for...
Example
who
People
The boy who is reading is my brother.
which
Animals and Things
The book which I read is very interesting.
that
People, Animals, Things
The car that is parked outside is red.
whose
Possession (Belonging)
The girl whose bag is blue is my friend.
where
Places
This is the school where I study.
1. DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
Defining relative clauses give us essential (important) information. We need this information to understand
exactly who or what the sentence is about. Do NOT use commas in defining relative clauses.
Example:
The boy who is wearing a red hat is my brother.
(Without the clause, we wouldn't know which boy you are talking about.)
Note: In defining clauses, we can use that instead of who or which.
2. NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
Non-defining relative clauses give us extra information. If we remove this part, the sentence still makes sense.
We MUST use commas before and after a non-defining relative clause.
Example:
My mother, who is a teacher, cooks very well.
(We already know who "my mother" is. The clause just gives extra information.)
Note: We CANNOT use that in a non-defining relative clause.
Grammar Practice: Relative Clauses
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EXERCISE A: FILL IN THE BLANKS
INSTRUCTIONS: Fill in the blanks with the correct relative pronoun (WHO, WHICH, WHOSE,
WHERE, OR THAT). Look carefully to see if the sentence has commas!
1.
The girl
2.
I cannot find the pencil
3.
Mr. Brown,
4.
This is the exact park
5.
The boy
6.
The chocolate cake,
7.
Please give me the dictionary
8.
Do you know the man
9.
The restaurant
10. Mary,
won the spelling bee is very smart.
my father bought for me yesterday.
is our English teacher, told us a funny story today.
I learned how to ride my bicycle.
glasses are broken is crying in the corner.
is my favorite dessert, was baked by my aunt.
is sitting on the teacher's desk.
car is parked right in front of our gate?
we ate pizza last night was very clean and nice.
sits next to me in class, is my best friend.
11. I really like the shiny red shoes
12. My pet cat,
13. A dentist is a doctor
are displayed in the shop window.
loves to sleep all day, is getting very fat.
helps people take care of their teeth.
14. The big house
roof is painted blue belongs to my uncle.
15. An elephant,
is a very large land animal, has a long gray trunk.
Grammar Practice: Relative Clauses
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16. We visited the natural history museum
17. The young children,
were playing outside in the rain, got very wet and cold.
18. This is the new video game
19. Our school library,
they keep huge dinosaur bones.
everyone at school is talking about.
is located on the ground floor, is very quiet.
20. I want to thank the helpful woman
found my lost wallet.
EXERCISE B: SENTENCE JOINING
INSTRUCTIONS: Join the two sentences into one sentence using a relative pronoun (WHO, WHICH,
WHOSE, WHERE). Add commas if it is a NON-DEFINING relative clause.
1.
The man is my uncle. He is wearing a blue shirt.
2.
The movie was very funny. We watched it last night.
3.
Mrs. Lee is our class teacher. She is very kind. (Non-defining)
4.
This is the public library. I borrow books here every single week.
5.
The little girl is crying loudly. Her favorite toy is broken.
Grammar Practice: Relative Clauses
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6.
The cute dog is mine. It is chasing the red ball.
7.
My older brother is a university student. He studies very hard. (Non-defining)
8.
The computer is completely broken. I bought it just yesterday.
9.
I met a young boy at school. His father is a famous pop singer.
10. The city park is beautiful. We are having a picnic there right now.
11. The red apple is sweet. It is resting on the teacher's desk.
12. Tom is a very good soccer player. He is my next-door neighbor. (Non-defining)
13. This is the Italian restaurant. We ate delicious pizza here last Sunday.
14. The kind woman is a nurse. She helped me when I was at the hospital.
Grammar Practice: Relative Clauses
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15. The noisy bird is a parrot. Its feathers are bright green and yellow.
16. The adventure storybook is very interesting. My best friend lent it to me.
17. Hong Kong is a busy city. It has many tall buildings. (Non-defining)
18. The boy is very tall. He sits at the back of our classroom.
19. This is the main hospital. I was born here ten years ago.
20. My mother loves cooking. She makes delicious chocolate cakes. (Non-defining)
Grammar Practice: Relative Clauses
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