English Grammar Exercises for B2 – Relative clauses / participles exercise

A. Circle the correct word.

1   The minister, which / who was appointed just last week, made no comment on the situation.

2   Isn’t that the spot which / where the accident happened last night?

3   The human brain, which / who weight about 1400 grammes, is ten times the size of a baboon’s.

4   There are several reasons which / why I don’t want to see Michael tonight.

5   This is the office which / where I work.

6   The new girl in our class, who’s / whose name is Alexandra, seems really nice.

7   The Titanic, which / that people said was unsinkable, sand on her maiden voyage.

8   All the people to who / whom the e-mail was sent replied.

9   April 1st, which / when we play tricks on people, is known as April Fools’ Day.

10   Harry Hill, who / whose new series starts next week, is one of my favourite comedians.

11   A very popular breed of dog is the German Shepherd, which / who is often used as a guard dog.

12   Blackpool Tower, which / that was modelled on the Eiffel Tower, is a very well-known landmark.

B. If a word in bold is correct, put a tick (✓). If it is incorrect, rewrite it correctly.

1   November 5th was the day which Guy Fawkes tried to blow up Parliament.   ………………

2   There were none of my favourite biscuits left when I had a cup of tea, that was really annoying.   ………………

3   I’ve just got a new webcam that takes really clear pictures.   ………………

4   The Godfather was made by Francis Ford Copolla, who’s daughter is also a film director.   ………………

5   Can you think of any reason which Cathy should be angry with me?   ………………

6   Here’s a photo of the hotel where we stayed in when we were in Beijing.   ………………

7   How do you think the first man whom walked on the moon felt?   ………………

8   This is the first occasion on which the leaders of these two countries have met.   ………………

9   He is a person for who very few people feel much sympathy.   ………………

10   The moment which the hero suddenly appears from behind a tree is the best moment in the whole film.   ………………

11   I met a man which had a dog with only three legs.   ………………

12   My new school, who I moved to about a month ago, seems like quite a friendly place.   ………………

C. Rewrite as one sentence using a relative clause.

1   My friend, Simon, plays the guitar. He has just released a CD.

     ………………………………………………

2   Prince Charles is heir to the throne of England. His wife was Princess Diana.

     ………………………………………………

3   Microsoft has a lot of power in the world of computers. That annoys some people.     ………………………………………………

4   The euro replaced a number of national currencies. It was introduced in January 2002.

     ………………………………………………

5   Friends ran for ten years. It is one of my favourite series.

     ………………………………………………

6   Venus is a very hot place. It is much closer to the Sun than the Earth is.

     ………………………………………………

7   Cricket is popular in many countries around the world. It is played between two teams of eleven.

     ………………………………………………

8   Parts of Buckingham Palace are open to the public. It is where the queen lives.

     ………………………………………………

9   The greyhound is the fastest dog. It can reach speeds of over 65 kilometres an hour.

     ………………………………………………

10   1984 was written by George Orwell. His real name was Eric Blair.

     ………………………………………………

D. Write one word in each gap. Do not write that and do not leave any gaps blank.

Find me a show that works

by our TV reviewer, Jeremy Platt

I’m sure there was a reason (1) ……………… I became a TV reviewer. Maybe it was my love of classic shows (2) ……………… kept me entertained as a child. Or maybe it was the presenters (3) ……………… seemed to promise an exciting world of glamour and showbiz. To be honest, I’ve watched so many shows lately (4) ……………… have bored me to tears that I’ve forgotten. Take Kid Swap, for example, the new show (5) ……………… Channel 7 hopes will revive their viewing figures. The show takes kids (6) ……………… parents have had enough and swaps them with kids from other families for two weeks. The problem with this show is that I’m just not sure at (7) ……………… it’s aimed – parents or teenagers. Parents (8) ……………… watch this show will find it childish, particularly at the moment (9) ……………… one of the teenagers does nothing but complain. Teenage viewers (10) ……………… watch more than the first five minutes will soon get bored of the parents, (11) ……………… blame anybody but themselves for the situation. This is definitely one idea (12) ……………… should be put exactly where it belongs – in the bin!

E. Tick (✓) the gaps in Exercise D which could be completed using that. Put a cross (✗) where that could not be used.

9   ………….

10   ………….

11   ………….

12   ………….

F. Choose the correct answer.

1   ‘Who’s that over there?’

      ‘Oh, it’s our new teacher, …………… just started work today.’

      A   that     B   who he

      C   which he     D   who

2   ‘Which CD did you get Marcus in the end?’

      ‘I got him the one …………… said he really wanted to hear.’

      A   that     B   who he

      C   which     D   which he

3   ‘Who did you send a Valentine’s card to?’

