By: Nguyen Dinh Duoc _ Binh Son High School _ Kien Giang Email:

[email protected]
I. Relative Clauses
We use relative clauses to give additional information about something without starting another sentence. By
combining sentences with a relative clause, your text becomes more fluent and you can avoid repeating certain
words.

II. How to Form Relative Clauses

Imagine, a girl is talking to Tom. You want to know who she is and ask a friend whether he knows her. You
could say:
A girl is talking to Tom. Do you know the girl?
That sounds rather complicated, doesn't it? It would be easier with a relative clause: you put both pieces of
information into one sentence. Start with the most important thing  – you want to know who the girl is.
Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom?

III. Relative Pronouns

Relative
Use Example
Pronoun
subject or object pronoun for people I told you about the woman who lives
who next door.
subject or object pronoun for animals and things Do you see the cat which is lying on the
which roof?
which referring to a whole sentence He couldn’t read which surprised me.
possession for people animals and things Do you know the boy whose mother is a
whose
nurse?
object pronoun for people, especially in non-defining I was invited by the professor whom I
whom relative clauses (in defining relative clauses we met at the conference.
colloquially prefer who)
subject or object pronoun for people, animals and I don’t like the table that stands in the
THAT things in defining relative clauses (who or which are kitchen.
also possible)

IV. Subject Pronoun or Object Pronoun?

Subject and object pronouns cannot be distinguished by their forms - who, which, that are used for subject and
object pronouns. You can, however, distinguish them as follows:
_ If the relative pronoun is followed by a verb, the relative pronoun is a subject pronoun. Subject
pronouns must always be used.
_ If the relative pronoun is not followed by a verb (but by a noun or pronoun), the relative pronoun is an
object pronoun.

V. Relative Adverbs
A relative adverb can be used instead of a relative pronoun plus preposition. This often makes the sentence
easier to understand.
This is the shop in which I bought my bike.
 This is the shop where I bought my bike.
Relative
Meaning Use Example
adverb
when in/on which refers to a time expression the day when we met him
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By: Nguyen Dinh Duoc _ Binh Son High School _ Kien Giang Email:
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where in/at which refers to a place the place where we met him
why for which refers to a reason the reason why we met him

VI. Defining Relative Clauses

Defining relative clauses (also called identifying relative clauses or restrictive relative clauses) give
detailed information defining a general term or expression. Defining relative clauses are not put in commas.
Ex: Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom?
Object pronouns in defining relative clauses can be dropped. (Sentences with a relative clause without the
relative pronoun are called Contact Clauses.)
Ex: The boy (who/whom) we met yesterday is very nice.

VII. Non-Defining Relative Clauses

Non-defining relative clauses (also called non-identifying relative clauses or non-restrictive relative clauses)
give additional information on something, but do not define it. Non-defining relative clauses are put in
commas.
Ex: Do you know the girl, who is talking to Tom?
*** Note: In non-defining relative clauses, who/which may not be replaced with that.
Object pronouns in non-defining relative clauses must be used.
Ex: Jim, who/whom we met yesterday, is very nice.
Defining Nound: _ Modified by a possessive adjective. (My, his, her, your, its…)
_ A proper Noun (Hanoi, Nam…)
_ Modified by a definite Article (The)
_ Modified by a demonstrative adjective: (This, that these those.)

VIII. How to Shorten Relative Clauses?

We can omit the relative pronoun when it is an object.
Ex: George is going to buy the house (that) we have been thinking of buying.
Relative clauses with who, which, that as subject pronoun can be replaced with a participle. This makes the
sentence shorter and easier to understand. We can omit Relative pronoun & To be in these cases:
_ Before extra clause whose verb in passive form.
Ex: The house which was built in 1980 is in good condition.
_ Before extra clause whose verb in progressive form.
Ex: The girl (who is) running down the street might be in trouble.
_ Before extra clause which followed by a preposition phrase.
Ex: The beaker (that is) on the counter contains a solution.
_ With Non-defining relative clause, we can omit Relative pronoun & To be when they stand before a
noun phrase.
Ex: Mr Jackson, (who is) a professor, is traveling in the Mideast this year.

_ Another case that we can replace Relative pronoun & main verb = V_ing when it modify an object.
Ex: The president made a speech for the famous man visiting (who visited)  visiting him.

*** Note:
People use “THAT” (not which) when:
_ It stand before a superlative Adjective + noun
Ex: That is the best novel that has been written by this author.
_ Before it is one of these pronoun: all, some, any, anything, everything, much, little, nothing v.v..

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By: Nguyen Dinh Duoc _ Binh Son High School _ Kien Giang Email:
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        Ex: I want to see all that he possesses.
        All the apples that fall are eaten by pig.

