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Defining relative clause Exercises

( Free Online English Grammar Lessons )

Read time : 2 minutes

In English we use defining relative clauses to give important information about a person, place or thing.

We use :

"who" or "that" for people

  • He's the man who lives next door.
  • She's the woman that works in the cafe.
  • People who smoke often develop breathing problems.

"which" or "that" for things

  • A clock is a thing which tells the time.
  • This is the letter that I was talking about.
  • This is the dress that I bought for $5.
  • The novel that I am reading is part of a trilogy.

"where" for places where an activity takes place

  • A post office is a place where you can buy stamps.
  • This is the restaurant where we had our first date.
  • Perth is the city where I grew up.

"whose" for possessives

  • Jason is the boy whose parents own the newsagent.
  • That's the girl whose mother is a ballet dancer.

"when" for times

  • My grandmother lived at a time when women were expected to become either teachers or nurses.

Note : We don't use "what" in relative clauses!

eg. These are the jeans that I want to buy. NOT These are the jeans what I want to buy.

In defining relative clauses, we can leave out "who", "that" or "which" when these words aren't the subject of the defining relative clause.

  • He's the man (that) I met yesterday.
  • Mary found the watch (that) I lost last week.

We never leave out "whose'" in defining relative clauses. We can leave out "where" if we add a preposition at the end of the relative clause.

  • That's the city where I was born. = That's the city I was born in.

We can leave out "when" if the time reference is clear.

  • Next Tuesday is the day (when) my sister arrives.

Note : We don't use commas with defining relative clauses.

Defining relative clause example sentences
What's the reason you don't want to leave the house?你不想离开房子的原因是什么?
It's nice to have a landlord who fixes things before we know about them!真高兴有这一个这样的房东,在我们了解问题前,就开始修东西!
There is an old guy on the phone who can't hear anything I say...电话那端有一个老家伙,完全听不懂我说的...
Do you remember the French restaurant we went to before?你还记得我们之前去的法国餐厅吗?
Do you remember those girls we met last week?你还记得我们上周认识的那些女孩吗?
You're the one who's been living here longer than me.你在这里生活的时间比我长。
And I tried to find the rice I was talking about.我试着找了下我刚才说到的米。
You know the people who take tourists sightseeing on bicycles?你知道有人会骑自行车载游客观光游览吗?
And you could be the first man I've known who doesn't snore.而你是第一个我认识的不打呼噜的男人。
Is there any news from the houses you went to see today?你今天看过的房子有什么消息吗?
Yes, because it's the only French restaurant we have been to.记得,因为那是唯一一家我们去过的法国餐厅。
You could have asked if she knew the girl you were going to meet.你可以问她是否认识那个你要见面的女孩。
Where I'm supposed to be having the meeting.而我本应当去公司开会的。
Yes, of course, he is the nicest man I've ever known!是的,当然,他是我认识的最好的哥们!
They are the kind of people who like to party...他们是那种喜欢开派对的人...
The one you told me shouted at you before...那个之前你跟我讲过冲你大喊的那个...
I don't know, maybe I like seeing the canals going around the buildings.我不知道,也许我喜欢看房屋周围的运河吧。
What about the houses you found?你找的房子怎么样?

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Be going to
Be going to passive
Be used to / Get used to
Comparative
Defining relative clause
Echo tag
Expression
First conditional
Future
Future continuous
Future perfect continuous
Future perfect passive
Future perfect simple
Future simple passive
Greeting
Have/Get something done
Imperative
Implied conditional
Indirect question
Infinitive of purpose
Interjection
Mixed conditional
Modal
Modal passive
Non-defining relative clause
Other
Past continuous
Past continuous passive
Past perfect continuous
Past perfect passive
Past perfect simple
Past simple
Past simple passive
Polite request / offer / suggestion
Present continuous
Present continuous passive
Present perfect continuous
Present perfect passive
Present perfect simple
Present simple
Present simple passive
Question tag
Reduced relative clause
Reported speech imperative
Reported speech question
Reported speech request
Reported speech statement
Second conditional
Short answer
Superlative
Third conditional
Used to / would (past habit)
Was/were going to
Was/were supposed to
Wish
Would rather
Zero conditional