RELATIVE CLAUSES.

ORACIONES DE RELATIVO ESPECIFICATIVAS (DEFINING) Y PRONOMBRES RELATIVOS.

1.

Cuando hablamos de personas o cosas, es frecuente que sea necesario aadir ms informacin sobre ellas o necesitemos
definirlas. Para hacer esto empleamos las oraciones de relativo.
This is my new car. The car cost me $15.000.

This is the new car which cost me %15.000. (which replaces The car).

Una oracin de relativo va inmediatamente despus del nombre al que describe, y frecuentemente empieza con un
pronombre relativo. Los pronombres relativos ms frecuentes son:
Who para personas,
Which para cosas,
That para personas y cosas.
2.

Los pronombres relativos tienen dos funciones:

A. Actan como objeto o sujeto del verbo en la oracin de relativo.
B. Unen las dos oraciones.

ORACIONES DE RELATIVO CON WHO, WHICH Y THAT.

A. Analiza este ejemplo:
The man who lives across the road is a professor.
Hemos puesto una oracin de relativo para definir al hombre.
El pronombre relativo who es el sujeto del verbo de la oracin de relativo.
La oracin de relativo es necesaria si queremos entender de qu hombre (de entre todos los posibles) estamos hablando. Si
quitramos la oracin de relativo no sabramos qu hombre es el catedrtico.
B. Analiza ahora estos otros ejemplos:
She was the only person that congratulated me.

I have something that might interest you.

That muchas veces sustituye a who o which despus de palabras como only, all, anything, something, none, nothing,
little, few y much. En estas frases who o which no aparecen con tanta frecuencia.
C. That tambin sustituye a who o which despus de superlativos. En frases de este tipo no suelen aparecer y that tambin se
suele omitir.
He is the nicest person that I have ever met

This is the worst essay that I have ever read.

ORACIONES ESPECIFICATIVAS (DEFINING) DE RELATIVO CON PREPOSICIONES.

A. Cuando las oraciones de relativo contienen preposiciones es posible emplear tanto who como that para personas cuando la
preposicin se coloca al final de la frase. Sin embargo, cuando la preposicin va delante del pronombre relativo, debemos
usar whom para personas. No se puede poner that despus de preposicin.
The police found the man who / that they had been searching for. (preposicin en posicin final).
The police found the man for whom they had been searching. (preposicin inicial: uso muy formal)
B. En las oraciones de relativo que se refieren a cosas, podemos poner which o that si la preposicin va en posicin final, pero
si la preposicin va delante del relativo, ste slo puede ser which.
The company for which he works is very successful. The company that / which he works for is very successful.
The company he works for is very successful. (estara mal decir: for that)

ORACIONES EXPLICATIVAS (NON-DEFINING).

A. Analiza esta frase:
Charlie Chaplin, who was a star of silent films, died in 1977.
En esta frase, la oracin de relativo da una informacin extra de Charlie Chaplin. Aunque prescindiramos de la oracin de
relativo, sabemos de quin estamos hablando. Por tanto podramos omitirla sin crear ninguna confusin.
Por ello, y como es algo aadido, las oraciones de relativo explicativas van entre comas.
El sujeto de estas oraciones suele ser un nombre (Suzi) o un nombre propio (Greece) o contiene un posesivo (tales como
my, his, her), el artculo definido the, o un demostrativo (tales como that, these o those).
B. That no puede usarse nunca en las oraciones explicativas de relativo.
Pompeii, which (no that) was destroyed by a volcanic eruption, was once a very prosperous Roman city.
C. Who / which son los relativos que se usan despus de preposicin, aunque en ingls hablado es poco frecuente whom y se
prefiere la construccin con who y la preposicin al final de la oracin.
The Incas, about whom much has been griten, created a very advanced civilization.

ORACIONES ESPECIFICATIVAS DE RELATIVO CON WHERE, WHOSE Y WHEN / THAT.

