RELATIVE PRONOUNS EXERCISE 1 (ESL)
level: Intermediate/AdvancedGrammar review
Who is for people: the man who called.
Whom is for people too, but as the object: the man to whom I spoke.
Whose shows who owns something: the man whose car this is.
Which is for things or animals: the book which I read.
That can replace who or which in everyday speech: the book that I read.
Whom is for people too, but as the object: the man to whom I spoke.
Whose shows who owns something: the man whose car this is.
Which is for things or animals: the book which I read.
That can replace who or which in everyday speech: the book that I read.
✓ Useful for IELTS
✓ Useful for TOEFL
✓ Useful for Cambridge B2/C1
Choose the correct relative pronoun to complete each sentence.
Example: The man whose car was towed is filing a complaint.
1. The woman ________________ purse was stolen is speaking with the police officer.
2. The cats ________________ are playing in our back yard belong to our neighbor.
3. The woman ________________ called this morning was my sister.
4. The notebook ________________ is on the desk is Robert’s.
5. My dad, ________________ name is Thomas, moved here in 1988.
6. The coach chastised Reggie, ________________ he blamed for the loss.
7. We were sitting next to the woman ________________ wallet we found.
8. John’s mother, ________________ had been trying hard to have the laws changed, was happy to hear the news.
9. The mountains, ________________ weren’t as close as Tommy said they were, are quite high.
10. The writer ________________ book I bought last week will be in town next month.
11. My grandfather gave the money to Robert, ________________ was the only one that deserved it.
12. The situation was so serious that he had to borrow money from Jim, ________________, in hindsight, was not a good idea.
13. The little boy ________________ dog we rescued wrote us a thank-you note.
14. The keys ________________ are on the desk are Paula’s.
15. F. Scott Fitzgerald was a famous American writer ________________ lived in Paris for many years.
16. This is the song ________________ could win them a Grammy.
17. It turns out that the woman ________________ he spoke to worked for the New York Times.
18. Bill, ________________ has always had bad luck with loud neighbors, finally moved out last week.
19. The last dishes were washed, ________________ meant that I could relax.
20. He bought a new wallet for the little boy ________________ wallet had been stolen.
Did you know?
Relative clauses are among the most tested, and most misused, structures across all major English exams.
Choosing correctly between who, whom, which, that, and whose in a relative clause is tested in Cambridge Use of English (Part 2), IELTS reading and writing, and TOEFL reading. The defining vs. non-defining distinction also matters: The student who works hardest will succeed (defining, no commas) vs. My brother, who lives in London, is a doctor (non-defining, commas required).
In IELTS writing, using relative clauses correctly and with variety demonstrates the grammatical range needed for Band 7+. This exercise covers all the key relative pronoun choices in one focused workout.
Choosing correctly between who, whom, which, that, and whose in a relative clause is tested in Cambridge Use of English (Part 2), IELTS reading and writing, and TOEFL reading. The defining vs. non-defining distinction also matters: The student who works hardest will succeed (defining, no commas) vs. My brother, who lives in London, is a doctor (non-defining, commas required).
In IELTS writing, using relative clauses correctly and with variety demonstrates the grammatical range needed for Band 7+. This exercise covers all the key relative pronoun choices in one focused workout.
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