English practice exercises: relative clauses summary P6-02W
The following proficiency-level exercises are intended to enable students to assess their understanding of the whole range of relative clause usage, except for relatives used with prepositions, which is treated separately.
Exercise A. Insert relative pronouns in the gaps.
NOTE
a) Where more than one is possible, insert both.
b) If a relative is possible but NOT NECESSARY, insert both the relative and (x).
c) Where a relative would normally not be used, insert only (x).
Examples
0. We had a meeting with the supervisor, ________ was not in a very good mood.
We had a meeting with the supervisor, __who______ was not in a very good mood.
00. We had a meeting with the supervisor ________ I’d spoken to on the phone.
We had a meeting with the supervisor ___who / (x)_____ I’d spoken to on the phone.
000. You know, Tom, that was the one possibility ________ I’d always been dreading.
You know, Tom, that was the one possibility __(x)______ I’d always been dreading.
Now try these
1. My sister is one of those people __________ never takes ‘no’ for an answer.
2. The old house, _________ stood on its own in some tall trees, needed a lot of repairs.
3. I’m looking for a place _______ I can keep my car under cover.
4. The accident was caused by a lorry __________ driver had fallen asleep at the wheel.
5. So the girl __________ I was going out with that summer was called Mandy.
6. That was a period of my life __________ I was away on business for much of the time.
7. We were living in the house ___________ I told you about, and looking very hard for work.
8. Paul, _________ parents had a holiday cottage in the country, invited us to go and stay.
9. I managed to get A grades in my A levels, _________ meant I did get into the university of my choice.
10. I could never bring myself to tell her the reason __________ I left her.
Exercise B. Right or wrong?
In the following sentences, is the relative pronoun, or its absence [(x)] correct (ü) or incorrect (x)? 1. Mark accordingly. 2. Correct at end of sentence if needed.
Examples
0. The bank, that had just made a several thousand staff redundant, was still looking to cut costs. x – which, not that
00. I’ll send you the email (x) I promised as soon as I get home. ü
Now try these
1. The moment which you have to give your first public speech is always a difficult one.
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2. I bought this watch from my uncle’s jeweller’s shop, which / that went out of business last year. ………………………
3. The actress, that I had often seen on television, spoke movingly about her early life.
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4. I’ve always wanted a car which roof could be taken right down in summer.
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5. I wish I hadn’t bought this camera which / that / (x) I saw in an online shop. ……………….
6. At the conference I bumped into an old friend called Sara, who / that / (x) used to be at the same college as me. ……………………….
7. She is a woman whose age I have always underestimated. ………………..
8. The home team took the lead immediately after half time, that had a bad psychological effect on their opponents. ………………………
9. I’m working for a woman (x) looks rather like my mother. ………………………….
10. This is a town that you can have a really good time, especially in summer
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Exercise C. Combine sentences
Combine each pair of sentences into one sentence, using a relative pronoun where needed, or indicating with an (x) if one is not required. Make sure also to pay attention to the punctuation. Indicate where more than one relative is possible.
1. The museum has just been given a facelift. Its main hall is one of the biggest in the world.
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2. In the end, nobody wanted to go on the trip. This was very upsetting for the organisers.
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3. In the 90th minute, the goalkeeper made a brilliant save. It was his third of the match.
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4. My grandmother was a land girl in the second world war. She had in fact been brought up on a farm.
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5. I know a quiet country lane. In September you can pick pounds of blackberries there.
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6. My sister’s best friend is a tall girl called Judy. Judy used to do some modelling work for a mail-order company.
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7. Somebody has just stolen the bike. I bought it three days ago.
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8. I bought the table from a guy. His ex-wife used to own an antique shop.
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9. I bought the table from a guy. I know him. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
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10. I bought the table from a local guy. It’s an eight-seater Regency in Cuban mahogany. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
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