Worksheet

I.Identify the relative clauses in the following letter of complaint:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to complain about an article that appeared in your newspaper. The article,
which describes an incident involving my friend John Smith, appeared on the 10th of March 2006.
The journalist who wrote the article doesn’t seem to be aware of the inaccuracies in it. I
have some personal knowledge about the incident that is described in the article because I was
with John the night when he made his statement to the police.
First of all, the person that was involved in the robbery is 25, not a teenager, as stated in
your article. Secondly, at the moment of the robbery, John was not at home, but on his way
home.
According to your article, John was only verbally abused by the robber, but in fact he
was threatened by him with a gun, which made the incident far more serious.
I would be grateful if you could print a correction as soon as possible and in the future I
hope you will make sure all the articles which appear in your newspaper report the facts
accurately.

II.Choose the correct answer:

1.The girl, who/ which I told you about, is my neighbour.

2.The restaurant, when/where John likes to eat, has been renovated.
3.The girl, who/ whose father is sick, missed the classes.
4. She worked for a man who /which used to be an athlete.
5. They called a lawyer that/which lived nearby.
6.The day which/ when we married is unforgettable.
7.The dog who/ which the vet treated is now feeling well.
8.The year when/where I started school was full of surprises.
III. Fill in the blanks with who, which, whose, where, when

1.I met Laura on the day …………..I missed the train to Barcelona.
2.I remember the time…………….. we lived in London.
3. The school, …………..I studied when I was a child, is closed.
4.A robber is a person………..steals things.
5.The woman, …………..luggage was stolen, was very upset.
6.I want to throw away all the things………..I don’t need.
7.I saw John in the shop ……………..you bought your brown T-shirt.
8.The man , ……………car is broken, is my friend.
9.This is the stream …………..was contaminated.
10.I don’t know the children ………….parents live next door.
11.I have to find the man………..phoned me.
12.The picture, …………….. you had bought in Paris, was broken by the children.

IV. Replace who and which with that where it is possible.

I saw a boy who ran out of your office. - I saw a boy ran out of your office.

My neighbour, who is 70 now, is a nice person. - My neighbour, is 70 now, is a

nice person.

We used my car, which was more comfortable. - We used my car, was more
comfortable.

Where is the T-shirt which I gave you? - Where is the T-shirt I gave you?

This is the girl who I told you about. - This is the girl I told you about.

His work, which is quite boring, is important to him. - His work, is quite boring, is
important to him.
 The doll which you want costs 14 pounds. - The doll you want costs 14 pounds.

Her sister Jane, who is three years younger, is a bright student. - Her sister Jane, is
three years younger, is a bright student.

Sam, who we saw at the dance, is going to start a new company. - Sam, we saw at
the dance, is going to start a new company.

V. Study the situations and then decide whether the following relative clauses are defining or
non-defining.

defining – no commas
non-defining – commas

1. I have three brothers.

My brother who lives in Sidney came to see me last month.

My brother, who lives in Sidney, came to see me last month.

2. I have one sister.

My sister who is 25 years old spent her holiday in France.

My sister, who is 25 years old, spent her holiday in France.

3. Bob's mum has lost her keys.

Bob's mum who is a musician has lost her car keys.

Bob's mum, who is a musician, has lost her car keys.

4. My friend Jane moved to Canada.

My friend Jane whose husband is Canadian moved to Canada last week.

My friend Jane, whose husband is Canadian, moved to Canada last week.

5. I am a shoe fanatic.

The shoes which I bought yesterday are very comfortable.

The shoes, which I bought yesterday, are very comfortable.