Relative Clauses

Join the following sentences to make one sentence using a relative pronoun when necessary.

If the relative pronoun is unnecessary, put it in brackets. You may sometimes have to change the word order or change 'a' into 'the'.



There's the boy. He broke the window.
The film star gave a party. It cost $10,000.
That's the palace. The Queen lives in it.
You met a man at the party. He is a famous film star.(The man...)
My friend came to the party. He's a policeman.
There are the policemen. They caught the thief.
What's the name of the lady? She was wearing the blue dress.
I gave her a watch. It stopped after two days.
My car was very expensive. It's a Mercedes.
You're reading a book. I wanted to read it.
The Red Lion is a pub. We met in it for a drink.
There's someone at the door. He wants to speak to George.
Here are the letters. They arrived this morning.
I met Mr Da Silva. He is President of Brazil.
It's very spicy food. I don't like it.
That's the house. I was born in it.
That's the dictionary. Bill gave it to me for Christmas.
Where is the lady? She ordered fish.
Those are the cars. They only take unleaded petrol.
The children went to New York. They speak English.
Do you know the children? They live in that house.
Do you like the people. Sarah invited them to her party.
The clothes come from C&A. They are good quality.

RELATIVE CLAUSES:EXERCISES

1. Complete these sentences with the correct relative pronoun.

1. Brigitte Bardot is a French actress who/that has protested against the
slaughter of seals.
2. The fox is an animal .……………….. can be seen in many British cities.
3. Kate is the girl .……………….. father bought a baby crocodile.
4. The office .……………….. I work is a branch of the RSPCA.
5. Charlie is the hamster .……………….. is fatter than all the rest.
6. Mr Forrester is the butcher .……………….. had his shop window smashed by ALF
members.

2. Circle the relative pronouns you could omit in these sentences.

1. The girl that we were talking to loves snakes.
2. Is that the woman who threw acid at the horses?
3. The book which I bought yesterday is about training dogs.
4. My friend Simon is the boy whose mother is a professor of zoology.
5. Do you know the people who made so much noise at the party last night?
6. Have you seen the bag where I keep my football kit?

3. Join each pair of sentences with a defining relative clause.Omit the pronoun where possible.

1. Last week I bought a book. It’s a best-seller.
2. This is the book. I found the information in it.
3. I didn’t recognise Susan. I talked to her.
4. She hasn’t given me back my book. She borrowed it from me last week.
5. Have you seen the biscuits? They were on the top shelf.
6. A woman gave me the application form. She told me how to fill it out.
7. The novel is about a child. Her parents die in the jungle.
8. Charles Chaplin was a famous comedian. He directed well-known films.
9. You are going to meet a girl tomorrow. She is intelligent and pretty, too.
10. I bought a new CD. Its songs are by different country music singers.


4. Join each pair of sentences with a non-defining relative clause.

1. Fur coats are very popular among wealthy women. They produce indignation among animal lovers.
2. My English friends live in Leeds. They work for the RSPCA.
3. Harry is very fond of pets. He’s got a dog, a cat, two hamsters and three budgies.
4. My brother studied zoology. He works in a natural history museum.
5. The Tower of London is on the River Thames. It is one of the most famous buildings in Britain.
6. Fiesta was written by Ernest Hemingway. It is also called The Sun Also Rises.
7. The new tunnel will be opened next month. It is the safest in Europe.
8. Michael is still asleep. He stayed up until 4 a.m. watching athletics.
9. Tina gave a big party in her house. Her parents were away on business.
10. Doris Lessing was born in Persia. She wrote The Golden Notebook.
11. Sara speaks good English. She has never visited England or America.