Relative Clauses

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WHEN= You use this in the middle of the sentence WHEN you want to talk about a period of time.

Christmas is when families get together.

WHERE= You use this in the middle of the sentence to talk about WHERE a place is.

This park is where we play football.

WHO / THAT =  You use this in the middle of the sentence to talk about WHO a person is.

Juan is the man who/that lives opposite.

WHICH / THAT = You use this in the middle of the sentence to talk about what a thing is.

Example: A Koala is a marsupial which/that lives in Australia

WHOSE = You use this in the middle of the sentence to talk about something that ‘belongs’ to somebody.

Example: An orphan is a child WHOSE parents have died.

 

Fill in the spaces with the correct relative clause. Do not use ‘that’ (too easy):

 

1. What´s the name of the city ……………………….you can catch a train from platform 9 ¾, and walk into an eye?

 

2. What´s the day ……………………… you put candles in pumpkins and dress up as ghosts? 

 

3. What d´you call someone ……………………. doesn´t like working?

 

4. Do you know the doll …………………………….. nose grows longer when he tells lies?

 

5. What do you call the place ……………………………… you buy books?

 

6. What´s the cartoon character ……………………….. friend is a starfish, and who lives underwater?

 

7. What´s the name of the city …..…… there are no cars, and people go to work or school by boat?

 

8. What´s the name of the insect ……….. is very  beautiful. It can fly, and is very colourful.

 

9. What do you answer ……….. somebody says ´Thank you!´?

 

10. Do you remember a very clever detective from London, ….…… assistant is called Dr. Watson?

 

11. What should you say ……………. you give somebody something, like a a pen, or change, for example?

 

12. Can you remember the football player …………….goal against Holland in 2010 gave Spain the World Cup?

 

13. What´s the name of the thing ………. you use to cut paper (or your hair)?

 

14. What do you call the thing in the bathroom ……….…. you use to wash your hands and face?

 

15. What do you say ……………… somebody sneezes?

 

NOTE 1:

When the Relative clause is followed by a subject (He, They, Juan, The dog, Nobody….) it can be – and usually is – suppressed:

In which of these sentences can we suppress ‘that’, and in which can we replace it with ‘who’?

That’s the man that helped us find the hotel.

That’s the man that we saw yesterday.

NOTE 2:

These are Defining Relative Clauses- they define what you are talking about. There are Non-Defining Relative Clauses, which are simply a way of adding information. It is more common in written form than in Spoken English:

The Prime Minister, who was on route to give a speech to the United Nations, cancelled his visit to the USA when he heard the news.

The only difference is that in this case it is not possible to use ‘that’. You must use ‘which’ or ‘who’.

NOTE 3:
95% of the time, translated into Spanish…
THAT = QUE
WHAT = LO QUE

I don’t understand what he’s saying!!
What I like most about London are the parks.
I think that the problem is simpler that it looks.
I know what you want.

 

 

ANSWERS:

(1.where/London 2.when/Halloween 3.who/lazy 4. whose/Pinnochio 5.where/bookshop 6. wh            ose/Spongebob 7.where/Venice 8.which/butterfly 9.when/You’re welcome-No problem-Not at all 10.whose/Sherlock Holmes 11.when/Here you are! 12.whose/Anders Iniesta 13.which/scissors 14.which/washbasin (or, basin) 15.when/Bless you!)

Note 1:  1st sentence =  That’s the man that helped us find the hotel.     2nd sentence = That’s the man which we saw yesterday.