Forming relative clauses

Combine the sentences using a relative clause. Use relatvie pronouns only
where necessary. Note that you have to use commas in some of the
sentences.
A holiday in Scotland
1.

We spent our holiday in Scotland last year. Scotland is in the north of Great
Britain.
Last year we

2.

spent our h

People live in Scotland. They are called Scots.

The people

3.

We first went to Edinburgh. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland.

We first

4.

Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh. He wrote the Sherlock Holmes
stories.
Arthur Conan Doyle

5.

Then we visited a lake. It is in the Highlands.

The lake

6.

Loch Ness is 37 km long. People know it for its friendly monster.

Loch Ness

7.

There we met an old man. He told us that he had seen Nessie.

An old man

8.

We then travelled to a mountain. The mountain is near the town of Fort

William.
We then

9.

The mountain is the highest mountain in Great Britain. It is called Ben Nevis.
The mountain

10.

I sent you a postcard. It was written on the summit of Ben Nevis.

The postcard

A.- COMPLETE THESE SENTENCES WITH A SUITABLE RELATIVE PRONOUN OR

1. That is the man

helped me when I fell down in the street.

2. Is that your car? No, mine is the one

is parked just opposite the bank.

3. That is the woman

4. This is the park

complained about the room service.

we first met. Do you remember?

5. So, James is the man

son came on the school trip with us? I din't know.

6. If you have any question, ask the girl

7. They had to put away the dog
8. I'm looking for a person
9. Do you still go to that pub
10.

is standing at the desk. She'll help yo

bit the boy. It was too dangerous.

surname begins with a "k".

we used to go as students?

The heating is not working. Do you know anyone

can fix it?

B.- JOIN THESE SENTENCES USING RELATIVE PRONOUNS BEGINNING WITH T

PRONOUN IF POSSIBLE.
1.

The girl is my sister. I'm talking to the girl. The girl

is my sister.

2.

This is the chair. The carpenter repaired it last week. This is the chair

3.

She is married to a man. He is richer than her. She is married to a man

4. She is the friend. She helped me with my homework. She is the friend
5. That is the swimming-pool. I used to go swimming there. That is the swimming-pool
6. That is the man. His wife is a famous actress. This is the man
7. A doctor examined me last Friday. He was really kind. The doctor

was really kin

8. The woman called the police. Her car had been stolen. The woman

calle

9. I went to a restaurant last week. It was very expensive. The restaurant

was

10. I saw a film last night. It was very interesting. The film

was very interesting.

C.- ARE THESE RELATIVE CLAUSES DEFINING OR NON-DEFINING?

1. London, which is the capital of England, is one of the largest cities in the world.
2. This is the dress my mother has made for me.
3. Queen Elizabeth II, who is 83, has been the queen of England for 57 years now.
4. That's the dog that bit me.
5. Tom Cruise, who has starred a lot of films, is a famous American actor.
6. The village where I grew up is very small.
7. Greg, whose job involves travelling a lot, has been in nearly all the countries in the world.
8. The office I have just rented is near my home.
9. This is the officer that arrested the burglar.
10.

Lady Gaga, who is a well-known pop star, is only 24

D.- CHOOSE THE RIGHT RELATIVE PRONOUN TO COMPLETE THESE SENTENCES.

1. Jim,

I've known for years, is my best friend.

2. My new coat,
3. My boss,

I bought in New York, is very warm and comfortable.

wife is French, travels to Paris regularly.

4. He didn't even say "thank you",

I found really rude.

5. Next summer I'm going to India,

I've never been before.

6. My sister,
7. Galileo Galilei,

is five years younger than me, is a lawyer.

suppported the heliocentric theory, was arrested by the Inquisition.

E.- JOIN THESE SENTENCES USING RELATIVE PRONOUNS BEGINNING WITH THE WORDS G
ADD COMMAS IF NECESSARY.
1. My school is very big. It is in Madrid. My school

is very big.

2. Robert Pattinson is an actor. He plays Edward Cullen in the Twilight saga. Robert Pattinson is

3. Robert Pattinson is a British actor. He plays Edward Cullen in the Twilight saga. Robert Pattinso
British actor.
4. I bought this cake yesterday. It tastes delicious. The cake

tastes delicious.

5. Michael is a policeman. His father is a judge. Michael

is a policeman.

6. I bought a computer last month. It doesn't work properly. The computer

doe

7. Prince Charles will be the king of England one day. His mother is Queen Elizabeth. Prince Char
king of England one day.
8.
9.

I was given a dog. It is very friendly. The dog

is very friendly.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written by Mark Twain. I enjoyed it a lo

Finn
was written by Mark Twain.
Kelly is the woman. She took me to hospital when I fainted at school. Mrs K

10. Mrs

woman

Relative clauses - defining or non-defining?

Study the situations and then decide whether the following relative clauses are
defining or non-defining.
defining no commas
non-defining commas
1.

I have three brothers.

