Relative pronouns and clauses: who, which, where, when, whose: what children learn
A relative clause is a part of a sentence that adds extra information about a noun. It usually begins with a relative pronoun: who, which, where, when, whose or that. In 'My aunt, who lives in Leeds, is a doctor', the relative clause 'who lives in Leeds' tells us more about my aunt. Relative clauses let writers pack more detail into a sentence without starting a new one.
Supports part of Common Core L.4.1.a. This focused game does not cover the entire standard.
Common Core connection: L.4.1.a. This is focused practice for part of the standard.
How to play
Answer 10 questions before the clock runs out. Tap an answer, or press 1 to 4. Each game has 10 multiple-choice questions and a 120-second timer. A wrong answer shows the correct one before moving on. You earn up to three stars depending on your score.
Step by step
- Find the noun. Look at the noun just before the gap. Is it a person, a thing, a place or a time?
- Match the noun to a pronoun. People take who, things take which, places take where and times take when. If something belongs to the noun, use whose: 'Mr Patel, whose car is red…'
- Check for belonging. Read the words after the gap. If they name something that belongs to the noun (car, sister, bike), the answer is whose, even when the noun is a person.
- Read the sentence without the clause. Cover the part between the commas. 'My aunt is a doctor' still makes sense, which shows the relative clause is extra information.
- Use commas to mark it off. When the relative clause adds extra information in the middle of a sentence, put commas before and after it, like parentheses.
Worked examples
Example 1: The park, ____ we play soccer, is near my house.
Working: The noun is the park, which is a place, so the relative pronoun is where.
Answer: where
Example 2: Ravi, ____ sister is in Grade 5, is in my class.
Working: The sister belongs to Ravi, so we need whose.
Answer: whose
Example 3: The castle, ____ was built long ago, is now a museum.
Working: A castle is a thing, and the clause tells us about it, so we use which.
Answer: which
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Using which for people (the man which…). Teach the pairing: who for people, which for things. Ask 'is it a person?' before choosing.
- Choosing who when something belongs to the person. Look at the word after the gap. If it is a thing the person owns or a relative, use whose.
- Writing who's instead of whose. Who's means who is. Whose shows belonging. Say 'who is' in the sentence: if it does not make sense, use whose.
- Forgetting the second comma. A relative clause in the middle of a sentence needs a comma at both ends, like a pair of parentheses.
Activities to try at home
- Describe family members with a relative clause: 'Grandma, who loves gardening, grows tomatoes.'
- Play 'add a clause': one person says a short sentence, the next adds a relative clause in the middle.
- Look for who, which and whose in a chapter book and decide what each one refers to.
- Use the printable worksheet, then try writing three sentences of your own with different relative pronouns.
Ideas for the classroom
- Give students a noun card (a person, place, thing or time) and ask them to choose the matching relative pronoun card and write a sentence.
- Use 'sentence expansion' in shared writing: start with a simple sentence and drop in a relative clause between commas.
- Run a sorting activity in which students group sentences by relative pronoun and explain the pattern.
- Use the quiz game as a starter. Ask students to name the noun each relative clause describes.
Free printable game and worksheet
The free printable starts with a game sheet, such as a color-by-answer picture, an answer maze or a secret-code joke, followed by a worksheet. Both use the same checked questions as the online game, and the answers are on the last page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print menu.
Open the free printable game and worksheet
Frequently asked questions
How should I choose this game for my learner?
Supports part of Common Core L.4.1.a. This focused game does not cover the entire standard.
Why is 'that' not one of the choices?
Every sentence in the game has its relative clause between commas. In standard English, 'that' is not used with this kind of clause, so it would be wrong. 'That' is used without commas: 'the book that I read'.
How should I choose this game for my learner?
Supports part of Common Core L.4.1.a. This focused game does not cover the entire standard.