Relative Clauses: Combine with Who, That or Whose

Seven sentence pairs to combine into one sentence with a relative clause using who, that or whose.

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Combine them. The girl won the race. She is in my class.

This pass0 correct · 0 cued · 0 incorrect · 0/7
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How to run it

Read both short sentences, then each option. Ask the student which noun the clause is describing, and whether that noun is a person or a thing. After choosing, have them point to the relative clause and say what information it adds. Finish by asking them to write one combined sentence about a person they know and one about an object they own.

Cueing ladder

Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.

  1. Step 1IndependentPresent the item and wait 5 seconds of quiet before helping.Log as correct
  2. Step 2Read aloudRead each option aloud so the student can hear which one sounds right and keeps the meaning.Log as cued
  3. Step 3Point to itPoint to the part that changes, such as the joining word or the word order, and ask what it does.Log as cued
  4. Step 4ModelSay the correct sentence and explain the choice, then the student says it back and makes one of their own.Log as cued

Adjust it

Easier

Offer two options instead of three, and read every option aloud first.

Harder

Cover the options and ask the student to write the sentence before checking.

Matching IEP goal

Given sentence-level tasks, Student will combine two sentences with a relative clause using who, that or whose in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than an indirect cue.

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About this activity

Seven pairs of sentences to combine into one sentence with a relative clause: the girl who won the race is in my class, the phone that I bought last week is broken, the coach whose team won the final was proud. The wrong options show the patterns that most often go astray in student writing, such as who for a thing, a leftover pronoun inside the clause, or a clause stranded at the end of the sentence.

What to listen for

Listen for the leftover pronoun pattern, the phone that I bought it, which is common in speech and in writing. Notice whether the student uses who only for people. Whose is the hardest form, and a student who avoids it in their own sentences may need more models before producing it.

Carrying it home

Play describe it without naming it: one person says a sentence with who or that, such as I'm thinking of the person who drives us to practice, and the other guesses. It practises relative clauses in a way that feels like a game rather than grammar.

What's in this activity

  • Combine them. The girl won the race. She is in my class.
    • The girl who won the race is in my class.
    • The girl which won the race is in my class.
    • The girl won the race who is in my class.
  • Combine them. The phone is broken. I bought it last week.
    • The phone who I bought last week is broken.
    • The phone that I bought last week is broken.
    • The phone that I bought it last week is broken.
  • Combine them. The teacher is retiring. She coached the debate team.
    • The teacher which coached the debate team is retiring.
    • The teacher who she coached the debate team is retiring.
    • The teacher who coached the debate team is retiring.
  • Combine them. The song is stuck in my head. We heard it at lunch.
    • The song that we heard at lunch is stuck in my head.
    • The song who we heard at lunch is stuck in my head.
    • The song that we heard it at lunch is stuck in my head.
  • Combine them. The boy lives next door. He has a pet snake.
    • The boy which lives next door has a pet snake.
    • The boy who lives next door has a pet snake.
    • The boy lives next door who has a pet snake.
  • Combine them. The bus was late. It takes me to school.
    • The bus who takes me to school was late.
    • The bus that it takes me to school was late.
    • The bus that takes me to school was late.
  • Combine them. The coach was proud. Her team won the final.
    • The coach whose team won the final was proud.
    • The coach who team won the final was proud.
    • The coach that her team won the final was proud.

Questions

Who is this for?
Students in grades 6 through 10 working on complex sentences, relative clauses and sentence combining in writing.
Why are there no clauses set off with commas?
This board practises the clauses that identify which person or thing you mean, which need no commas. Clauses with which and commas are a later step.
Is it free?
Yes. It plays free in the browser with no login. An account adds session data, goal scoring and assignment to a student.

Use this board with your caseload

With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.

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