初中英文：關係子句

A relative clause helps the reader identify or learn more about a noun. In “The girl who won the competition is my cousin”, the noun being described is the girl. The relative clause is who won the competition. Find the noun first; then read what the clause says about it. The noun being described is sometimes called the antecedent.

This lesson focuses on clauses that help identify the person or thing. Advanced comma choices and formal whom patterns can wait.

Who describes people. Which describes things and can describe animals. That can describe people or things in the identifying clauses used here. Whose links a noun to something belonging to it: the pupil whose bag is missing. Where gives a location, and when gives a time.

Do not choose only from the noun. In “the hall where we rehearsed”, we rehearsed there. In “the hall which we booked”, we booked the hall: the clause needs an object. A place can take which or that when it fills that object job.

Keep the sentence after the relative word complete without repeating the job. “The boy who sits beside me” already has who as the subject; do not add he. In many identifying clauses, who/which/that may be omitted if they are objects: “the ticket I bought”. They cannot be omitted when they are subjects: “the ticket that arrived”. One-word gap tasks ask you to insert a word even when omission would work outside the task.

I met a pupil. She builds model boats. → I met a pupil who builds model boats. That also works in this identifying clause. Pupil is the noun being described; who/that supplies the subject of builds. Do not write “who she builds”.

I bought a torch. It uses rechargeable batteries. → I bought a torch which uses rechargeable batteries. That is also valid. The relative word is the subject, so keep it.

We visited a garden. Our class planted herbs there. → We visited a garden where our class planted herbs. Where supplies the location. “A garden which our class planted herbs in” is also grammatical; it keeps the preposition in. Do not delete in and expect which alone to give that location.

I met a volunteer. Her advice helped me. → I met a volunteer whose advice helped me. Whose shows the advice belongs to the volunteer.

Whose shows possession and is followed here by a noun: the musician whose songs we practise. Who’s is a contraction of who is or who has. Expand it to check: “the pupil who’s waiting” means “the pupil who is waiting”; “who’s bag” would mean “who is bag”, which does not work.

Who/that and which/that can both be valid in the identifying clauses used in this lesson. The answer checks accept those alternatives where they fit. Where is not an automatic answer after a place noun, and when is not the only possible construction after a time noun.

Correct these sentences without changing their meaning. More than one natural correction may work.

1. The boy which sits beside me is absent.
2. I visited the restaurant who my sister recommended.
3. The girl who’s bag was missing went to the office.
4. That is the school which I studied.

For 4, the intended meaning is that you were a pupil at that school. Check whether your correction supplies the location: where I studied, which/that I studied at, or at which I studied. Do not treat a different but grammatical construction as wrong just because it differs from the first model.

Source notes for a school newsletter:

• We visited a community garden. Local families grow herbs there.
• We met a volunteer. Her daughter designed the garden signs.
• She showed us a tool. It measures soil moisture.

Write a three-sentence paragraph. Combine each pair using a relative clause; do not add new facts. Your paragraph should make the places, people and things clear, rather than repeating the same nouns.

Before each exit answer, underline mentally the noun being described, then identify the missing job: subject, object, possession, location or time. Some tasks ask for one relative word; follow that constraint rather than deleting a word.

Results score objective decisions. The three writing tasks are self-check with alternative models; ask a teacher about a natural version you cannot compare confidently. Strengths and review areas need at least three objective pieces of evidence.

At the established 80% threshold, 12/14 objective marks meet mastery and 11/14 do not; complete the practice, including self-check tasks. Review the lesson and retry mistakes while retaining your first score. Continue to Reported Speech when ready. No prerequisite locks apply.