      ‘I’m not telling you, but it was someone …………… name begins with “B”.’

      A   which     B   who her

      C   whose     D   whose her

4   ‘Have you seen Jason Green’s latest film?’

     ‘Is that the one in …………… joins the FBI?”

      A   which he     B   that he

      C   whom he     D   which

5   ‘Why do you like Tania so much?’

     ‘Well, she’s one of the few people to …………… I can really talk.’

      A   which     B   whom

      C   that     D   who

6   ‘Why don’t we go to Lionel’s for dinner tonight?’

     ‘Is that the new restaurant …………… has just opened on the other side of town?’

      A   which     B   that it

      C   where     D   which it

7   ‘Could you lend me some money?’

     ‘I’d like you to give me one good reason …………… I should.’

      A   that     B   why

      C   which     D   who

8   ‘What do you want to do this summer?’

     ‘I think we should go somewhere …………… has plenty of sun and sand.’

      A   who     B   where

      C   when     D   that

G. Circle the words in bold which are not necessary.

The number of options (1) that are available to us with (2) which to fill our leisure time is increasing all the time. While previous generations, (3) who lived before the electronic age, had musical instruments and card games (4) that they played to pass the time, we have PlayStations, computers, televisions and stereos. Although parents (5) whose teenagers spend a lot of time on these activities might worry about the effect (6) which it is having on them, for most of us they provide harmless fun, (7) which is becoming more important as life becomes more stressful. The television programmes (8) which we watch and the computer games (9) that we play all entertain us and, although there will always be people to (10) whom they seem a complete waste of time, the effect (11) that they have on society cannot be ignored. Entertainment is something (12) which we all need and, as long as we’re willing to pay, there will always be someone (13) who is willing to provide it.

H. Circle the correct word or phrase.

1   Before meeting / met Harriet, I never knew what real love was.

2   I’m sure that after passing / passed your exam, you’ll feel a lot better.

3   Having finishing / finished the letter, Peter printed it out.

4   Looking / Looked through the window, I saw a strange man at the door.

5   I cooked dinner and, doing / having done that, I sat down to watch TV.

6   Hearing / Heard a noise outside, Janice went to investigate.

7   Having lost / Losing my notes, I couldn’t revise properly for the test.

8   Having been / Being quite intelligent, Matt hopes to get into a good university.

9   Having missed / Missing the start of the film, I decided not to bother watching the rest of it.

10   After making / made her bed, Cherie had a shower.

I. Complete the sentences so that the meaning remains the same.

1   I suddenly remembered where I’d left my keys when I was waiting for the bus.

     Waiting …………………………………………………

2   I slipped because I was trying to run in the rain.

     Trying …………………………………………………

3   I felt quite sorry for Tim when I saw him cry.

     Seeing …………………………………………………

4   John was depressed because he knew he was going to fail the exam.

     Knowing …………………………………………………

5   The reason I’m quite good at basketball is that I’m quite tall.

     Being …………………………………………………

6   Georgia didn’t know any Japanese so she used a phrase book when she was there.

     Not …………………………………………………

7   Ed can afford three holidays abroad each year because he has a lot of money.

     Having …………………………………………………

8   Maria began to worry when she realised she was lost.

     Realising …………………………………………………

J. Tick (✓) the correct sentences. If a sentence is incorrect, rewrite it correctly.

1   Looking through the windows, a plane was passing overhead.

     …………………………………………….

2   Realising that it was late, I ran all the way home.

     …………………………………………….

3   Having examined me, I was given a prescription by the doctor.

     …………………………………………….

4   Turning on the television, the newsreader said there had been an explosion.

     …………………………………………….

5   Dropping the shopping bags on the kitchen floor, Mrs Moorcroft sighed and sat down heavily.

     …………………………………………….

6   Having practised the piano, I decided to call one of my friends.

     …………………………………………….

K. If a line is correct, put a tick (✓) next to the number. If there is an extra word in a line, write it next to the number.

(1) ‘Hello, viewers, and welcome to Easy Money, the game show who you (2) voted the best on TV! Now, remember yesterday when our current champion, (3) Pat Barber, having been won ten thousand euros, decided to carry on? Well, (4) she’s here tonight and she’s going for the star prize, which it is a brand new (5) sports car! That’s right. Having got her this far, if Pat can answer three more (6) questions correctly, then she could be driving home in this car, ladies and (7) gentlemen. Having not seen the programme before, you will know just how (8) difficult which it can be. I know Pat’s a little nervous, but I’m sure she’ll be (9) fine and there’s one person for whom tonight is very special and that’s Pat’s (10) husband, Frank, who he is sitting in the audience. So, let’s play Easy Money!