Relative Clause Error Correction Quiz: 100 Questions With Answers

Introduction

A relative clause error correction quiz is an effective way to improve English grammar, sentence structure, and writing accuracy. Whether you are preparing for a school examination, improving your business English, or learning English as a second language, understanding relative clauses can help you communicate more clearly.

Relative clauses allow us to add information about people, places, objects, and situations without writing several separate sentences.

For example:

• Incorrect: The woman which teaches English is very friendly.
• Correct: The woman who teaches English is very friendly.

The mistake looks small, but it can make a sentence grammatically incorrect.

In this guide, you will learn the rules of relative clauses, identify common mistakes, and practise 100 original error correction questions with answers. The examples cover everyday conversations, academic writing, professional communication, and advanced grammar.

Think of relative clauses as helpful assistants. They add useful information, but sometimes they bring the wrong pronoun to work!

What Is a Relative Clause?

A relative clause is a dependent clause that describes or identifies a noun or noun phrase. It usually begins with a relative pronoun such as who, whom, whose, which, or that, or a relative adverb such as where, when, or why.

Example:

The student who won the scholarship thanked her teachers.

Here, who won the scholarship is the relative clause. It provides additional information about the student.

Relative Pronouns and Their Uses

Important: In many defining relative clauses, who, which, and that can overlap in usage. However, that is not normally used to introduce a non-defining relative clause.

Types of Relative Clauses

1. Defining Relative Clauses

A defining relative clause gives essential information that identifies the person or thing being discussed.

Example: The employee who manages the accounts is on leave.

Without the relative clause, we may not know which employee is being discussed.

Rule: Do not separate a defining relative clause with commas.

2. Non-Defining Relative Clauses

A non-defining relative clause adds extra information about someone or something already identified.

Example: My brother, who lives in Canada, is visiting us.

The information about Canada is additional, not essential for identifying the brother.

Rule: Use commas around a non-defining relative clause when it appears in the middle of a sentence. Do not use that as its relative pronoun.

3. Reduced Relative Clauses

A reduced relative clause is a shorter form of certain relative clauses.

Full clause: The students who are waiting outside are from Australia.

Reduced clause: The students waiting outside are from Australia.

Not every relative clause can be reduced, so always check whether the meaning remains clear.

Relative Clause Error Correction Quiz: Essential Grammar Rules

Follow these steps to identify and correct relative clause mistakes.

Step 1: Identify the noun being described.

In The woman who called is my teacher, the relative clause describes the woman.

Step 2: Choose the correct relative word.

Use who for a person acting as the subject, whose for possession, and which for things. That is also possible in many defining clauses.

Step 3: Check the relative clause’s subject and verb.

Incorrect: The boy who play cricket is my cousin.

Correct: The boy who plays cricket is my cousin.

Step 4: Check whether the clause needs commas.

Incorrect: My father, who works in a hospital is retiring.

Correct: My father, who works in a hospital, is retiring.

Step 5: Remove unnecessary repeated pronouns.

Incorrect: The book that I bought it is expensive.

Correct: The book that I bought is expensive.

Step 6: Check whether the relative pronoun can be omitted.

Correct: The movie that we watched was excellent.

Also correct: The movie we watched was excellent.

However, in The woman who called me, you cannot omit who because it is the subject of the relative clause.

100 Relative Clause Error Correction Questions With Answers

The following exercises move from basic grammar to advanced sentence correction. Each question contains an error or an awkward construction that needs improvement.

Some answers have more than one acceptable form. The answer key gives a natural, grammatically correct version, with explanations where needed.

Part 1: Basic Relative Clause Questions (1–20)

Explanation: Questions 1–20 mainly test the difference between who, whose, which, and that. Remember that whose expresses possession and who normally identifies a person performing an action.

Part 2: Intermediate Relative Clause Questions (21–40)

Explanation: These questions test repeated object pronouns, relative adverbs, missing prepositions, and subject-verb agreement.

For example, the hotel where we stayed is correct because where already expresses the location. Adding in after stayed is unnecessary in that construction.

Part 3: Advanced Relative Clause Questions (41–60)

Explanation: Advanced relative clause questions often involve punctuation, formal preposition placement, and non-defining clauses.

Remember that a preposition placed before a relative pronoun normally requires whom for people or which for things, not who or that.

Part 4: Daily Conversation Examples (61–70)

Explanation: In everyday speech, relative pronouns are sometimes omitted when they function as objects.

