Relative clauses defining and nondefining test english. Relative clauses worksheet 1 learning english online. I met rebecca in town yesterday, which was a nice surprise. I teach english and german to teenagers in buenos aires. Well use the examples above to demonstrate how to reduce both restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses. First, lets consider when the relative pronoun is the subject of a defining relative clause.
Relative pronouns relative pronouns introduce relative clauses. Relative clauses learnenglish teens british council. The most important unit of grammatical organization in linguistics is the sentence. Fill in the blanks with an appropriate relative pronoun. Nondefining relative clauses also called nonidentifying relative clauses or nonrestrictive relative clauses give additional information on something, but do not define it. English grammar online exercises and downloadable worksheets. Both that and which can be used in this relative clause and the pronoun can be left out because there is a subject. The pronoun can never be omitted in a nondefining relative clause. Next weekend im going to glasgow, where my sister lives.
A relative clause will begin with a relative pronoun such as who, whom, whose, which, or that or a relative adverb when, where, or why. Tenses printable pdf worksheets for english language learners intermediate level b1. Download fulltext pdf a discourse explanation of the grammar of relative clauses in english conversation article pdf available in language 662 june 1990 with 632 reads. Defining and nondefining relative clauses relative clauses with prepositions gap fill text short text on a historic english castle with gaps for relative pronouns and where necessary prepositions. If clauses pdf worksheets english vocabulary and grammar. Heres a list of all the relative clause exercises on the site.
As the name suggests, nondefining relative clauses tell us more about someone or something, but the information in these clauses does not help us to define what we are talking about. Relative clauses are a way of giving more information about a person, thing, place, event, etc. There are two broad types of relative clauses in english. To understand the distinctions between that and which it is necessary to understand defining restrictive and nondefining nonrestrictive clauses learning these distinctions is one technical aspect of grammar that every user of english should understand, because it is at the root of an assortment of grammatical errors.
Using the relative pronouns where, when, and which. Grammatik relative clauses and contact clauses 4 losungen exercise 1 a nick is a boy who is in my class. Relative pronouns in english are who, which, whose and that. Live worksheets english english as a second language esl relative clauses relative clauses relative clauses fill in the blanks, complete the sentences and choose the correct option. Restrictive relative clauses are sometimes called defining relative clauses or identifying relative clauses. You also cannot leave out the relative pronoun in nondefining relative clauses, in the way you sometimes can in defining relative clauses. Nondefining relative clauses english esl worksheets for. I am also a certified graphologist and i work mainly in the field of forensic graphology.
Finally, be sure the head noun has a verb after the adjective clause. The relative pronoun we use depends on what we are referring to and. That cannot be used as a relative pronoun in a nonrestrictive relative clause. Using who, whom, whose and example sentences in english table of contents using who in englishusing whom in englishusing whose in english using who in english who is used for people. The english relative clause machine translation archive. The letter thatwhich peter has sent to you is in the drawer. The distinction between restrictive, or integrated, relative clauses and nonrestrictive, or supplementary, relative clauses in english is shown not only in speaking through prosody, but also in writing through punctuation. All downloads are in pdf format and consist of a worksheet and answer sheet to check your results.
Relative clauses relative pronouns mixed relative pronouns 1 level. It is important to distinguish between them because it affects the choice of pronoun used to introduce the clause. English esl relative clauses worksheets most downloaded. Relative clauses practice relative pronouns exercise 1 2 3 who vs which exercise 1 2 3 which or where exercise drag and drop exercises. Put the relative pronoun in brackets if you can leave it out. In defining clauses, we can omit the relative pronoun in the position of object. We can leave out the pronoun if it is the object of the relative clause. Relative clauses relative clauses referring to a whole sentence relative clauses.
Second in importance is the clause and the best way to think about clauses is as part of a sentence. Relative clauses, using where, when, whose a relative clause is a sentence describing a noun, however, it cannot be used separately. Please contact me if you have any questions or ntact me if you have any questions or comments. The plan that he is thinking about will take a lot of work. Relative pronouns and relative clauses learnenglish. Super grammar relative clauses spag teaching resources. A grammar notebook file on relative clauses with supporting worksheet in both pdf to be printed and word formats to be altered to suit your lesson and p. The relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause. Defining relative pronouns exercise people that who whom owners whose things that which places where when the relative pronoun is an object, it can be omitted except with whose and where. The correct use of who and whom is a matter which many nonnative and native speakers of english alike have difficulty with. Relative pronouns are words like who, which, that, whom and where.
