Whose Relative Clauses?

WHOSE

When two sentences talk about the same person, and the second sentence has a possessive form of a word in the first sentence, we can use whose to connect the two sentences.

I know the boy.
The boy's mother works at the YMCA.
I know the boy whose mother works at the YMCA.

I know the boy.
My cousin works with the boy's mother.
I know the boy whose mother my cousin works with.

The painter is Monet.
I really like the painter's work the most.
I painter's whose work I like the most is Monet.

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8:00 more practice with Relative Clauses

1) The car is old. I like my car.
The car that I like is old.
The car which I like is old.
The car I like is old.

2) Poland won the World Cup. The World Cup was in 1940.
Poland won the World Cup which was in 1940.
Poland won the World Cup that was in 1940.

3) Students studied relative clauses. Relative clauses are confusing.
Students studied relative clauses which are confusing.
Students studied relative clauses that are confusing.

4) Students studied relative clauses. The students were confused.
Students who were confused studied relative clauses.
Students that were confused studied relative clauses.

5) Banks went bankrupt. Banks made bad loans.
Banks that made bad loans went bankrupt.
Banks which made bad loans went bankrupt.

Omitting relative clauses with 'to be'

When the relative clause has the construction

relative pronoun + 'to be' + ~ing verb

or

relative pronoun + 'to be' + past participle

the relative pronoun and the 'to be' verb can be omitted.
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Examples

relative pronoun + 'to be' + past participle
People that were bitten by mosquitoes should be tested for malaria.
She was wearing a dress which was covered in blue flowers.

relative pronoun+ 'to be' + ~ing verb
Anyone who is smoking will be expelled from school.
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Here are the sentences that we did for dictation at 6:00.

Try to decide if the relative pronouns and 'to be' verbs in the relative clause are optional or not. If they are, put parenthesis around the words which can be omitted. Number 1 has been done as an example.
1. I talked to the man (who was) standing in front of the supermarket.
2. I asked the boys that were playing tennis what the time is.
3. Have you seen the movie that tells the story of the Titanic’s maiden journey?
4. The Chinese restaurant that is near my house has great egg drop soup.
5. We chose three of the sandwiches which were on the table.
6. He was talking on the phone when someone knocked on the door.
7. I always mix up words that are spelled “ei” with words that are spelled “ie”.
8. Plants that can stand hot, dry summer grow well in this area of the country.
9. Only two of the boys wanted to work overtime were able to do it.
10. The child who is playing with the cat is my little sister.

Relative Clauses worksheet

Here's the worksheet that I handed out yesterday with the exercises on relative clauses as objects.

The relative pronoun is optional if it is the object of the sentence.

The chef changed the recipe that the customers said was too spicy.
The chef changed the recipe which the customers said was too spicy.
The chef changed the recipe X the customers said was too spicy.

If the relative clause has a subject that is not the relative pronoun, it is an object relative clause.

The cat that Martin saw killing the mouse is orange.

Main sentence: The cat is orange.
Relative clause: that I saw killing the mouse
Subject of the main sentence: cat
Subject of the relative clause: Martin

If the relative clause does not have a subject, then the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause.

The mechanic fixed the car that was in the accident in ten minutes.

Main sentence: The mechanic fixed the car in ten minutes.
Relative clause: that was in the accident
Subject of the main sentence: mechanic
Subject of the relative clause: that