Relative Clauses - Interactive ESL Worksheet

Relative Clauses

Age: 13-16Level: pre-intermediateLanguage: English (en)Country: ArgentinaSubject: ESLCreated by: El-Arbi Ameur

Introduction to Relative Clauses

Relative clauses are clauses starting with the relative pronouns who, whom, whose, which, that, where, when. They are used to give additional information about something without starting another sentence.

A relative clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a noun or noun phrase. It provides additional information about the noun it refers to.

Example: The book that you gave me was really interesting.

Exercises

Exercise 1: Choose the correct relative pronoun

1. The woman ___ lives next door is a doctor.

whichwhowhere

Exercise 2: Fill in the blank with a relative pronoun

2. This is the restaurant ___ we had our first date.

Exercise 3: Combine the sentences using a relative clause

3. I have a friend. She speaks five languages.

Exercise 4: Identify whether the relative clause is defining or non-defining

4. My brother, who lives in Australia, is coming to visit.

DefiningNon-defining

Exercise 5: Correct the mistake in the relative clause

5. The car what I bought last week has already broken down.

Exercise 6: Choose the correct option

6. The book ___ I read last summer was about space exploration.

whowherewhichwhose

Exercise 7: Complete the sentence with a relative clause

7. The museum _________________________ is closed on Mondays. (add a relative clause)

Exercise 8: Multiple choice - relative pronouns/adverbs

8. The reason ___ I'm calling is to invite you to my party.

whywhichwhenwho

Exercise 9: Identify the relative clause in the sentence

9. The students who studied hard passed the exam easily.

Exercise 10: Rewrite the sentence using a relative clause

10. I lost a bag. It contained my passport and money.

Quick Summary

• Relative clauses give extra information about nouns
• They begin with relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, that, where, when
• Defining clauses are essential to the meaning
• Non-defining clauses give extra information (use commas)
• 'That' can replace 'who' or 'which' in defining clauses

Relative Pronouns Chart

Pronoun	Use	Example
who	people (subject)	The woman who called
whom	people (object)	The man whom I met
whose	possession	The boy whose bike was stolen
which	things/animals	The book which I read
that	people/things	The car that I bought
where	places	The house where I grew up
when	time	The day when we met

✓ Pro Tip

You can omit the relative pronoun when it's the object of the relative clause. Example: "The book (that) I read was interesting."

✗ Common Mistake

Don't use 'what' as a relative pronoun. Incorrect: "The car what I bought..." Correct: "The car that I bought..."

Practice Tips

1. Identify the noun being described
2. Determine if the information is essential (defining) or extra (non-defining)
3. Choose the appropriate relative pronoun
4. Remember punctuation for non-defining clauses
5. Practice by combining simple sentences