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By: Nguyen Dinh Duoc _ Binh Son High School _ Kien Giang Email:
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EXERCISE ON RELATIVE CLAUSES (CONTACT CLAUSES)
Task 1: Relative Pronouns (who / which / whose)
Choose the correct relative pronoun (who, which, whose).
2. This is the bank _________ was robbed yesterday.
3. A boy _________ sister is in my class was in the bank at that time.
4. The man _________ robbed the bank had two pistols.
5. He wore a mask _________ made him look like Mickey Mouse.
6. He came with a friend _________ waited outside in the car.
7. The woman _________ gave him the money was young.
8. The bag _________ contained the money was yellow.
9. The people _________ were in the bank were very frightened.
10. A man _________ mobile was ringing did not know what to do.
11. A woman _________ daughter was crying tried to calm her.
12. The car _________ the bank robbers escaped in was orange.
13. The robber _________ mask was obviously too big didn't drive.
14. The man _________ drove the car was nervous.
15. He didn't wait at the traffic lights _________ were red.
16. A police officer _________ car was parked at the next corner stopped and arrested them.
17. This is the man _________ built our house.
18. There is the bridge _________ we have to cross.
19. The girl _________ lives next door is very nice.
20. The bus _________ takes you to the station should be here any minute.
21. A pacifist is a person_________ believes that all wars are wrong.
22. An orphan is a child_________ parents are dead.
23. I don't know the name of the woman_________ I met yesterday.
24. This school is only for children_________ first language is not English.
25. The woman_________ I wanted to see was away on holiday.

Task 2: Subject Pronouns or Object Pronouns?

Decide whether the relative pronoun is a subject pronoun or an object pronoun.
1. Do you know the girl who I danced with? _________
2. Do you know the girl who danced with me? _________
3. The apples that are lying on the table are bad. _________
4. The apples that we bought in the shop are bad. _________
5. We will stay at a hotel which is not far from the beach. _________
6. We will stay at a hotel which my friend has recommended to us. _________
7. That is a museum which I like very much. _________
8. That is a museum which lies in the heart of the town. _________
9. This is the man who Barbara visited in Scotland. _________
10. This is the man who lives in Scotland. _________
11. This is the ring that I found yesterday. _________
12. Do you know the man that is speaking with Anne? _________
13. I still have the book that you gave me. _________
14. Is this the woman that lost her purse? _________
15. Is this the key that we were looking for? _________

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By: Nguyen Dinh Duoc _ Binh Son High School _ Kien Giang Email:
[email protected]
Task 3: Relative Pronouns - necessary or not?
Decide whether the relative pronouns must be used or not.
1. A calendar is something which tells you the date. _________
2. Strikers are soccer players who try to score goals for their team. _________
3. Jane is a person who everybody likes. _________
4. A stamp is something which you put on a letter if you want to send it. _________
5. The Thames is a river which runs through London. _________
6. Cheese is food which mice like eating. _________
7. A racket is something which you use to hit a ball when you play tennis or badminton. _________
8. Socks are things which you wear on your feet. _________
9. A guide is a person who shows tourists around around a place. _________
10. Love is a feeling which nobody can describe. _________
11. The book which is on the table belongs to Brandon. _________
12. The museum which we visited last month is closed now. _________
13. The man who you saw in the house is my cousin. _________
14. Bob, who I know very well, is going out with Mary. _________
15. I cannot forget the song which they played last night. _________
16. The woman who is talking to Sue is my aunt. _________
17. I cannot remember the hotel that we stayed at. _________
18. Lucy, who I haven't seen for ages, rang me last night. _________
19. A person that you don't trust won't trust you either. _________
20. My father, whom I helped to install his computer, always forgets his password. _________

Task 4: Relative Adverbs

Choose the correct relative adverb.
1. This is the station _________ Emily met James.
2. July and August are the months _________ most people go on holiday.
3. Do you know the reason _________ so many people in the world learn English?
4. This is the church _________ Sue and Peter got married.
5. Edinburgh is the town _________ Alexander Graham Bell was born.
6. 25 December is the day _________ children in Great Britain get their Christmas presents.
7. A famine was the reason _________ so many Irish people emigrated to the USA in the 19th century.
8. A greengrocer's is a shop _________ you can buy vegetables.
9. The day _________ I arrived was very nice.
10. A horror film was the reason _________ I couldn't sleep last night.

