Relative Clauses Worksheets for ESL — AI Generated

Edooqoo generates relative clauses worksheets from teacher-selected inputs and available student context. The platform creates personalized exercises covering relative pronouns (who, which, that, where, when, whose), defining and non-defining clauses, reduced relative clauses, and prepositions with relative pronouns — all oriented to your students' CEFR level.

Relative clauses allow speakers to combine information, add detail, and create more complex sentences. They're essential for moving beyond simple sentence structures and are a key marker of intermediate-to-advanced English proficiency. Students who master relative clauses can write more sophisticated texts and speak with greater fluency.

Relative Pronouns Reference

Pronoun	Refers to	Function	Example
who	People	Subject/Object	The woman who lives next door is a teacher.
which	Things/Animals	Subject/Object	The book which I bought is excellent.
that	People/Things	Subject/Object (defining only)	The car that he drives is red.
whose	Possession	Possessive	The student whose phone rang apologized.
where	Places	Adverbial	The city where I grew up is small.
when	Times	Adverbial	I remember the day when we met.

Defining vs. Non-Defining Clauses

Defining Relative Clauses (Restrictive)

Essential information — identifies which person/thing we mean. No commas. "That" can replace who/which.

The students who passed the exam received certificates. (Which students? The ones who passed.)
Can be introduced at A2-B1 level with simple structures

Non-Defining Relative Clauses (Non-Restrictive)

Extra information — adds detail but doesn't identify. Uses commas. "That" cannot be used.

My sister, who lives in London, is visiting us. (I only have one sister — the clause adds info.)
Typically introduced at B1-B2 level

Teaching Relative Clauses by CEFR Level

A2-B1: Foundation

Defining clauses with who, which, that as subject
Simple sentence combining: "I met a man. He speaks 5 languages." → "I met a man who speaks 5 languages."
Where for places, when for times

B1-B2: Expansion

Non-defining clauses with commas
Object relative pronouns (which can be omitted): "The film (that) we saw was great"
Whose for possession
Prepositions in relative clauses: "The person to whom I spoke..." vs. "The person who I spoke to..."

C1-C2: Mastery

Reduced relative clauses: "The man sitting next to me..." (= who is sitting)
Formal preposition placement: "in which," "for whom"
Nominal relative clauses: "What I need is more time"
Cleft sentences: "It was John who called" / "What surprised me was..."

Best Exercise Types

Sentence Combining — Join two simple sentences using a relative pronoun
Fill in the Blanks — Choose the correct relative pronoun
Error Correction — Fix incorrect relative clause usage (commas, pronoun choice)
Multiple Choice — Select who/which/that/whose/where/when
Gap Text (Cloze) — Complete a text with missing relative clauses
Paraphrasing — Rewrite with reduced relative clauses

Common Errors

"The man which I saw" → Use "who" for people
"My brother, that lives in Paris" → Can't use "that" in non-defining clauses
Missing commas in non-defining → "My car which is blue..." should have commas if non-defining
Double subject → "The woman who she called me" (remove "she")
Omitting subject relative pronouns → "The man __ lives here" (can't omit subject relative pronoun)

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I introduce relative clauses?

Simple defining clauses with who/which/that can be introduced at A2 level with sentence combining exercises. Non-defining clauses are typically B1-B2, and reduced relatives are B2-C1. Edooqoo adjusts complexity based on the CEFR level you select.

How do I explain when to use commas?

The key question is: "Does the clause identify which one?" If yes (defining) → no commas. If no (extra info about something already identified) → commas. Use minimal pairs: "My brother who lives in Paris..." (I have multiple brothers) vs. "My brother, who lives in Paris,..." (I have one brother).

Should I teach 'that' as a universal relative pronoun?

In informal English, "that" can replace "who" and "which" in defining clauses. Teaching this actually simplifies things for lower levels. Just make clear that "that" cannot be used in non-defining clauses or after prepositions.

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Edooqoo — Relative Clauses Worksheets for ESL — AI Generated. Generate relative clauses worksheets with AI. Practice who, which, that, where, when, whose with defining and non-defining clauses. ESL exercises A2-C2. Every AI output is reviewed and edited by the teacher before a student ever sees it.