Relative Pronouns Exercises: Practice and Answer Key

Relative pronouns exercises help English learners connect ideas, describe people and objects accurately, and construct more complex sentences. These skills are valuable for grammar tests, academic writing, and everyday communication.

This guide explains essential relative pronoun rules and provides exercises with answers. You will practise choosing pronouns, combining sentences, omitting unnecessary pronouns, reducing clauses, and using prepositions correctly.

Essential Grammar for Relative Pronouns Exercises

Relative pronouns introduce clauses that provide information about a noun or pronoun.

Example:

The student who answered the question received a prize.

The clause who answered the question identifies the student.

Common Relative Pronouns and Their Functions

Whom is generally more formal than who. In everyday English, speakers frequently use who or omit an object relative pronoun when the structure allows it.

Defining and Non-defining Relative Clauses

A defining relative clause provides essential information about a noun.

Example:

Employees who complete the training receive a certificate.

The clause identifies which employees receive the certificate.

A non-defining relative clause adds extra information and is separated by commas.

Example:

My sister, who works in education, enjoys travelling.

Remember that that cannot introduce a non-defining relative clause.

How to Complete Relative Pronouns Exercises

Understanding the grammatical role of a relative pronoun makes choosing the correct answer easier.

Identify the Antecedent

The antecedent is the noun or pronoun that the relative pronoun refers to.

Example:

*The engineer _____ designed this bridge received an award.*

The antecedent is the engineer, referring to a person. Because the missing pronoun acts as the subject of designed, who or that is appropriate.

Determine the Grammatical Function

Compare these sentences:

The woman who helped us was friendly.

Here, who is the subject of helped.

The woman whom we helped was grateful.

Here, whom is the object of helped.

In the second sentence, who or that could also be used, or the object relative pronoun could be omitted.

Check Punctuation and Prepositions

Commas indicate non-defining clauses, while the position of a preposition can restrict pronoun choice.

Example:

The organisation for which she works is international.

In this formal construction, that cannot replace which immediately after the preposition.

Relative Pronouns Exercises: Multiple-Choice Questions

Choose the Correct Relative Pronoun

Question 1. The musician _____ performed last night was excellent.

1. whom
   B. whose
   C. who
   D. which

Question 2. The apartment _____ they rented is near the university.

1. which
   B. who
   C. whose
   D. whom

Question 3. The woman _____ daughter studies medicine is our neighbour.

1. which
   B. whose
   C. whom
   D. that

Question 4. My cousin, _____ lives in Australia, is visiting next month.

1. that
   B. who
   C. which
   D. whose

Question 5. The consultant with _____ we discussed the proposal was experienced.

1. that
   B. who
   C. whom
   D. whose

Answer Key

When completing multiple-choice questions, first identify the antecedent and then check whether the missing pronoun functions as a subject, object, or possessive determiner.

Sentence-Combining Exercises with Relative Pronouns

Sentence combining allows writers to connect related information without repeating nouns unnecessarily.

How to Combine Sentences

Consider:

The researcher published an article. She works at the university.

Combined sentence:

The researcher who works at the university published an article.

The relative clause replaces the repeated subject while preserving the meaning.

Practice: Combine the Sentences

Use the relative pronoun provided.

1. The man is a photographer. He lives across the street. (who)
2. The book was fascinating. I borrowed it from the library. (which)
3. The student won the scholarship. Her essay was outstanding. (whose)
4. The restaurant serves Italian food. We visited it yesterday. (that)
5. The professor is retiring. I worked with him last year. (whom)

Suggested Answers

1. The man who lives across the street is a photographer.
2. The book which I borrowed from the library was fascinating.
3. The student whose essay was outstanding won the scholarship.
4. The restaurant that we visited yesterday serves Italian food.
5. The professor whom I worked with last year is retiring.

When combining sentences, place the relative clause immediately after the noun it modifies to keep the meaning clear.

Relative Pronouns Exercises on Omission

Object relative pronouns can often be omitted in defining relative clauses.

Example:

The film that we watched was disappointing.

→ The film we watched was disappointing.

However, subject relative pronouns generally cannot be omitted in the same way.

Example:

The woman who teaches French is my neighbour.

Removing who would make this sentence ungrammatical.

Practice: Omit the Pronoun Where Possible

1. The shoes which I ordered arrived today.
2. The teacher who organised the event was helpful.
3. The people whom we met were friendly.
4. The report that she submitted was detailed.

