Omission Of Relative Pronouns | Grammar Worksheet For B2 First (Cambridge English)

Decide whether or not the relative pronoun can be omitted in the following sentences.

1. This is the hotel where we stayed last week.

2. This is the house that he was born in.

3. She showed me the jewels that she bought from Surat.

4. The dinner that costs $15 is actually pretty good.

5. This is the painting that I bought at an auction.

6. My cousin with whom I was planning to launch my business is no longer interested in it.

7. This is the man whose helmet was stolen.

8. My neighbour, whom we met in the store, is a cardiologist.

9. Where is the magazine that arrived in the morning?

10. Masons are people who build homes. 

Answers

1. This is the hotel where we stayed last week. (Cannot be omitted.)

2. This is the house that he was born in. (Can be omitted.)

3. She showed me the jewels which / that she bought from Surat. (Can be omitted. When the relative pronoun is the object of the relative clause, it can be omitted.)

4. The dinner that costs $15 is actually pretty good. (Cannot be omitted. When the relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause, it cannot be omitted.)

5. This is the painting that I bought at an auction. (Can be omitted. When the relative pronoun is the object of the relative clause, it can be omitted. When a relative pronoun is the object, it will be immediately followed by another noun or pronoun which is the subject of the relative clause.)

6. My cousin with whom I was planning to launch my business is no longer interested in it. (Cannot be omitted. The relative pronoun cannot be omitted after a preposition.)

7. This is the man whose helmet was stolen. (Cannot be omitted. Here the relative pronoun acts as a determiner modifying the noun helmet. It cannot be omitted.)

8. My neighbour, whom we met in the store, is a cardiologist. (Cannot be omitted. The relative pronoun cannot be omitted from a non-identifying relative clause.)

9. Where is the magazine that arrived in the morning? (Cannot be omitted. When the relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause, it cannot be omitted.)

 10. Masons are people who build homes.  (Cannot be omitted. When the relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause, it cannot be omitted.)