RELATIVE CLAUSES - USAGE & EXERCISES

RELATIVE CLAUSE - WHOSE, WHOM, WHERE, WHY
A. Whose
We use whose in relative clauses instead of his/her/their:
we helped some people - their car had broken down
=> We helped some people whose car had broken down.
We use `whose` mostly for people:
- A widow is a woman whose husband is dead. (her husband is dead)
- What`s the name of the man whose car you borrowed? (you borrowed his car)
- I met someone whose brother Iwent to school with. (I went to school with his/her brother)
Compare `who` and `whose`:
- I met a man who knows you. (he knows you)
- I met a man whose sister knows you. (his sister knows you)
B. Whom
Whom is possible instead of who when it is the object of the verb in the relative clause:
- George is a person whom Iadmire very much. (I admire him)
You can also use `whom` with a preposition (to whom / from whom / with whom, etc.):
- I like the people with whom I work. (I work with them)
`Whom` is a formal word and we do not often use it in this way. We usually prefer `who` or `that`, or nothing. So we usually say:
- ... a person who/that I admire a lot (or) ... a person I admire a lot
- ... the people who/that I work with (or) ... the people I work with
C. Where
You can use `where` in a relative clause to talk about a place:
the restaurant - we had lunch there - it was near the airport
=> The restaurant where we had Lunch was nearthe airport.
- I recently went back to the town where I grew up.
(or ...the town Igrew up in (or) ....the town that I grew up in)
- I would like to live in a place where there is plenty of sunshine.
D. We say:
something happens (or)
the day / the year / the time, etc.
that something happens
- I can`t meet you on Friday. That`s the day (that) I`m going away.
- The last time (that) I saw Anna, she looked great.
- I haven`t seen Jack and Helen since the year (that) they got married.
E. We say:
something happens (or)
the reason
that/why something happens
- The reason I`m phoning is to ask your advice.
(or: The reason that I`m phoning / The reason why I`m phoning)

PRACTICE
I. You met these people at a party:




The next day you tell a friend about these people. Complete the sentences using who or whose.
1. I met somebody whose mother writes detective stories.
2. I met a man...........................................
3. I met a woman......................................
4. I met somebody....................................
5. I met a couple.......................................
6. I met somebody....................................
II. Read the situations and complete the sentences using where.
1. You grew up in a small town. You went back there recently. You tell someone this.
I recently went back to the small towm where I grew up.
2. You`re thirsty and you want a drink. You ask a friend where you can get some water.
Is there a shop near here ...............................?
3. You work in a factory. The factory is going to close down next month. You tell a friend.
The..........................is going to close down next month.
4. Sue is staying at a hotel. You want to know the name of the hotel. You ask a friend.
Do you know the name of......................................?
5. You play football in a park on Sundays. You show a friend the park. You say:
This is the..............................................on Sundays.
III. Complete each sentence using who/whom/whose/where.
1. What`s the name of the man whose car you borrowed?
2. A cemetery is a place.........people are buried.
3. A pacifist is a person........believes that all wars are wrong.
4. An orphan is a child.........parents are dead.
5. What was the name of the person to............you spoke on the phone?
6. The place..........we spent our holidays was really beautiful.
7. This school is only for children.........first language is not English.
8. The woman with.........he fell in love left him after a month.
IV. Use your own ideas to complete these sentences. They are like the examples in Sections D and E.
1. I