My brother who lives in Sidney came to see me last month.
My brother, who lives in Sidney, came to see me last month.

2.

I have one sister.

My sister who is 25 years old spent her holiday in France.
My sister, who is 25 years old, spent her holiday in France.

3.

Bob's mum has lost her keys.

Bob's mum who is a musician has lost her car keys.
Bob's mum, who is a musician, has lost her car keys.

4.

My friend Jane moved to Canada.

My friend Jane whose husband is Canadian moved to Canada last week.
My friend Jane, whose husband is Canadian, moved to Canada last week.

5.

I am a shoe fanatic.
The shoes which I bought yesterday are very comfortable.
The shoes, which I bought yesterday, are very comfortable.

6.

Mr Robinson is very famous.

Mr Robinson whom I met at the trade fair is a famous inventor.
Mr Robinson, whom I met at the trade fair, is a famous inventor.

7.

Tamara has two cats. Both of them are black.

Tamara's two cats which can play outside are black.
Tamara's two cats, which can play outside, are black.

8.

Kevin has four cats. Two of them are black.

Kevin's two cats which are black can play outside.
Kevin's two cats, which are black, can play outside.

9.

We are on holiday. Yesterday we visited a church.

The church which we visited yesterday is very old.
The church, which we visited yesterday, is very old.

10.

We are on holiday. Yesterday we visited a church.

St. Mary's Church which we visited yesterday is very old.
St. Mary's Church, which we visited yesterday, is very old.

Practice on the defining and non-defining relative

clauses
A relative clause is an added part in a sentence that is used in relation to the main
sentence. However, sometimes a relative clause is so important that the main sentence will
be difficult to understand or have no meaning without it. This is called a defining relative
clause. On the other hand, we often use a relative clause just to add extra information,
which is usually indicated by the use of commas. The meaning of the main sentence will
still be clear without it and it is therefore called a non-defining relative clause. By using

commas in written English and a slight pause in spoken English, two identical clauses can
have different meanings when used in a sentence.
Choose the correct explanation for each sentence:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

All my friends who are Asian came to my party.

All my friends, who are Asian, came to my party.
The Italian restaurant in Long Street got a new owner.
The Italian restaurant, which is in Long Street, got a new owner.
My cousin who lives in New York is getting married next year.
My cousin, who lives in New York, is getting married next year.
We study at the only school in Cape Town, which has afternoon lessons.
We study at the only school in Cape Town which has afternoon lessons.
The book which I finished yesterday was fantastic.
The book, which I finished yesterday, was fantastic.

Type the sentence number into the space below:

Today's lesson is by Danica, EC Cape Town
Link: What's a relative clause

There is only one Italian restaurant in town and it now has a new owner:

There are many schools in Cape Town but only one that has afternoon lessons:

I am reading many books at the moment. Some of them are boring, but not the one
I finished yesterday:

I have many cousins who live in various countries all over the world:

I have only Asian friends:

There are many Italian restaurants all over town, but only the one in Long Street
now has a new owner:

I was reading only one book and I finished it yesterday:

There is only one school in Cape Town and it has afternoon lessons, too:

I have only one cousin. She now lives in New York:

I have many friends, but only my Asian friends came to my party

Fill in the correct relative pronoun.

Possible careers in music
Q: I was wondering what some of the different career opportunities are in music other than being a singer
or professional musician?
A: There are a million different jobs in music (who/which) don't involve performing professionally; it's a
great business for that.

One obvious one is in teaching; you can go to college and become a professional music teacher either for
schools or as a private tutor. Peripatetic teachers, ones (that/which) travel from school to school, are very
popular just now.
Another suggestion is in music therapy. This can be helping people (who/which) have physical or mental
disabilities to use music as a tool in co-ordination. It can also help accident victims to re-use limbs
(who/that) have been broken or to come to terms with trauma.
If you are into instruments, you can look at the art of making and repairing either modern instruments such
as in piano tuning or by learning the skills to recreate old instruments. You'd probably need to talk to a
museum (who/whose/that) specialises in these instruments about what qualifications you'd need. In the
same vein there is conservation work to be had by training to restore old instruments in museums or
conserve old manuscripts.
For every person upfront enjoying the limelight there are about two hundred people backstage working in
music. There are recording engineers, artist managements, artists, songwriters, and A&R (artist and
repertoire - the people (who/whom) discover new acts). In broadcasting there are music journalists,
presenters, DJs and researchers.
Then there are all the people within local government (who/whom/which) run arts centres, festivals and
events. There are the entrepreneurs, agents and party planners. Within the film world there are the people
(who/whose) put music into the movies (music supervisors) as well as any number of people
(who/whom/which) work in the legal side of things; copyright is a burgeoning area of the law
in (who/which/that) music lawyers make an absolute mint.
Don't forget the retail side of things; running a record shop takes a true love of music if you want to get it
right.
Basically, if you let your mind think laterally, there is a music job out there (whom/that) will suit you...