For example, I lost the umbrella you gave me is also correct.

Part 5: Academic Writing Examples (71–80)

Explanation: Academic writing requires precise connections between ideas. Formal structures such as for which and whose findings are particularly useful in research reports and essays.

Part 6: Business and Professional Examples (81–90)

Explanation: In professional communication, relative clauses help specify people, documents, responsibilities, and processes without repeating unnecessary information.

Part 7: Email Writing Examples (91–100)

Explanation: In business emails, relative clauses can make messages shorter and clearer. They are particularly helpful when referring to attachments, previous conversations, customers, deadlines, and colleagues.

Common Relative Clause Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Easy Tips to Remember Relative Clause Rules

• Who = person: The student who answered correctly.
• Whose = possession: The student whose notebook is missing.
• Which = thing: The camera which stopped working.
• That = defining information: The documents that we need.
• Where = place: The school where I studied.
• When = time: The year when she graduated.
• Why = reason: The reason why they left.
• Whom = object: The applicant whom we interviewed.

A useful memory trick is to ask three questions: Who or what am I describing? Is the information essential? Does the clause already have a subject or object?

These checks can prevent many common errors.

Practice Exercises: Test Your Relative Clause Knowledge

Now that you have reviewed 100 corrected examples, try these additional exercises without looking at the answers.

Exercise A: Correct the Sentences

1. The woman which teaches French is my neighbour.
2. The article who appeared online was informative.
3. The employee whose submitted the report is absent.
4. The university where I studied at is well known.
5. The applicant whom passed the interview received an offer.
6. The film, that won several awards, is worth watching.
7. The engineer who designs the machines have resigned.
8. The documents that you requested them are attached.
9. The reason where she changed her decision is unclear.
10. The researcher to who we sent the results has replied.

Exercise A: Answer Key

Frequently Asked Questions About Relative Clauses

1. What is a relative clause in English grammar?

A relative clause is a dependent clause that describes or identifies a noun or noun phrase. It usually begins with a relative pronoun such as who, whose, which, or that. For example, in The student who won the award is my friend, the words who won the award form the relative clause.

2. What is the difference between who, whom, and whose?

Who normally functions as a subject, whom functions as an object, and whose indicates possession.

For example:

• The teacher who called is helpful.
• The teacher whom we invited is helpful.
• The teacher whose class won is helpful.

In everyday English, who often replaces whom when it functions as an object.

3. What is the difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses?

A defining relative clause provides essential identifying information and does not require commas. A non-defining relative clause adds supplementary information and is separated by commas.

For example:

• Defining: The employees who completed training received certificates.
• Non-defining: Our manager, who completed training last week, received a certificate.

4. Can we omit relative pronouns in English?

Yes, a relative pronoun can often be omitted when it functions as the object of a defining relative clause.

For example, The book that I bought is interesting can become The book I bought is interesting.

However, a subject relative pronoun cannot normally be omitted from a full relative clause. Non-defining relative pronouns also cannot be omitted.

5. How can I improve my relative clause error correction skills?

Start by learning the functions of relative pronouns. Then practise identifying defining and non-defining clauses, checking subject-verb agreement, removing unnecessary repeated pronouns, and correcting punctuation.

Regular practice with error correction exercises, particularly those that explain the answers, can help develop greater grammatical accuracy.

Conclusion

Mastering relative clauses is an important step towards writing accurate, natural, and professional English.

This relative clause error correction quiz provides 100 examples covering basic, intermediate, and advanced grammar. It also includes everyday conversation, academic writing, business communication, and email examples.

The most important rules to remember are simple: choose the correct relative word, use commas appropriately, check verb agreement, and avoid repeating unnecessary pronouns.

Relative clauses may be small, but they have a big responsibility. One misplaced pronoun can turn a perfectly good sentence into a grammar puzzle!

Keep practising, review your mistakes, and apply these rules whenever you write or speak English.

How many questions could you correct without looking at the answers?

Share your score in the comments and challenge your friends, classmates, or colleagues to complete this relative clause error correction quiz.

Bookmark this article for revision and explore more English grammar lessons, quizzes, and sentence correction exercises in our Grammar category.

Disclaimer

This article is intended for educational purposes and general English grammar practice. Some relative clause constructions have more than one grammatically acceptable answer, depending on context, formality, and regional English usage. Both US and UK English conventions have been considered. Learners should follow the specific grammar guidelines provided by their school, examination board, or institution when preparing for formal assessments.

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