The relative pronoun can be the subject or the object of the relative clause. English relative clauses with who, definition and examples who is a kind of relative clause we use when the subject or object we want to describe is a human being. Two studies on chinese and english relative clauses were conducted. The uros people make fires, which they use for cooking. We use relative clauses to describe or tell something more about a person or a thing. To make a distinction between an antecedent that is a human whom and an antecedent which is a nonhuman which. Relative clauses, using where, when, whose lessons for english. A clause of this kind is essential to clear understanding of the noun.
Here you will find many relative clauses english grammar exercises at all levels so you can practice and improve your knowledge of relative clauses. I, he, she, we and etc we use who to ask which person does an action or which person is a certain way. You may remove the relative pronoun and reduce your sentence in certain conditions. Relative clauses defining relative clauses grammar. Here the clause who just walked in is an example of a relative clause. The man who wants to talk to you is waiting for you. Relative clauses in english exercises advanced level esl. Defining relative clauses give us essential information information that tells us who or what we are talking about.
You might reduce the clause to make your writing more concise or to add sentence variety. In this kind of relative clause, we can use that instead of who or which. Clauses english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. Relative pronouns are words used to combine two clauses into one. Relative pronouns and clauses in english grammar exercises.
In writing, we use commas around nondefining relative clauses. Relative clauses are nonessential parts of a sentence. Relative pronouns are mostly used when combining sentences in which a word or phrase is repeated. Relative clauses worksheet 1 relative pronouns use the relative pronouns in the box to complete the sentences whom that which where when whose 1.
See a list of all the exercises about relative clauses here. Jet lag affects most long by subordinating conjunctions such as because, what, if distance travelers. Clauses english grammar today cambridge dictionary. Defining relative clauses 4 perfect english grammar. A collection of english esl relative clauses worksheets for home learning, online practice, distance learning and english classes to teach about. A relative clause is essential when you need the information it provides. The information may be quite interesting and important to the larger conversation, but it is not essential for precise identification of the noun. A relative clause is a type of subordinate clause introduced by a relative pronoun what is the name of that boy who just walked in here the clause who just walked in is an example of a relative clause. Defining relative clauses 1 in pdf here defining relative clauses 2 in pdf here defining relative clauses 3 in pdf here defining relative clauses 4 in pdf here go to the main relative clauses explanation page here.
Relative pronouns english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. Relative clauses with who, definition and examples english. Relative clause exercise 1 2 advanced relative clause exercise 3 4 intermediate pdf exercises. Bu konuda gorecegimiz when, where, why ve whereby ise relative adverb tur. Pdf a discourse explanation of the grammar of relative. Defining and nondefining relative clauses english grammar.
The first study looked at the semantic properties of the head nouns in chinese and english relative clauses, showing that shared communicative functions lead to shared patterns in chinese and english relative clauses. A relative or adjective clause modifies a noun or pronoun and is introduced by a relative pronoun who, whom, whose, which. Advanced choose the correct response to complete each relative clauses. Relative clauses and pronouns english grammar english4u. Nondefining relative clauses defining relative clauses these describe the preceding noun in such a way to distinguish it from other nouns of the same class. We use relative clauses to make clear which person or thing we are talking about. Sep 01, 2016 when writing relative clauses, english language learners often forget to include the preposition that goes with the verb. They can act as the subject or the object of the relative clause. We also use relative clauses to give more information about a person, thing or situation. Relative clauses give us information about the person or thing mentioned. Add s or es or ies home 100 best practices contact me grammar city. They may add meaning, but if they are removed, the sentence will still function grammatically. Second in importance is the clause and the best way to think about clauses is as part of a.
