Advanced Relative Clauses: B1 Exercises

Every answer with the reason behind it. Read the explanation for the ones you got right as well — that is where you find out whether you were right for the right reason.

Multiple choice questions — answers

1. The colleague ___ I was speaking has just resigned. → to whom

When the preposition comes first, the pronoun must be whom.

2. Which version is the informal equivalent of 'the man to whom I spoke'? → the man I spoke to

Everyday English strands the preposition at the end and drops the pronoun entirely.

3. She missed the deadline, ___ annoyed the whole team. → which

Sentential which refers back to an entire clause, not to a single noun.

4. Forty people applied, ___ were shortlisted. → ten of whom

A quantifier plus of plus whom joins the clause without a second sentence.

5. 'The parcels left outside' is a reduced form of ___. → the parcels which were left outside

A reduced relative drops both the pronoun and the form of be from a passive clause.

6. The report, ___ conclusions were disputed, has been withdrawn. → whose

Whose works for inanimate possessors as well as people, and is shorter than the conclusions of which.

7. This is the shelf on ___ the vase used to stand. → which

After a preposition, the pronoun for a thing is which — never that.

8. Which sentence is formal written style? → The issue about which we talked is resolved.

Fronting the preposition is the marker of formal register.

9. The candidates, ___ had prepared thoroughly, all performed well. → most of whom

Whom is required after of when the antecedent is people.

10. 'He arrived two hours late, which was typical' — what does which refer to? → the whole event of arriving late

Sentential which comments on the entire preceding clause.

11. The building ___ roof collapsed has been condemned. → whose

Whose is the possessive relative for buildings and other objects.

12. Which reduced clause is correct? → The students studying abroad

An active clause reduces to a present participle: who are studying becomes studying.

13. There were several proposals, none of ___ was affordable. → which

Which is the pronoun for things after a quantifier plus of.

14. The house ___ we lived for a decade has been demolished. → in which

The clause needs a preposition: in which, or informally which we lived in.

15. Which of these cannot follow a preposition? → that

That is barred after a preposition: to that is impossible, though the that we talked about is fine.

16. The train, ___ had been delayed twice, finally left at midnight. → which

Non-defining clauses take which for things, never that.

17. 'The woman sitting by the window' is short for ___. → the woman who is sitting by the window

The reduction removes who is and leaves the present participle.

18. He failed every module, ___ meant repeating the year. → which

Sentential which is the only pronoun that can take a whole clause as its antecedent.

19. The archive contains 4,000 letters, many of ___ have never been read. → which

Letters are things, so which follows many of.

20. Choose the sentence with correct preposition placement. → The person whom I work with is ill.

Stranding the preposition and using whom is grammatical and natural in writing.

Fill-in-the-blank questions — answers

1. The lawyer ___ whom I consulted advised me to settle. → with

A fronted preposition must be followed by whom when the antecedent is a person.

2. There were sixty entries, three of ___ shared the prize. → which

Which follows a quantifier plus of when the antecedent is a thing.

3. He forgot my birthday entirely, ___ upset me a great deal. → which

Sentential which comments on the whole of the preceding clause.

4. The village in ___ she grew up has fewer than 200 people. → which

After a preposition the pronoun for a place or thing is which, not that.

5. The museum, ___ collection is world famous, opens at ten. → whose

Whose expresses possession by an institution as easily as by a person.

6. Twenty guests arrived, half of ___ had not been invited. → whom

Whom is required after of when the antecedent is people.

7. The documents left ___ the desk are confidential. → on

A reduced relative keeps its preposition: documents which were left on the desk.

8. The woman ___ by the window is my supervisor. → sitting

An active clause reduces to a present participle, dropping who is.

9. This is the tool ___ which the lock can be opened. → with

Formal style fronts the preposition ahead of which.

10. She resigned without warning, ___ nobody had expected. → which

Sentential which refers to the act of resigning, not to any single noun.

11. The children, none of ___ could swim, stayed on the beach. → whom

None of takes whom when the antecedent is people.

12. The chair ___ he was sitting suddenly collapsed. → on

The relative clause needs its preposition: on which he was sitting.

13. The applicants ___ for the second round will be emailed. → selected

A passive clause reduces to a past participle: who were selected becomes selected.

14. There are two routes, neither of ___ is signposted. → which

Which follows neither of for things.

15. The professor ___ whom this theory is named died in 1954. → after

Named after somebody keeps its preposition when it is fronted before whom.

16. He lied to the committee, ___ cost him his career. → which

The pronoun refers to the whole action described in the first clause.

17. The novel, the ending of ___ is famously ambiguous, sold millions. → which

The formal alternative to whose for an inanimate possessor.

18. Passengers ___ at Gate 14 should board immediately. → waiting

Who are waiting reduces to the present participle alone.

19. We interviewed nine people, six of ___ had no experience. → whom

People take whom after a quantifier and of.

20. The report ___ last week has already been leaked. → published

Which was published reduces to the past participle for a passive meaning.

Sentence structure: word ordering — answers

1. Front the preposition in formal style. → The man to whom I spoke was helpful.

Front the preposition in formal style.

2. Strand the preposition in everyday style. → The man I spoke to was very helpful.

Strand the preposition in everyday style.

3. Comment on a whole event with one pronoun. → She arrived late, which surprised nobody.

Comment on a whole event with one pronoun.

4. Attach a quantifier to a relative clause. → Forty people applied, six of whom were interviewed.

Attach a quantifier to a relative clause.

5. Reduce a passive clause to a participle. → The parcels left outside were soaked.

Reduce a passive clause to a participle.

6. Use a fronted preposition with which. → The hotel in which we stayed was grand.

Use a fronted preposition with which.

7. Reduce an active clause to an -ing form. → The woman sitting opposite me was reading.

Reduce an active clause to an -ing form.

8. Show possession by an organisation. → The company, whose profits fell, cut two hundred jobs.

Show possession by an organisation.

9. Reject every item with a quantifier. → There were three options, none of which appealed.

Reject every item with a quantifier.

10. Blame a whole action for a consequence. → He forgot the tickets, which ruined the evening.

Blame a whole action for a consequence.

11. Place a preposition before which. → The shelf on which it stood has gone.

Place a preposition before which.

12. Reduce a passive clause about people. → Students registered before Friday will receive a discount.

Reduce a passive clause about people.

13. Quantify a group of people in one clause. → We met twelve artists, most of whom were local.

Quantify a group of people in one clause.

14. Use the formal alternative to whose. → The letter, the author of which is unknown, survives.

Use the formal alternative to whose.

15. Reduce a clause in a station announcement. → The train arriving at platform two is delayed.

Reduce a clause in a station announcement.

16. Introduce somebody in formal register. → This is the colleague with whom I share an office.

Introduce somebody in formal register.

17. Comment on a business failure. → They cancelled without warning, which cost us money.

Comment on a business failure.

18. Reduce a passive clause about objects. → The books stored in the attic were damaged.

Reduce a passive clause about objects.

19. Pick out a few items from many. → There were eight proposals, two of which were viable.

Pick out a few items from many.

20. Front a preposition of place. → The café at which we met has closed down.

Front a preposition of place.