En las oraciones especificativas (defining) se pueden emplear otros relativos adems de who, which y that.
A. Where (donde) se usa para lugares y suele ir en lugar de palabras como there y here.
That is the school. As a child I studied there.

That is the school where I studied as a child.

B. Whose se usa para la posesin (cuyo). Suele sustituir a my, her, Johns, etc.
This is the girl. Her sister lives near us.

This is the girl whose sister lives near us.

C. That y when se emplean para expresiones de tiempo y muchas veces sustituyen palabras como year, month, week. That es
ms frecuente que when.
I remember that day. You joined the army that day.

I remember the day that (when) you joined the army.

ORACIONES DE RELATIVO REDUCIDAS AL OMITIR EL PRONOMBRE RELATIVO.

A. En las oraciones en las que el pronombre relativo es el objeto del verbo, ste se puede omitir. Esto es ms comn en ingls
coloquial.
This is the new car. I bought the car last week. This is the new car that / which I bought last week.
This is the new car I bought last week.

Fjate que that sustituye a the car, que es el objeto del verbo bought.

B. Incluso en oraciones de relativo con preposicin, el pronombre relativo se puede omitir si ste es el objeto del verbo.
The pupil was sick. I wanted to talk to her.

The pupil that / who I wanted to talk to was sick.

The pupil I wanted to talk to was sick.

Vamos a darte un consejo: si el pronombre relativo va seguido de una oracin (sujeto + verbo), se puede omitir. Pero si slo
va seguido de un verbo, el pronombre relativo no se puede omitir.
1.

Complete the sentences with the relative pronouns who, which, where or when.
a. How old is the woman .gave you the flowers?
b. I dont eat anything is salty.
c. April is the month .spring begins.
d. Acting is a good profession for someone ..is creative.
e. This is the shirt ..Tom Cruise wore in the film Mission: Impossible.
f. Can anyone help us find the caf ..we are supposed to meet Anne?

2.

Use relative pronouns to join the sentences. Makes any necessary changes.
a. James Barrie was a writer. He wrote the play Peter Pan.
b. I saw a film. It showed Van Gohgs life.
c. We met last month. We were at the cinema.
d. There are many teenage actors. They go to special schools.
e. He goes to a film school. You can study directing here.

3.

Traduce.
a. La casa donde vivo es muy grande.
b. El estudiante que se sienta cerca de mi tiene el pelo moreno.
c. Jazz es la msica que yo escucho normalmente.
d. Mi habitacin es el lugar donde yo hago mis deberes.
e. Las pelculas que veo normalmente son comedias.
f. La cancin que ests cantando es muy triste.
g. El vecindario donde vive Philip est en Londres.
h. El perro que cogi mi pelota es marrn.
i. Jane es la chica que est hablando.
j. Los tickets que Sam compr son caros.

4.

Complete the sentences with who, which or where.

a. Gayle is the teacher .teaches us English.
b. A sports club is a place people exercise.
c. This is the CD I bought in London.
d. I met the man wrote that song.

5.

Write the words in the correct order to make sentences.

a. Car / that / Anne / we / found / wanted / the.
b. I / CD / which / this / the / buy / is / to / want.
c. Actor / who / on / TV / he / an /is / acts
d. In / where / city / live / I / snows / never / the / it.
e. Havent / spoken / boy / broke / I / my / to / computer / the / that
f. Is / won / boy / Lewis / the / who / competition / the

6.

Combine the sentences with who or which.

a. I spoke to a friend. He knows Anastacia.
b. He made a CD. It wasnt popular.
c. The film is about a man. He was a singer.
d. Ive got tickets to the concert. Its tomorrow.
e. Thats the monkey. It was in the film.
f. Katie is a model. She works for magazines.

7.

Circle the correct answers.

a. The girl which / who is singing is my sister.
b. There is the house where / that I live.
c. The village who / where the actor comes from is near London.
d. Here is the book who / that I told you about.
e. The teacher which / that teaches me English is called Mr Brown.
f. I found the bag which / where you lost.

8.