The relative clause can come after the subject or the object of the sentence. They specify a noun or pronoun in the main clause and are necessary if we want to understand the. If it is the object, you just need to follow the object with the relative clause. Relative clauses can be used to join two sentences together, or to identify people and things and give more information about them. It is also called adjective clause because it defines a noun. Defining relative clauses these describe the preceding noun in such a way as to distinguish it from other nouns. Using who, whom, whose and example sentences in english. The woman who he is thinking about is his girlfriend. Relative clauses quizzes 1 like any pronoun, relative pronouns are substituted for nouns and other pronouns that functions as subjects or objects in a sentence. Whom is also used referring to an object or following a preposition, but its very formal. English grammar relative clauses relative clauses introduction there are two types of relative clauses.
In this function the relative topic is similar to a word such as. It comes after the noun defined by a basic sentence. A relative clause is a sentence describing a noun, however, it cannot be used separately. Relative pronouns adjective clauses whose vs of which vs of whom subject exercises.
Using whose if the defined sentence is the subject of the basic sentence, the relative clause is located between the subject and the predicate. Similarly, nonrestrictive relative clauses are called nondefining or nonidentifying relative clauses and is preceded by a pause in speech or a comma in writing. We can combine these two clauses using a relative pronoun. Free printable pdf grammar worksheets, quizzes and games, from a to z, for eflesl teachers. Gorillas, which are large and originate in africa, can sometimes be found in zoos. Note that that can be used in informal english instead of whowhomwhich but it is never used after commas, i. Relative clauses provide details about the action specified in the preceding clause. Some types of relative clauses can be reduced the relative pronoun and maybe other words can be removed. Types of clauses independent clauses dependent clauses contain both a subject and a verb contain both a subject and a verb, but cannot stand and can stand alone as a sentence.
Relative pronouns are the words that introduce relative clauses. Etheridge, who is english born with irish parents, replaces neil francis, whose injury forced him to withdraw last week. Relative clauses function as subordinate or dependent clauses and therefore cannot stand alone as complete sentences. In defining relative clauses, the pronouns who, whom, and which are often replaced by that in spoken english. If you wish, we can examine this in more detail through an example. There are two types of relative clauses, defining and nondefining.
Restrictive relative clauses and nonrestrictive relative clauses. They also act as the subject or object of the verb in the relative clause. Making adjective clauses with subject and object relative pronouns. May 02, 2019 relative clauses the most important unit of grammatical organization in linguistics is the sentence. Make one sentence by changing the sentence in italics into a defining relative clause. This grammar exercise tests your understanding of relative pronouns. Defining and nodefining relative clauses pdf exercises. You can do the exercises online or download the worksheet as pdf. The relative clause will follow one of these two patterns.
Understanding relative clauses a relative or adjective clause modifies a noun or pronoun and is introduced by a relative pronoun who, whom, whose, which, or that or occasionally a relative adverb usually when, where, or why. Aug 24, 20 a relative clause is a type of subordinate clause introduced by a relative pronoun. Types of clauses california state university, northridge. In nondefining relative clauses, you cannot replace other pronouns with that. Relative clauses and contact clauses englischtipps.
Grammatik relative clauses and contact clauses 3 exercise 4 fill in the correct relative pronoun who, which or whose. Defining and non defining relative clauses by mespada4 its a short explanation to help students see the difference between essential and nonessential information in relative clauses. Relative clauses are also called adjective clauses. A relative clause always starts with a relative pronoun. Relative clauses defining and nondefining that, which. Esl english relative clauses quiz 5 mixed relative. Besides combining the two clauses, the relative pronoun acts as the subject or object of the verb in the relative clause. Relative clauses b1 pdf worksheets english practice. Defining relative clauses exercise 3 make one sentence by changing the sentence in italics into a defining relative clause. We can use relative clauses to join two english sentences, or to give more information about something. Relative clauses in advanced english are clauses that begin with the following relative pronouns.
I have a friend who spent a year at a british university. Relative clauses adjective clause a relative clause starts with the relative pronoun at the start of the clause like who, which, whose etc. You must decide if the relative clause is essential or nonessential and then use commas accordingly. Relative pronouns relative pronouns are the words that introduce relative clauses. This type of relative clause merely provides extra information. A discourse explanation of the grammar of relative clauses in english conversation article pdf available in language 662 june 1990 with 632 reads how we measure reads. The relative pronoun we use depends on what we are referring. In the grammar chart below, you can see the main differences between them. The most common relative pronouns are who, whom, whose, which, that.