Tas 5: Relative Clauses - Formation

Complete the sentences using relative clauses. Use who and which.
1. A Scot is a person (live in Scotland)
_____________________________________________________________
2. Nessie is a monster (live in Loch Ness)
__________________________________________________________
3. A fridge is a thing (keep food cool)
______________________________________________________________
4. A DJ is someone (play music in a disco)
_________________________________________________________
5. A bee is an insect (make honey)
_______________________________________________________________

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By: Nguyen Dinh Duoc _ Binh Son High School _ Kien Giang Email:
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6. A lemon is a fruit (be yellow and sour)
___________________________________________________________
7. A watch is a thing (tell the time)
________________________________________________________________
8. A ferry is a ship (carry people across the water)
___________________________________________________
9. A shop assistant is someone (work in a shop)
_____________________________________________________
10. A key is a thing (can open and lock doors)
_______________________________________________________
11. A giant is someone (be very tall)
______________________________________________________________
12. An alarm clock is a clock (wake you up in the morning)
_____________________________________________
13. A ladybird is a red beetle (have black spots on its back)
____________________________________________
14. A waitress is a woman (serve food and drinks in a restaurant)
_______________________________________
15. Catherine and Sue are two girls (like dancing)
____________________________________________________
16. My mobile phone is something (be very important to me)
___________________________________________
17. Antony is a friend of mine (live in Boston)
_______________________________________________________
18. West Side Story is a musical (be very famous)
___________________________________________________
19. An airport is a place (planes land)
_____________________________________________________________

Task 7: Exercise on Relative Clauses (Contact clauses)

Write relative clauses without using the relative pronoun.

1. I gave you a book. It had many pictures.
_________________________________________________________
2. I am reading a book at the moment. It is very
interesting._____________________________________________
3. You live in a town. The town is very
old.__________________________________________________________
4. The sweets are delicious. I bought them
yesterday._________________________________________________
5. The football match was very exciting. My friend played in
it.___________________________________________
6. The letter hasn't arrived yet. I posted it three days
ago.______________________________________________
7. He lives in a house. The house is not very
big._____________________________________________________
8. They are playing a song on the radio. Do you like it?
________________________________________________
9. Jane wore a beautiful shirt yesterday. Did you see it?
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By: Nguyen Dinh Duoc _ Binh Son High School _ Kien Giang Email:
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_______________________________________________
10. Sue is going out with a boy. I don't like
him.______________________________________________________

Task 8: Relative clauses - defining or non-defining?

Study the situations and then decide whether the following relative clauses are defining or non-defining.
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.

Task 9: Non-Defining Relative Clauses

Combine the sentences using relative clauses. Note that all relative clauses are non-defining.
1. Samuel Johnson was the son of a bookseller. Samuel Johnson was born in 1709.

____________________________________________________________________________________
_____
2. In 1728, he went to Oxford. He studied at Pembroke College in Oxford.

____________________________________________________________________________________
_____
3. Johnson had to leave Oxford without a degree. He was too poor to pay the fees.

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By: Nguyen Dinh Duoc _ Binh Son High School _ Kien Giang Email:
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____________________________________________________________________________________
_____
4. In 1737, Johnson moved to London. There he wrote poetry, essays and biographies.
 _____________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. In 1746, Johnson started to write his dictionary. It took him nine years to complete.

____________________________________________________________________________________
_____
6. His home at that time was in 17 Gough Square in London. It is a museum now.

____________________________________________________________________________________
_____
7. In this house, his wife died in 1752. Her name was Elizabeth Porter.

____________________________________________________________________________________
_____
8. In 1755, the work was published. It was called A Dictionary of the English Language.

____________________________________________________________________________________
_____
9. Samuel Johnson died in 1784. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.

____________________________________________________________________________________
_____
10. We spent our holiday in Scotland last year. Scotland is in the north of Great Britain.
 __________
______________________________________________________________________________
11. People live in Scotland. They are called Scots.
 _________
_______________________________________________________________________________
12. We first went to Edinburgh. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland.

____________________________________________________________________________________
_____
13. Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh. He wrote the Sherlock Holmes stories.

____________________________________________________________________________________
_____
14. Then we visited a lake. It is in the Highlands.

____________________________________________________________________________________
_____
15. Loch Ness is 37 km long. People know it for its friendly monster.

____________________________________________________________________________________
_____
16. There we met an old man. He told us that he had seen Nessie.

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____________________________________________________________________________________
_____
17. We then travelled to a mountain. The mountain is near the town of Fort William.

____________________________________________________________________________________
_____
18. The mountain is the highest mountain in Great Britain. It is called Ben Nevis.

____________________________________________________________________________________
_____
19. I sent you a postcard. It was written on the summit of Ben Nevis.

____________________________________________________________________________________
_____

Task 10. Decide whether the relative pronoun is correct or not.

1. The postman which works in this village is very old.
2. The egg which is in the nest is brown.
3. Where is the bed who was in the attic?
4. The bottles that are lying on the floor are green.
5. The cowboy who is wearing the red shirt is very funny.