Traduce:
a. La biblioteca que est cerca de mi casa est abierta por la noche.
b. Mary es la chica que me ayuda con los deberes.
c. Aqu est el CD que tiene la cancin que te gusta.
d. La pelcula es sobre un ordenador que conquista el mundo.
e. Vi a la chica que te gusta.
f. Este es el botn que debes apretar.

g.
h.
i.
9.

Esa es la clase donde va a ser el examen de ingls.

Estos son los tickets que te promet.
Julia Robert es la actriz que acta en esa pelcula.

Complete the sentences with who, which or where.

a. This is the room .we study computers.
b. Shes the teacher .gave us the homework.
c. I got the webcam .. I told you about.
d. This is the shop she bought the CD.
e. Mark is the neighbour .knows all about computers.

10. Fill in the blanks with the correct relative pronouns.

a. Michael Crichton, wrote Jurassic Park, is a famous author.
b. H.G. Wells, .was boron in 1866, wrote The War of the Worlds.
c. The Eiffel tower, ..was built by engineer Gustave Eiffel, is visited by millions of people every
year.
d. Jills favourite actor, for this play was especially written, cant act tonight because he has lost his
voice.
e. The White House, in .. all American presidents live, is in Washington, DC.
f. The old mill, .still works, is going to be pulled down soon.
g. We invited the new neighbours to our party, .turned out to be very enjoyable.
h. My sister, .fell down the stairs last night, is still in hospital.
i. Last winter we saw Aunt Tina, .brought us some interesting books.
j. On Malta, .is an island in the Mediterranean, people speak English.
11. Fill in the blanks with who, which, where, that, when or whose. There may be more than one correct
answer.
a. What is the address of the woman ..dog bit ours?
b. We live in a city .new restaurants open every day.
c. What do you know about that woman son won the lottery?
d. Where are the children ..promised to wash our car?
e. Joe will never forget the day he first got his driving licence.
f. The cat received the gold medal at the cat show was very well trained.
g. This is the place .I hurt myself last week.
h. That is the book .i ordered from the publishers.
i. The bag Julia bought yesterday was not expensive.
j. My boss has a friend speaks Mandarin fluently.
12. Fill in the blanks with the correct relative pronouns or adverbs. There may be more than one correct
answer.
a. Toledo is the city ..I was born.
b. Where is the sweater ..I put on my bed?
c. Is this the man .car you hit?
d. The actress ..starred in that film now wants to become a singer.
e. The film in she starred was drama.
f. Do you remember the day .we met?
g. This is the scientist .I told you about.
h. The building, was destroyed in the earthquake, was very old.
i. That is the city a new shopping centre is being built.
j. Dinosaurs, ..were such enormous creatures, died out about 65 million years ago.
13. Combine the following sentences using appropriate relative pronouns or adverbs. Make any necessary
changes. There may be more than one correct answer.
a. The book is about a lawyer. He is accused of murder.
b. Tim will never forget the day. He joined the army that day.
c. We heard the song. It shocked many people.
d. This is the book. It wasnt available in the library.
e. This is the CD. Ive played it hundreds of times.

f.
g.
h.
i.
j.

The teacher apologized. She had punished two pupils unfairly.

I met a friend last week. Her daughter is an astrologist.
Tom hired a decorator. The decorator is very expensive.
Here is a postcard of the village. We spent three days there.
Jeannette is going to marry a man. His brother is in my class.

