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Defining and Non-defining Relative Clauses – Test 1

B2 Upper-intermediate GrammarEnglish

This 30-question B2 grammar test checks how well you use defining and non-defining relative clauses in English. It covers relative pronouns and adverbs, commas, when 'that' is possible or the pronoun can be left out, 'which' referring to a whole clause, prepositions with 'whom' and 'which', and typical learner errors. It is suitable for upper-intermediate learners, exam candidates and teachers who need a ready-made classroom check.

Questions
30
Time
30 min
PDF
5 pages
Answer key
Included
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Choose the one correct answer for each question. Choose your answers, then press “Check my answers”.

Part 1: Relative pronouns and adverbs

Choose the word that correctly completes each sentence.

  1. The woman _____ lives next door is a nurse.

  2. Is this the book _____ you were talking about?

  3. I have a friend _____ brother plays in a jazz band.

  4. That's the café _____ we first met.

  5. I'll never forget the day _____ I passed my driving test.

  6. Do you know the reason _____ she left early?

  7. Lagos, _____ is the largest city in Nigeria, is home to over 15 million people.

  8. My grandmother, _____ is 92, still goes swimming every morning.

  9. Everything _____ he told us turned out to be true.

  10. The man to _____ I spoke on the phone was very helpful.

Part 2: Defining or non-defining? Form, meaning and errors

Choose the correct sentence, meaning, answer or error in each question.

  1. Sam has only one brother. Which sentence is correct?

  2. In which sentence can the relative pronoun be left out?

  3. "The students who passed the exam received a certificate." What does this sentence mean?

  4. "The students, who passed the exam, received a certificate." What does this sentence mean?

  5. Find the error: "The hotel where we stayed it was very close to the beach."

  6. Find the error: "Mr Okafor, that teaches us maths, is retiring this year."

  7. Which sentence needs commas around the relative clause?

  8. She failed her driving test three times, _____ really upset her.

  9. In which sentence can 'that' replace the relative word?

  10. Which question is correct?

Part 3: Relative clauses in context

Read the text. Then choose the word that correctly completes each gap. The sentences from the text are repeated in the questions in the same order.

Greenway Community Garden, ___ opened in 2015, is run entirely by volunteers. The idea came from Amara Diallo, a retired teacher ___ had always wanted to grow vegetables in the city. The land, ___ had been empty for years, belonged to the local council, ___ agreed to rent it for a small fee.

Today the garden has around sixty members, most of ___ live in the flats nearby. There is a small shed ___ tools are kept, and a notice board on ___ volunteers write their names for each task. Members ___ plots are not looked after for three months may lose them, ___ seems fair to most people. Amara says the best thing about the garden is the friendships ___ people have made there.

  1. Greenway Community Garden, _____ opened in 2015, is run entirely by volunteers.

  2. The idea came from Amara Diallo, a retired teacher _____ had always wanted to grow vegetables in the city.

  3. The land, _____ had been empty for years, belonged to the local council.

  4. The land belonged to the local council, _____ agreed to rent it for a small fee.

  5. Today the garden has around sixty members, most of _____ live in the flats nearby.

  6. There is a small shed _____ tools are kept.

  7. There is a notice board on _____ volunteers write their names for each task.

  8. Members _____ plots are not looked after for three months may lose them.

  9. Members may lose their plots, _____ seems fair to most people.

  10. Amara says the best thing about the garden is the friendships _____ people have made there.

Preview

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About this test

This 30-question B2 grammar test checks how well you use defining and non-defining relative clauses in English. It covers relative pronouns and adverbs, commas, when 'that' is possible or the pronoun can be left out, 'which' referring to a whole clause, prepositions with 'whom' and 'which', and typical learner errors. It is suitable for upper-intermediate learners, exam candidates and teachers who need a ready-made classroom check.

Topics covered

Relative pronouns: who, which, whose, whom, thatRelative adverbs: where, when, whyDefining vs non-defining clausesCommas and meaningOmitting the relative pronounPrepositions in relative clausesQuantifiers + whom/whichSentential 'which'

How to use this test

  1. Download the PDF and print it, or take the test online below.
  2. Answer every question without a dictionary or time pressure.
  3. Check your answers and note the topics you need to review.

Notes for teachers

Use Part 1 as a warm-up on pronoun choice, Part 2 to check punctuation, meaning and when 'that' or omission is possible, and Part 3 to test relative clauses in a connected text. The test targets frequent B2 errors: using 'that' in non-defining clauses, adding an extra pronoun ('where we stayed it was'), confusing 'whose' and 'who's', and using 'that' or 'what' to refer to a whole clause. As a follow-up, ask students to rewrite pairs of short sentences as one sentence with a relative clause and to explain whether commas are needed.