RELATIVE SENTENCES

1. Join the following pairs of sentences. There are defining and non-defining relative
sentences.
1. She showed me a photograph of her son. Her son is a policeman.
2. The new stadium will be opened next month. The stadium holds
90,000 people.
3. John is one of my closest friends. I have known John for eight years
4. The boy is one of my closest friends. He is waiting for me.
5. Thank you for your letter. I was very happy to get your letter.
6. The letter is in the drawer. Peter has sent the letter to you.
7. Next week-end Im going to Glasgow. My sister lives in Glasgow.
8. Next summer we are visiting the town. My father was born in this
town.
9. The storm caused a lot of damage. Nobody had been expecting
the storm.
10. That man over there is an artist. I dont remember his name.
11. Mr Yates is retiring next month. He has worked for the same
company all his life.
12. My sister is visiting us next week. You once met her.
13. Mr Carter is very interested in our plan. I spoke to him last night.
14. Ive just bought some books about astronomy. Im very interested
in astronomy.
15. The man is in prison. Janet fell in love with this man.
16. Mr Roberts is in prison. Janet fell in love with him.
2. 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.

3. 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?

4. Join each pair of sentences with a defining relative clause. Omit the
pronoun where possible.
1. Last week I bought a book. Its a best-seller.
Last week I bought a book which/ that is a bestseller.
2. This is the book. I found the information in
it. .................................................................................................
3. I didnt recognise Susan. I talked to her.

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4. She hasnt given me back my book. She borrowed it from me last week.
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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.
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5.

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.
...... Fur coats, which are very popular among wealthy women, produce indignation among
animal lovers.
2. My English friends live in Leeds. They work for the RSPCA.
...........................................................................................
3. Harry is very fond of pets. Hes 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.
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6.

Complete these sentences with the correct relative pronoun.

1. Brigitte Bardot is a French actress who/that has protested against cruelty to animals.
2. The fox is an animal can be seen in many British gardens these days.
3. Kim is the girl ... mother used to dance with a boa constrictor!
4. In the street ... I work there is a branch of the RSPCA.
5. Charlie is the guinea pig ... bites your finger if you arent careful.
6. Mrs Foster is the lady ... garden was destroyed by rabbits.

7.

Circle the relative pronouns you could omit in these sentences.

1. The girl that we were talking to keeps a pet snake.

2. Is that the woman who threw stones at the farmers?
3. The book which I bought yesterday is about animals in danger of extinction.
4. My friend Sally is the girl whose mother teaches zoology at the university.
5. Do you remember the people who made so much noise in the street last night?
6. Have you seen the tin where I keep silkworms?
8. Join each pair of sentences with a defining relative clause. Omit the pronoun where
possible.
1. Last week I bought a book. It was written 300 years ago.
.... Last week I bought a book which/that was written 300 years ago.
2. This is the magazine. I found an article about how young gorillas learn in it.
.....................................................................................................................
3. I like people. Well, only if they are friendly and honest.
......................................................................................................................
4. I didnt know the girl. I talked to her at the bus stop.
......................................................................................................................
5. She hasnt given me back my book. She borrowed it from me last month.
......................................................................................................................
6. Have you seen Johns mobile phone? He left it here on Saturday.
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9.

Join these sentences using a non-defining relative clause.

1. The bus was full of noisy school children. It broke down at the top of the hill.
.... The bus, which was full of noisy school children, broke down at the top of the hill.
2. His grandparents bought him a present. He wanted a silver mountain bike.
.................................................................................................................
3. Her book was published last year. It became an instant best-seller.
..................................................................................................................
4. A strange old lady lives next door. She is watching you again.
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5. The shoes were the first ones I tried on. I finally bought them.
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6. The dog barks all the time. Its owner is never home.
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