Relative clauses – Page 4

Exercise 1: Combine the following sentences using relative pronouns.

Sydney is a wonderful city. It is located on the east coast of Australia.

Sydney is a wonderful city which/that is located on the east coast of Australia.

I have a book. The book was written by Jules Verne. It is called ‘From the Earth to the Moon’.

a). I have a book that was written by Jules Verne which is called ‘From the Earth to the Moon’. “That was” can be left out:
b). I have a book written by Jules Verne which is called ‘From the Earth to the Moon’.

I lived in Canton, China. I lived in Canton in 2004. I was 39 in 2004.

1. I lived in Canton, China, in 2004, when I was 39.
2. In 2004, when I was 39, I lived in Canton, China.

I once lived in Amsterdam. The Rijksmuseum is located in Amsterdam.

1. I once lived in Amsterdam, where the Rijksmuseum is located.
2. The Rijksmuseum is located in Amsterdam, where I once lived.

Which relative pronouns are used for:

things?
people?
places?
reasons?
time?

• Things – which, that
• People – who, whom, whose, that
• Places – where, in which place/city/country
• Reasons – why
• Time – when, at which time

Exercise 2: Knowledge check

Which of the following sentences are correct?
Which two have the same meaning?
When you have decided, check the answers and then think about why.

My son who lives in Sydney is an engineer.
My son, who lives in Sydney, is an engineer.
My son that lives in Sydney is an engineer.
My son, that lives in Sydney, is an engineer.

1. Correct
2. Correct
3. Correct
4. Incorrect

Explanations

1) My son who lives in Sydney is an engineer.
Correct –The speaker has more than one son and therefore needs to indicate which son he/she is talking about.
“Who lives in Sydney” tells us which son.

2) My son, who lives in Sydney, is an engineer.
Correct – This person has only one son and thus does not need to explain which one. The clause “Who lives in Sydney” is extra information. As it is extra information, it can be left out: “My son is an engineer.”
In spoken language, we express the commas with pauses.

3) My son that lives in Sydney is an engineer.
Correct – The meaning is the same as Sentence number 1. “Who” and “that” are both used for people.

4) My son, that lives in Sydney, is an engineer.
Sentence 4 is incorrect – “that” cannot be used in an extra information clause (and therefore “that” cannot follow a comma).