Relative pronouns Worksheet Practice Exercises with Answers

Lesson 26: Relative Pronouns

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns are words that replace a noun already mentioned earlier in a sentence and join extra information to the main part of the sentence. Unlike interrogative pronouns, which ask questions, relative pronouns help connect related ideas within a single sentence. The common relative pronouns are: that, which, who, whom, whose. They refer back to a noun in the sentence.

How Relative Pronouns Work

In the sentence "I like the woman who lives next door," the relative pronoun "who" replaces "the woman" and joins the information "lives next door" to the main part of the sentence. The word "who" does two jobs at once - it represents "the woman" and it connects the related information.

Relative Pronouns as Subordinating Conjunctions

Relative pronouns are a type of subordinating conjunction. A relative pronoun typically appears soon after the noun it refers to. For example: "He liked the teacher who gave easy tests."

Less Common Relative Pronouns

There are also some less commonly used relative pronouns with the suffix -ever. Some examples: whatever, whoever, whomever. These relative pronouns do not refer back to a noun that comes before. Rather, they represent a noun all by themselves.

Multiple Uses of "That"

The word "that" has many different uses:

• Demonstrative determiner: "I think that man is intriguing."
• Demonstrative pronoun: "I think that is the way to go."
• Subordinating conjunction: "I think that the sun will shine tomorrow."
• Relative pronoun: "I think the car that you want was sold yesterday."

You can have more than one "that" within the same sentence: "I think that that is the cat that belongs to you."

Question 1. Underline the relative pronoun in each of the sentences below.
John's is the essay that was the most well written.
Answer: The relative pronoun is "that".
In simple words: Find the word that replaces a noun mentioned earlier and connects extra information to the sentence.

Exam Tip: Relative pronouns always appear close to the noun they replace - look for who, whom, whose, which, or that right after a noun.

Question 2. Underline the relative pronoun in each of the sentences below.
His wife was the woman whom he loved the most.
Answer: The relative pronoun is "whom".
In simple words: Look for the word that replaces a person already mentioned and adds more information about that person.

Exam Tip: The pronoun "whom" is the object form, used when the relative pronoun receives the action of the verb.

Question 3. Underline the relative pronoun in each of the sentences below.
There is no one who can make me laugh more than you.
Answer: The relative pronoun is "who".
In simple words: Find the word that replaces a noun and introduces information about what that noun does.

Exam Tip: The pronoun "who" is the subject form, used when the relative pronoun performs the action of the verb.

Question 4. Underline the relative pronoun in each of the sentences below.
Danny bought a gift which appealed to him.
Answer: The relative pronoun is "which".
In simple words: Look for the word that replaces a thing (not a person) and connects additional details about it.

Exam Tip: Use "which" for things and objects, while "who" and "whom" are for people.

Question 5. Underline the relative pronoun in each of the sentences below.
Last week I met the man whose cousin married my friend.
Answer: The relative pronoun is "whose".
In simple words: Find the possessive word that shows something belongs to or is related to a noun mentioned earlier.

Exam Tip: The pronoun "whose" shows possession or belonging - it tells you that something is connected to the noun it replaces.

Question 6. Find the noun that the relative pronoun is referring to in the following sentence.
They are men who are ambitious.
Answer: The relative pronoun "who" refers to the noun "men".
In simple words: The word "who" replaces "men" and tells you more about what those men are like.

Exam Tip: The noun that a relative pronoun refers to always appears right before the pronoun in the sentence.

Question 7. Find the noun that the relative pronoun is referring to in the following sentence.
The salesman noticed the potatoes that he planted.
Answer: The relative pronoun "that" refers to the noun "potatoes".
In simple words: The word "that" takes the place of "potatoes" and tells you more about what the salesman did with them.

Exam Tip: When you find a relative pronoun, look just before it - the noun right before it is almost always the one it refers to.

Question 8. Find the noun that the relative pronoun is referring to in the following sentence.
It is worth buying stocks which increase in value.
Answer: The relative pronoun "which" refers to the noun "stocks".
In simple words: The word "which" replaces "stocks" and gives you information about how they behave financially.

Exam Tip: The relative pronoun sits right after the noun it describes - use this position to identify which noun it refers to.

Question 9. Find the noun that the relative pronoun is referring to in the following sentence.
The guests whom we invited a week ago just arrived.
Answer: The relative pronoun "whom" refers to the noun "guests".
In simple words: The word "whom" takes the place of "guests" and tells you that these are the people we asked to come.

Exam Tip: Use "whom" when the relative pronoun is the object receiving the action - here "we invited guests" shows whom receives the action of inviting.

Question 10. Find the noun that the relative pronoun is referring to in the following sentence.
The flight that was supposed to leave at 5 is still delayed.
Answer: The relative pronoun "that" refers to the noun "flight".
In simple words: The word "that" replaces "flight" and provides additional details about when the plane was planned to depart.

Exam Tip: Relative pronouns work like a bridge - they link the main noun to extra information that describes it.

Question 11. Underline and identify the interrogative or relative pronoun in the following sentence.
What can I do about it?
Answer: The pronoun is "what" and it is interrogative.
In simple words: This is a question, so the pronoun asking the question must be interrogative, not relative.

Exam Tip: If a sentence ends with a question mark, any pronoun in it will be interrogative, not relative.

Question 12. Underline and identify the interrogative or relative pronoun in the following sentence.
Adam is the person whom you need to talk to.
Answer: The pronoun is "whom" and it is relative.
In simple words: This sentence is not a question - it is a statement. The pronoun replaces "person" and connects extra information, so it is relative.

Exam Tip: Relative pronouns appear in statements and give you more information about a noun already named in the sentence.

Question 13. Underline and identify the interrogative or relative pronoun in the following sentence.
I fixed the clock that was broken.
Answer: The pronoun is "that" and it is relative.
In simple words: This is a statement, not a question. The pronoun replaces "clock" and tells you more about its condition.

Exam Tip: No question mark means no interrogative pronoun - look for a relative pronoun that replaces a noun.

Question 14. Underline and identify the interrogative or relative pronoun in the following sentence.
The police will find the person who committed this crime.
Answer: The pronoun is "who" and it is relative.
In simple words: This is a statement giving information. The pronoun replaces "person" and describes what that person did.

Exam Tip: When a pronoun replaces a noun in a statement and adds detail, that pronoun is always relative.

Question 15. Underline and identify the interrogative or relative pronoun in the following sentence.
When will the show start?
Answer: The pronoun is "when" and it is interrogative.
In simple words: The sentence asks a question, so the word asking the question must be interrogative.

Exam Tip: Questions always contain interrogative pronouns - they are the words doing the asking.