Test your understanding of relative pronouns and relative adverbs with this grammar exercise. Fill in the blanks with an appropriate option.
1. This is the house .......................... I was born.
Where can mean 'in which' or 'at which'.
2. This is the town ....................... I spent my childhood.
Where can mean 'in which'.
3. This is the town .............................. I spent my childhood.
Where can mean in which. Therefore, the first and the third options are possible here.
4. Do you know a shop ............................ I can find sports shoes?
Where can mean at which
5. She got married again a few months later, ........................ surprised everybody.
Which can refer to the whole of a previous clause.
6. I was impressed by the way ............................. she did it.
7. We have got everything ............................ you ordered.
What means 'the things which'. It cannot be used as an ordinary relative pronoun after a noun or pronoun.
8. This is the school ......................... I studied.
Where can mean in which.
9. She may be late ............................ case we ought to wait for her.
10. We moved to the country so that the kids would have a garden .........................
Both options are possible here. The relative pronoun is dropped in an informal style and it is more common to use infinitive + preposition.
11. This is the room .............................
The structure with 'that' is common in an informal style.
12. The idea ......................... she put forward was interesting.
Answers
1. This is the house where I was born.
2. This is the town where I spent my childhood.
3. This is the town where / in which I spent my childhood.
4. Do you know a shop where / at which I can find sports shoes?
5. She got married again a few months later, which surprised everybody.
6. I was impressed by the way in which she did it.
7. We have got everything that you ordered.
8. This is the school where / in which I studied.
9. She may be late in which case we ought to wait for her.
10. We moved to the country so that the kids would have a garden in which to play / to play in.
11. This is the room where I was born / in which I was born.
12. The idea which she put forward was interesting.
