Relative Exercises

1. Fill in the gaps with the correct relative pronoun or adverb. Indicate where the relatives can be omitted by placing them in brackets. a) The man…………… you were speaking to earlier is Mike, …………… is an expert on networks …………… run on Unix. b) The pupils …………… sang in the concert gave a wonderful performance ……… …… was praised by their music teacher. c) My aunt, …………… visited me last week, has a house in France …………. where she goes every summer. d) The most interesting film …………… I´ve seen in a long time is the one about the artist …………… went to live in Spain. e) Our local MP promised to do everything …………… he could to help those……… ….. houses had been damaged in the earthquake. f) This is a film …………… will be very popular with teenagers …………… enjoy rock music. g) Laurence, …………… had been having lessons for months, took his test when he was offered a job ………….. required a driving licence. h) The first time …………… I visited Portugal I went to a village in …………. there had been a famous battle. i) Dan, ……………. Father is Greek, bought a holiday cottage in the village ……… …… his grandfather lived. j) Isabelle, to …………… Peter was engaged, applied for a job …………… would entail her moving to Holland, …………… the new company was based. 2. Join the sentences using relative clauses. Indicate where relatives can be omitted by placing them in brackets. There may be more than one way to join the sentences. Add commas where necessary. a) Steve and Lynn are Americans. They own the little restaurant on Bridge Street. _____________________________________________________________ b) Property prices are rising. This means many young couples cannot afford to buy their own home. _____________________________________________________________ c) Some teachers want a pay rise. They may organise a strike. _____________________________________________________________

d) Alex has just married a teacher. She lectures in Politics. _____________________________________________________________ e) Jenny has no brothers or sisters. Her parents spoilt her when she was a child. _____________________________________________________________ f) Damascus is a fascinating city. It is the oldest capital city in the world. _____________________________________________________________ g) I gave Mark a paperweight as a birthday present. He is a writer. _____________________________________________________________ h) Pam read a novel. The main character in it was shipwrecked on a desert island. _____________________________________________________________ i) David went to Prague. He attended a conference there. _____________________________________________________________ j) Harry is an engeneer. His wife has just given birth to twins. _____________________________________________________________ 3. Five out of seven sentences below contain an unnecessary word. Find the unnecessary words and underline them. a. Pelé, is also known as the “Black Pearl”, is regarded as the greatest footballer of all time. b. Because the teachers who were on strike, the pupils had no lessons for days. c. The University made the students that pay tuition fees. d. The place to which the report refers is on the outskirts of London. e. The story which taking place in Iftaly is about the relationship between a father and his young son. f. Those whose essays which have not yet been returned are to check with the departamental secretary on Monday. g. Mr. Johnson, who is well known for his insistence on punctuality, would not allow the pupils that arrived late to sit the examination.