RELATIVE CLAUSES

RELATIVE PRONOUNS
WHO - para referirnos a personas
WHICH - para referirnos a objetos
WHOM - para referirnos a personas (más formal) y siempre que hablemos
de persona y tengamos una preposición ante el relativo (to whom).
WHOSE - para indicar posesión
WHERE - para referirnos a un lugar
WHEN - para referirnos a un momento
WHY - para indicar una razón

DEFINING CLAUSES
Aportan información esencial para entender de quién o de qué estamos
hablando.

Example: The boy who lives next door is a tennis player

En este tipo de relative clauses which y who pueden sustituirse por that.

Example: The book which/that you are reading is amazing.

En ocasiones podemos omitir los pronombres relativos who, which, that,

when, why. Debemos fijarnos si detrás tenemos otro sujeto.

Example: The exercise (which) the teacher corrected was really hard.
The exercise which was really hard was corrected yesterday.

NON-DEFINING CLAUSES
Aportan información extra no esencial para entender a quién o a qué nos
referimos. Van entre comas.
NUNCA usaremos that en este tipo de relative clauses
NO podemos omitir el pronombre relativo

Example: María, who won a medal last year, is going to run the marathon.
My boss, whose wife owns three shops, is really hard-working.
The new film, which will be released in May, is about adventures.
DEFINING
1. Underline the relative clauses and write Subject Clause or Object Clause to
indicate the type of relative clause:

1. I wouldn't stay in a hotel that refused to accept children.

2. I don't understand people who hate animals.
3. The stereo that I bought last week doesn't work properly.
4. The television that they have designed will be very expensive.
5. That man who complained is always making trouble.
6. The woman who gave us all this money is not very rich.
7. I admire people who can speak more than one language.
8. The assistant that you complained about has been moved.

2. Fill in the correct relative pronoun. Write S if the relative is the subject
and O if it is the object.
1. Did you see the man ________ stole her bag?
2. The eggs ________ you've bought are bad.
3. Please give me the keys ________ are on the table.
4. Is that the man ________ we saw in the park yesterday?
5. What's the name of the lady ________ babysits for you?
6. Tom is playing with the dog ________ lives next door.
7. Have you eaten all the cakes ________ I made yesterday?
8. How old is the man ________ owns this shop?
9. Have you met the man ________ Jackie is going to marry?
10. Let's all look at the picture ________ is on page seven.
11. Has Peter returned the money ________ he borrowed from you?
12. What colour is the dress ________ you are going to wear tonight?
13. The police have arrested the man ________ murdered his wife.
14. The parcel ________ is on the table is your birthday present.
15. We will ask the man ________ delivers our milk to leave an extra bottle.

3.- Join the sentences using who or which. Omit the relative if necessary.
1. This is the new car. I bought it last month.
2. I know the girls. They are waiting outside.
3. I liked the film. You told me about it.
4. I met the man. You gave a ride to him.
5. The boy is my cousin. He is playing tennis.
6. The desk was very expensive. Susan broke it yesterday.
7. The person is very interesting. I talked to her last night.
8. I like the record. We listened to it yesterday.
9. The people were fun to be with. I met them at the party.
10. I was amazed at the project. Alex worked on it.

4. Join these sentences using a relative clause. Attention to the preposition.

Write two sentences.
1. The bed wasn't very comfortable. I slept in it last night.

2. The woman left my friend after a few weeks. He fell in love with her.

3. The man talked all the time. I was sitting next to him on the plane.

4. Unfortunately we couldn't go to the wedding. We were invited to it.

5. What's the name of the hotel? You told me about it.

6. I didn't get the job. I applied for the job.

7. George is a good person. You can rely on him.

8. Who was that man in the restaurant? I saw you with a man.

5. Join the sentences using whose.

1. I met a woman at the party. Her mother writes detective stories.

2. I can't remember the name of the woman. Her parents used to work in a circus.

3. The man came yesterday. His wife is an English teacher.

4. What's the name of the man? You borrowed his car.

5. A few days ago I met a girl. I went to school with her brother.

6. We saw some people. Their car had broken down.

6. Join the sentences using who, when, where, which or whose, only if necessary.
1. She's the girl. She works in the library.
2. Corfu is an island. It has many beautiful beaches.
3. Here's the alarm clock. I bought it yesterday.
4. I've spoken to the man. His house was burgled last Monday.
5. That's the lady. Her jewellery was stolen.
6. That is the radio. I won it in the competition.
7. John is the man. His house was destroyed by the fire.
8. There is the hospital. I was born there.
9. That was the summer. I met my wife then.
10. France is the country. The best wine is produced there.
11. 1945 was the year. The Second World War ended then.
12. That's the hotel. I stayed there last summer.
13. August is the month. Most people go on holiday then.

