For a start, let's analyse the relevant elements we have to bear in mind when dealing with the relative clauses:

The boy who came to the party studied with me at the elementary school.

Main clause: The boy studied with me at the elementary school. Relative clause: who came to the party

Antecedent: The boy Relative pronoun: who

Why do we use the relative clauses? We use them either to give essential information about the antecedent (Defining Relative Clauses) or just some extra information (Non-defining Relative Clauses).

Another important thing about relative clauses is the connection you have between the antecedent and the relative clause because that will affect the kind of relative pronoun you are going to need. It could be subject, object, there could be a connection of possession...

This kind of relative clauses is essential to the understanding of the message, so you can never omit them. Therefore, the intonation is rising till the end of the relative clause.

- We use the relative pronoun WHO (or THAT) when the antecedent is a person and is the subject or object of the relative clause.

The boy who / that came to the party studied with me at the elementary school.

you saw at the party

she was dancing with at the party

- We use the relative pronoun WHICH (or THAT) when the antecedent is an animal or a thing and is the subject or object of the relative clause.

The dog which / that barked in the street belongs to my uncle.

you saw in the street

she was playing with

You can omit the relative pronoun when it is not the subject of the relative clause (The boy you saw at the party... // The dog you saw in the street...) and pay attention to the interesting use and position of prepositions (El perro con el que ella jugaba...).

- WHOSE (connection of possession)

That's the man whose wife is waiting for the bus. (His wife is waiting for the bus.)

- WHERE (Adverbial of place). It can be substituted by THAT/WHICH + preposition.

We visited the church where you got married // the church that you got married at. (you got married there / in that church)

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate RELATIVE PRONOUN (who, which, where) and then say which sentences can have the relative pronoun THAT

1. I went to see the doctor ................ had helped my sister.

2. That is the hospital .................... the doctor works.

3. The dog .................. bit me belonged to my neighbour.

4. The woman ...................... phoned wanted to talk to my mother.

5. My mother bought the dress in the shop ....................... we saw the red sweater.

6. He is the architect .......................... designed the new bridge over the River Thames.

7. A library is a place ........................ people can read books.

8. Books are things ........................... give you a lot of information about different topics.

Now define what 'a student' is.

Insert the second sentences into the first ones by means of a WHOSE-relative clause.

1. The house is beautiful. Its windows are open.

2. He was wearing a cap. Its colour was electric green.

3. The woman is on the phone. Her name is Greek.

4. Look at the man. You met his son at the party.

5. Paris is the city. Its main monument is the Eiffel Tower.

More RELATIVE CLAUSES exercises to do: WHO/WHICH/WHOSE (2)

These relative clauses give extra information about the antecedent, so they are not essential to the understanding of the message and you can omit them. They go in between commas and the relative pronoun can never be omitted. The relative pronoun THAT can never be used.

- We use the relative pronoun WHO when the antecedent is a person and is the subject or object of the relative clause.

John, who came to the party , studied with me at the elementary school.

you saw at the party

she was dancing with at the party

- We use the relative pronoun WHICH when the antecedent is an animal or a thing and is the subject or object of the relative clause.

That dog which barked in the street , belongs to my uncle.

you saw in the street

she was playing with

- WHOSE (connection of possession)

Mr Smith, whose wife is waiting for the bus, is my boss.

- WHERE (Adverbial of place). It can be substituted by WHICH + preposition.

We visited Buckingham Palace, where the Queen lives

1. Mont Blanc .... is the highest mountain in the Alps. (it is between France and Italy)

2. Alfred Hitchcock .... worked for many years in Hollywood. (he was born in Britain)

3. We recently visited Cambridge ..... (Albert studied there many years ago)

4. Susana ..... loves travelling. (she is in 3º ESO)

5. London .... has over 6 million inhabitants. (it is the capital of Britain)

6. Mr Baraq Obama .... has never visited Spain. (he is the former President of the United States)