Task 10. Mix Exercise on Relative Clause

1. A girl was injured in the accident. She is now in hospital.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
2. A man answered the phone. He told me you were away.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
3. A waitress served us. She was very impolite and impatient.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
4. A building was destroyed in the fire. It has now been rebuilt.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
5. Some people were arrested. They have now been released.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
6. A bus goes to the airport. It runs every half an hour.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
7. Peter is studying French and German. He has never been abroad.
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By: Nguyen Dinh Duoc _ Binh Son High School _ Kien Giang Email:
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
____________________________________________________________________________________
__
8. You've all met Michael Wood. He is visiting us for a couple of days.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
9. We are moving to Manchester. Manchester is in the north-west.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
10. I'll be staying with Adrian. His brother is one of my closest friends.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
11. John Bridge is one of my oldest friends. He has just gone to live in Canada.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
12. Jack is my new friend. His parents come from China.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
13. Mr. Gomez is my new neighbor. He comes from Brazil.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
14. On Easter Island there were only 4,000 inhabitants. The Dutch had gone there in search of
supplies.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
15. My sister is living in India. Its population is second only to China.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
16. Next year will be an important period for me. I have to take the graduation exam next year.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
17. Round the corner is a building. Its windows are all broken.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
18. Ann and her husband are working in Angola. The death rate of this country is quite high.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__

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By: Nguyen Dinh Duoc _ Binh Son High School _ Kien Giang Email:
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19. These Swedish families will be given 20 years' income tax-free. The government praised these
families for having more children.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__

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By: Nguyen Dinh Duoc _ Binh Son High School _ Kien Giang Email:
[email protected]
Task 10. Relative Clause with preposition.
Complete the following sentences, using who, whom, which or that.
1. Jack is the one_________ I miss most.
2. It was a kind of computer with_________ I was not familiar.
3. Do you get on with the person_________ lives next door?
4.I must thank the man from_________ I got the present.
5. It is an event_________ I would rather forget.
6. The meeting to_________ I went was interesting.
7. The person_________ did it was never caught.
8. That's the woman to _________ Jim used to be married.

Rewrite these sentences using relative clause with preposition.

1. The man was very kind. I talked to him yesterday.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
2. The man works in the hospital. I told you about him.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
3. The woman teaches me English. I am telling you about her.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
4. The movie is fantastic. They are talking about it.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
5. The picture was beautiful. She was looking at it.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
6. I'll give you the address. You should write to it.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
7. Here's the address. You should write to this address.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
8. They finally found the most beautiful church. In front of the church stood a statue.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
9. Renewable energy sources are difficult topics. I'm not familiar with these topics.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__
10. This country now has 300 wind turbines. The national network relies on these turbines.
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
____________________________________________________________________________________
__
11. Solar energy is the only way to solve the problem of energy shortage now. We've been very
much worried
about that problem.

____________________________________________________________________________________
__

Task 10. Relative Clause in shorten form.

1. The man who spoke to John is my brother.
2. The boy who is playing the piano is Ben.
3. Do you know the woman who is coming toward us?
4. The people who are waiting for the bus in the rain are getting wet.
5. The scientists who are researching the causes of cancer are making progress.
6. The fence which surrounds our house is made of wood.
7. We have an apartment which overlooks the park.
8. The ideas which are presented in that book are interesting.
9. come from a city that is located in the southern part of the country.
10. They live in a house that was built in 1890.
11. The photographs which were published in the newspaper were extraordinary.
12. The experiment which was conducted at the University of Chicago was successful.
13. They work in a hospital which was sponsored by the government.
14. Yuri Gagarin was the first man who flew into space.
15. John was the last man who reached the top of the mountain.
16. The last person who leaves the room must turn off the light.
17. The first person that we must see is Mr. Smith.
18. This is the second person who was killed in that way.
19. The first person who catches the ball will be the winner.
20. In the years that are to come, all the trees in this forest will disappear if nothing is done to protect
them.
21. They couldn't find a way that may help clean the polluted river.
22. Animals that are born in zoos know nothing about life in the forests.
23. The governments of many countries are discussing methods that can protect the environment.
24. During a boat tour along the canals, tourists can see the birds that are searching for food or the
cranes that
are flying in flocks.
25. Are national parks good places that can house wild animals?
26. There is nothing more that we can do about the fire.
27. The noise which comes from the boat engine might disturb sea animals.
28. The next question that they will consider is how to clean up the garbage.
29. The team, which includes about two dozen Sherpas (the native Himalayan people who work as
guides or
porters in the mountains), uses backpacks to carry the garbage to their base at the foot of Mt.
Everest.

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