7. Fill in with a relative. Write if the sentence is defining (D) or non-defining (ND).
1. David ________ is a friendly person is my cousin. -->
2. The chair ________ we bought last week is an antique. -->
3. My coins ________ are very valuable have been stolen. -->
4. Mr. Grant ________ you met at the party is my boss. -->
5. The records ________ we are listening to can be used for the party. -->
6. The boy ________ I sit next to comes from London. -->
7. Mallorca ________ is the largest of the Balearic Islands is a popular resort. -->
8. People _________ don’t have British passports need a visa to enter the country. -

NON-DEFINING
8. Join the sentences using a relative pronoun.
1. Janet is already a famous actress. She is only 16 years old.

2. My cousin's flat is in the same building as mine. He bought it last year.

3. Steven Spielberg is my favourite director. He directed E.T. and Jurassic Park.

4. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. We learned about him.
5. Diana Jones is my sister. She plays the part of Alice.

6. The White Lion is an excellent Indian restaurant. It specialises in tandoori cooking.

7. Paul's children are very clever. They are very naughty.

8. London is one of the most important cities in the world. I lived there for a year.

9. Richard Gere is a very good actor. He was the star of Pretty Woman.

10. Liz has gone to Washington. It’s the capital of the USA.

11 Valencia is a great place. Valencia is due east of Madrid.

12 Jimbo is living in Thailand now. Jimbo got divorced last year.

13 Clare is a good teacher. I don't like Clare very much.

14 The Flaca pub rocks. I met my girlfriend in The Flaca. (use WHERE)

15 My greasy neighbour stinks of after-shave. My greasy neighbour is a bus driver.

DEFINING / NON-DEFINING
9. Complete the sentences with a relative pronoun. Draw an X next to the
sentence if the relative pronoun can be omitted.

1. This bike, ___________ I bought last moth, cannot be fixed.

2. The neighbour ___________ works for my dad is very noisy at night.
3. That's the woman ___________ son lives in Brooklyn.
4. The art gallery, ___________ you can admire the early works of Van Gogh, is
located in the city centre.
5. The flowers ___________ she gave me have bright colors.
6. I know the village ___________ the film was shot.
7. She shouted at me and that's the reason ___________ I am quitting the job.
8. Tania, ___________ first job was as a receptionist, runs a small café in town now.
9. I have a classmate ___________ failed 5 subjects last term.
10. I'll never forget the day ___________ I met your father.
10. Join the sentences using a relative pronoun. Use commas if necessary.
Omit the relative if possible.
1. I took our visitors to the British Museum. They have a wonderful collection there.

2. Iliana will never forget the day. She became the captain of the ship then.

3. This is Mr. Jones. His son won a gold medal at the last Olympics.

4. I told the police about the man. He tried to steal my car.

5. Paris is the capital of France. It stands on the River Seine.

6. This is the necklace. My brother bought it for my birthday.

7. I want you to meet Martin. I've been writing to him for years.

8. You are going to a restaurant. It is very famous for its Indian food.

9. Mary is my wife's only sister. I introduced her to you last night.

10. The spider wasn’t a poisonous one. It bit your child.

11. World War II broke out in 1939. It lasted six years.

12. The factory belongs to Mr. Connery. Its walls are made of brick.

13. She showed me a photograph of her son. Her son is a policeman.

14. The new stadium will be opened next month. The stadium holds 90,000 people.

15. John is one of my closest friends. I have known John for eight years

16. The boy is one of my closest friends. He is waiting for me.

17. Thank you for your letter. I was very happy to get your letter.

18. The letter is in the drawer. Peter has sent the letter to you.

19. Next week-end I’m going to Glasgow. My sister lives in Glasgow.

20. Next summer we are visiting the town. My father was born in this town.

21. The storm caused a lot of damage. Nobody had been expecting the storm.
22. That man over there is an artist. I don’t remember his name.

23. Mr Yates is retiring next month. He has worked for the same company all his life.

24. My sister is visiting us next week. You once met her.

25. Mr Carter is very interested in our plan. I spoke to him last night.

26. I’ve just bought some books about astronomy. I’m very interested in astronomy.

27. The man is in prison. Janet fell in love with this man.

28. Mr Roberts is in prison. Janet fell in love with him.

11. Rephrase the sentences beginning as shown.

1. I sent something to you. Did you receive it?
Did you
2. I couldn’t buy the book. You recommended it to me.
I
3. My sister didn’t want to go to bed. She had been waiting for the party all day.
My sister
4. Pamela has just met the boy. She asked you for his phone number.
Pamela
5. Sarah introduced me to her brother. I was looking forward to meeting him.
Sarah
6. Alex Crivillé has finished second in the World Championship. His team mate Mike
Doohan has been his only
rival.
Alex
7. The little girl appeared among the bushes. We had been looking for her.
The little
8. Your friend Mike ran over a little girl. She’s my neighbour’s daughter.
The little girl
9. Uncle George didn’t want to come with us. We had taken him to town.
Uncle George
10. Andrew showed me some photographs. I recommend you to see them.
I