14. Tick the sentences where the relative pronoun can be omitted.
a. The family that we cant stand is moving in next door to us.
b. Her husband bought her a ring which cost $5000
c. Jill didnt enjoy the film that she saw with Eric.
d. The woman who you were talking to is y mother.
e. The new dress that I bought yesterday s torn.
f. Theres the person who shouted at me.
g. The person who sent this letter is obviously very upset.
h. I want to speak to someone who knows about dogs.
i. The painting that you are looking at was painted by Monet.
j. The teenagers cleaned the room that they had painted the day before
15. Combine the following sentences using appropriate relative pronouns or adverbs. Make any necessary
changes and pay attention to punctuation.
a. Groucho Marx died in 1977. He was a famous comedian.
b. This is Tony. Youll be driving with him next week.
c. This is the house. Jean lived in that house when she was young.
d. We saw the cottage. Wordsworth lived there.
e. John is my friend. His car was stolen from the carpark.
f. He went to a concert. He didnt like the concert at all.
g. Ive never met the man. He helped me this morning.
h. You can see many snakes in the zoo. Some of them are poisonous.
i. Shakespeare is one of the best-known writers in the world. He is buried in Stratford-upon-Avon.
j. This is the place. You have to pick me up at this place.
16. Choose the correct relative pronouns.
a. September 11th is the day when / where the world remembers the attack in New York City.
b. There were many firefighters whose / who didnt return home.
c. That nightclub is next to the shop where / whose Sheila works.
d. She received tickets to the fashion show from John, whose / that brother is a model.
e. The show succeeded because of a cast where / that included several popular actors.
f. These traditions, where / which my family have preserved for generations, are very special to me.
17. Complete the passage with the correct relative pronouns. There may be more than one possible answer.
Jerry Schemmel, 1..............story is the basis of the film Fearless, has got a lot to be thankful for. Jerry was flying from
Denever to Chicago when the planes back engine suddenly exploded. The pilots guided the plane to a nearby airport,
2.it slammed into the runway. Many of the people 3.were sitting at the back of the plane were
killed instantly. Jerry was in a section of the plane 4..did not break apart. He managed to get out of his seat and
join other people 5..were trying to escape. But as he was leaving the burning plane, he heard a baby crying. He
went back into the plane and rescued an infant 6was trapped inside. To say the least, that is a day 7..
Jerry will never forget.
18. Combine the pairs of the sentences using defining relative clauses.
a. Here is the bus stop. You need to get off here.
b. Thats the girl. Her father is a firefighter in New York City.
c. I need to see the map. Jeff gave you that map.
d. Did you meet the new teacher? I drove her to school today.
e. I was in New York on September 11, 2001. The World Trade Center collapsed that day.

19. Match I to II to make correct sentences.

I

II
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

The World Trade Center was destroyed on

September 11, 2001
There is a plan for a new building
The architect is Daniel Libeskind,
At the top of the building there will be gardens
There will be a memorial for people

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Who was born in Poland.

Where people can sit and relax.
When planes crashed into the upper floors.
Whose lives were lost on September 11th.
Which will replace the World Trade Center.

20. Combine the pairs of sentences with defining or non-defining relative clauses. Make any necessary changes.
a. Margaret Crotty was working in Indonesia in January 1996. She had just graduated from university.
b. Late one afternoon, she took a ferry. The ferry was full of people.
c. When the ferry began tilting to one side, Margaret ran to the cabinet. The life jackets were in that cabinet.
d. She gave out life jackets to people. Those people were starting to panic.
e. Margaret jumped into the water and swam to a large lifeboat. Many people were already sitting in the lifeboat.
f. Soon the lifeboat broke and Margaret swam away. Margaret was an excellent swimmer.
g. After 16 hours, she came to an island. The island had large rocks on the shore.
h. Margaret finally saw some local people in a small boat. Those people rescued her.
21. Choose the correct answers.
a. She thanked the man had rescued her cat. (which / whose / that)
b. It was an exciting day hell always remember. (that / when / who)
c. Thats the girl mother used to be a supermodel.(that / whose / who)
d. Have you seen the photograph became famous? (who / where / which)
e. We returned to the place the accident had occurred (where / which / when)
f. It still hurts to think about the day so many people were killed. (whose / where / when)
I