Answer Key:

1. The shoes I ordered arrived today.
2. No omission is possible.
3. The people we met were friendly.
4. The report she submitted was detailed.

The essential rule is to distinguish between subject and object relative pronouns.

Reduced Relative Clause Exercises

Reduced relative clauses make sentences more concise, particularly in formal writing.

Using Present Participles

A present participle phrase can replace certain active relative clauses.

Example:

The employees who are attending the workshop should register.

→ The employees attending the workshop should register.

The phrase attending the workshop modifies the employees.

Using Past Participles

Past participles commonly reduce passive relative clauses.

Example:

The information which was collected during the survey was useful.

→ The information collected during the survey was useful.

Practice: Reduce the Relative Clauses

1. The woman who is speaking at the conference is a scientist.
2. The letters which were delivered this morning are on the desk.
3. The students who are preparing for the examination look focused.
4. The building which was constructed in 1995 is being renovated.

Answer Key:

1. The woman speaking at the conference is a scientist.
2. The letters delivered this morning are on the desk.
3. The students preparing for the examination look focused.
4. The building constructed in 1995 is being renovated.

Not all relative clauses can be reduced without changing their meaning. Always check the grammatical structure before applying a transformation.

Relative Pronouns Exercises with Prepositions

Prepositions may appear at the end of relative clauses or before relative pronouns, depending on the level of formality.

Prepositions at the End of Clauses

In everyday English, a preposition often appears at the end of a relative clause.

Example:

The colleague who I spoke to was very helpful.

The object pronoun can also be omitted:

The colleague I spoke to was very helpful.

Prepositions Before Relative Pronouns

Formal English may place the preposition before whom or which.

Examples:

The colleague to whom I spoke was very helpful.

The issue about which we spoke was complicated.

In these constructions, that cannot immediately follow the preposition.

Practice: Rewrite in Formal English

1. The manager who I reported to was supportive.
2. The topic which we argued about was controversial.
3. The person who she travelled with was her colleague.

Answer Key:

1. The manager to whom I reported was supportive.
2. The topic about which we argued was controversial.
3. The person with whom she travelled was her colleague.

Both preposition positions are acceptable in appropriate contexts. Formal writing often favours the preposition-before-pronoun structure.

Common Mistakes in Relative Pronouns Exercises

Using That in Non-defining Clauses

Incorrect:

My sister, that lives in Canada, is a teacher.

Correct:

My sister, who lives in Canada, is a teacher.

Non-defining relative clauses do not use that.

Confusing Whose and Who’s

Whose expresses possession, while who’s is a contraction of who is or who has.

Correct:

The employee whose computer stopped working contacted IT support.

Omitting Subject Relative Pronouns

Incorrect:

The student won the competition is my friend.

Correct:

The student who won the competition is my friend.

The subject pronoun who is necessary in this full relative clause.

Using That Immediately After a Preposition

Incorrect:

The organisation for that he works is well known.

Correct:

The organisation for which he works is well known.

Alternatively:

The organisation that he works for is well known.

The correct structure depends on the position of the preposition.

How to Practise Relative Pronouns Effectively

A structured learning routine can improve grammatical accuracy and confidence.

Start by reviewing the functions of common relative pronouns. Then complete multiple-choice questions to practise identifying antecedents and grammatical roles.

Next, move to sentence-combining exercises. These activities help learners apply grammar rules instead of simply recognising correct answers.

Once the basic structures become familiar, practise omitting object pronouns, reducing relative clauses, and using prepositions in formal constructions.

Keeping a record of common mistakes can also be useful. After each exercise, identify the reason for an incorrect answer and rewrite the sentence accurately.

Finally, use relative clauses in short paragraphs about familiar topics such as education, travel, family, or work. This helps transfer grammatical knowledge into practical communication.

Regular practice with relative pronouns exercises can strengthen sentence construction, improve accuracy, and make writing more precise. By progressing from basic pronoun selection to advanced sentence transformations, learners can develop a clearer understanding of relative clauses and use them more naturally.

Frequently Asked Questions About Relative Pronouns Exercises

Can who and whom be used interchangeably?

Who commonly replaces whom in object positions in informal English, but whom is preferred immediately after a fronted preposition in formal writing.

Can whose refer to objects as well as people?

Yes. Whose can express possession or association with both people and things, especially in written English.

What is the best order for practising relative clauses?

Begin with pronoun selection, continue with sentence combining and omission, and then practise reduced clauses and preposition structures.

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