Defining and Non-Defining 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 woman ___ lives upstairs plays the violin at midnight. → who

Who is the relative pronoun for people in a defining clause.

2. My car, ___ I bought last year, has already broken down twice. → which

Non-defining clauses cannot use that. Which is the only option for a thing.

3. In which sentence can the pronoun be left out? → The book which I read was excellent.

The pronoun can be dropped only when it is the object of a defining clause: the book I read.

4. That is the café ___ we first met. → where

Where introduces a relative clause about a place.

5. The student ___ essay won the prize is only sixteen. → whose

Whose shows possession — the essay belongs to the student.

6. Which sentence is punctuated correctly? → My father, who is a doctor, works nights.

A non-defining clause is fenced by commas on both sides, never on one only.

7. 1969 was the year ___ humans first walked on the Moon. → when

When introduces a relative clause about a time.

8. What is the difference between 'My brother who lives in Perth' and 'My brother, who lives in Perth'? → The first implies you have more than one brother

A defining clause distinguishes one brother from others; the comma version says you have just the one.

9. The people ___ we met on holiday have sent us a card. → who

Who is correct for people as the object, though it could also be dropped entirely here.

10. He gave me a book ___ changed the way I think. → that

That is the subject pronoun for a thing in a defining clause, and cannot be omitted here.

11. Everything ___ he told us turned out to be false. → that

After everything, all and nothing, English uses that, never what.

12. My laptop, ___ screen is cracked, still works perfectly. → whose

Whose is used for possession by objects as well as by people.

13. Which clause can be removed without damaging the sentence? → Berlin, which I visited in May, is superb.

Only non-defining clauses are removable; the other three identify which train, person or key is meant.

14. She is the colleague ___ I share an office. → with whom

When a preposition comes before the pronoun, the pronoun must be whom, not who or that.

15. The reason ___ he resigned has never been explained. → why

Why follows reason in the same way where follows place.

16. The hotel ___ we stayed had no hot water. → where

Where replaces at which and needs no preposition of its own.

17. Which sentence is wrong? → My cousin, that won, is fifteen.

That is banned from non-defining clauses, which is exactly what the commas mark.

18. I still use the bicycle ___ my grandfather gave me. → that

That is correct for a thing as the object of a defining clause, though it could also be omitted.

19. There were fifty applicants, none of ___ was suitable. → whom

After a quantifier plus of, the pronoun for people is whom.

20. The film ___ we saw last night was three hours long. → which

Which is correct for a thing; that would also work, and so would omitting the pronoun.

Fill-in-the-blank questions — answers

1. The man ___ repaired our boiler left his tools behind. → who

Who introduces a defining clause about a person acting as the subject.

2. This is the village ___ my grandparents were born. → where

Where introduces a relative clause about a place.

3. My neighbour, ___ dog barks all night, has finally apologised. → whose

Whose marks possession inside a non-defining clause.

4. The parcel ___ arrived this morning was addressed to you. → that

A defining clause about a thing as the subject takes that or which.

5. Vienna, ___ I lived for three years, is the city I miss most. → where

A non-defining clause about a place still uses where, with commas around it.

6. Do you remember the summer ___ it never stopped raining? → when

When introduces a relative clause about a period of time.

7. Everything ___ could go wrong did go wrong. → that

After everything, English uses that rather than what.

8. She is the only person ___ I really trust. → who

After only, that is common, but who is also accepted for a person as object.

9. The company, ___ was founded in 1902, still uses the original logo. → which

A non-defining clause about a thing must use which, never that.

10. He could not explain the reason ___ he had lied. → why

Why follows reason to introduce the explanation.

11. That is the surgeon ___ operated on my father. → who

A defining clause identifying which surgeon takes who.

12. The flat ___ we rented had a view over the harbour. → that

The pronoun here is the object, so it could equally be left out.

13. My colleague, ___ I have known for a decade, is retiring. → whom

Whom is the object form, preferred in careful writing after a comma.

14. There were twenty guests, most of ___ had travelled from abroad. → whom

A quantifier plus of takes whom for people.

15. The painting ___ hangs above the fireplace is a copy. → that

The pronoun is the subject of the clause, so it cannot be dropped.

16. This is the restaurant ___ they filmed the final scene. → where

Where covers the location and replaces in which.

17. Anyone ___ wants a ticket should speak to me today. → who

Who is standard after anyone, everyone and somebody.

18. The novel, ___ took her nine years to write, sold badly. → which

Non-defining clauses about things use which and take commas.

19. I met a journalist ___ articles I had admired for years. → whose

Whose shows that the articles belong to the journalist.

20. Nineteen forty-five was the year ___ the war finally ended. → when

When introduces a relative clause referring to a year.

Sentence structure: word ordering — answers

1. Identify a person with a defining clause. → The woman who lives here is a vet.

Identify a person with a defining clause.

2. Add extra information between two commas. → My brother, who lives in Perth, is visiting.

Add extra information between two commas.

3. Use the pronoun for places. → This is the café where we first met.

Use the pronoun for places.

4. Use a subject pronoun that cannot be dropped. → The book that changed my life was short.

Use a subject pronoun that cannot be dropped.

5. Show possession inside the clause. → She is the student whose essay won.

Show possession inside the clause.

6. Leave the object pronoun out altogether. → The film we watched last night was dreadful.

Leave the object pronoun out altogether.

7. Add a removable comment about a city. → Paris, which I visited in May, was crowded.

Add a removable comment about a city.

8. Ask about a cause using a relative pronoun. → Do you know the reason why he left?

Ask about a cause using a relative pronoun.

9. Follow everything with the correct pronoun. → Everything that he said was completely true.

Follow everything with the correct pronoun.

10. Use the pronoun for a period of time. → The year when we moved here was difficult.

Use the pronoun for a period of time.

11. Show possession by an object. → My laptop, whose battery is dead, needs replacing.

Show possession by an object.

12. Put the preposition before the pronoun. → He is the colleague with whom I travel.

Put the preposition before the pronoun.

13. Identify which keys are meant. → The keys that open this cupboard are missing.

Identify which keys are meant.

14. State a rule about a category of people. → Anyone who arrives late will be refused.

State a rule about a category of people.

15. Describe a place you visited. → The hotel where we stayed had no lift.

Describe a place you visited.

16. Use a quantifier with a relative pronoun. → There were thirty guests, most of whom left early.

Use a quantifier with a relative pronoun.

17. Identify one painting among several. → The painting which hangs here is a forgery.

Identify one painting among several.

18. Point out a specific person and their action. → That is the surgeon who saved his life.

Point out a specific person and their action.

19. Add background detail between commas. → The company, which began in a garage, now thrives.

Add background detail between commas.

20. Omit the object pronoun entirely. → I still have the watch my father gave me.

Omit the object pronoun entirely.