22. Match the beginning of the sentences in I to suitable endings in II.

II
a. This is the place
a. Whose house had a gas leak.
b. Its hard to forget the day
b. Which was trapped under the car.
c. They rescued a dog
c. When the towers collapsed.
d. Reporters interviewed the couple
d. Who was so brave and rescued me.
e. I want to thank the man
e. Where they met.
23. Join the pairs of sentences with defining relative clauses. Omit the relative pronouns where possible.
a. I returned the book. I borrowed it from Sally.
b. She took me to the station. I get the train to London there.
c. Theres the man. His house collapsed.
d. It was a terrible experience. Well never forget it.
e. My parents have got good friends. They own a yacht.
f. The doctor bought a car. It was made in France.
24. Combine the sentences with who, which, where or whose to form non-defining relative clauses. Make any
necessary changes.
a. Maurice is taking flying lessons. He turned 18 last week.
b. The fire station is in the centre of the town. It was built last year.
c. Cambridge is a famous university. John studied there.
d. Billy brought cakes to the party. His father is the local baker.
e. The cameraman got some good close-up shots. He has got a lot of patience.
25. Correct the errors.
a. The map was not on the table that he had left it.
b. My summer holidays, that I spent in France, were fantastic.
c. Our neighbours, who flat is above ours, had a noisy party.
d. Last winter was the coldest winter when I can remember.
e. His friend, that has been very ill, is starting to feel better.

26. Complete the sentences with suitable relative clauses. Make the sentences true for you.
a. My house, which
b. Summer is a time when
c. I like the kind of music that
d. My best friend, whose
e. I often eat at a restaurant where

27. Complete each sentence with a suitable relative pronoun. There may be more than one possible answer.
g. Do you know any people ..fight for animal rights?
h. We buy the dog food .our vet recommends.
i.
I got up at 6.00 am, I took Spot for a walk.
j.
Australia is a country ..there are many unique animals.
k. Everyone tried to comfort our neighbour, ..cat had died.
l.
My brother, works at an animal shelter, is a vegetarian.
m. Do you think that there are many animals are exploited?
n. There are plenty of pets owners take good care of them.
A

28. Match A and B and add a relative pronoun to form sentences.

B
a. Tell me about the film
1. Needs a lot of repairs.
b. Is there a place nearby
2. We got married.
c. Im looking for a flatmate
3. You watched last night.
d. We should be tolerant of people
4. Doesnt smoke.
e. Her birthday is in August,
5. I can use the Internet?
f. Skiing is popular in the Alps,
6. There is snow nearly all year round.
g. Im thinking of selling my car,
7. Opinions are different from ours.
h. It rained on the day
8. Most of her friends are out of town.
29. Combine the sentences using a relative pronoun. Make any necessary changes. Which sentences are
defining and which are non-defining? In which sentences can you omit the relative pronoun?
a. Thats the girl. You noticed her at the party.
b. She babysits for twins. Their parents work long hours.
c. The road is closed. The accident took place there.
d. The firefighters rescued a kitten. They found it in the burning house.
e. The song was fantastic. They sang it.
f. The prize goes to Howard. He answered all the questions correctly.
g. I remember the day. We first met then.
h. This is Mr Gerald. His daughter is in your class.
i. The state of Alaska has got a very cold climate. It is near the Arctic Circle.
j. Magic was the only elephant in Alaska. She lived in the Alaska Zoo,
k. She lived in the zoo from 1983. She was taken from Africa that year.
l. Elephants are animals. They need to live in groups.
m. They must also live in a warm climate. It is similar to their warm native habitat.
n. Activists wanted to move her to a warmer place. She could socialize with other elephants there.
o. The zoo agreed to move her to a sanctuary in California. She would be much happier there.
p. This was difficult for the Alaskans. There were sad to part with their only elephant.

30. Complete the passage with the correct relative pronouns. Then listen and check your answers. There may
be more than one possible answer.

31. Rewrite the following sentences using the words in brackets. Do not change the original meaning.
a. Ive got a friend. She speaks Japanese. (who)
b. I began working here in 2006. (since)
c. Im going to help Larry, who has got a very ill dog. (whose)
d. We are moving in July. (by the end of July)
e. The pen doesnt work. I bought it yesterday. (which).