A new subordinate clause: the relative clause | English

Starter quiz

A clause is a group of words that contains ...
- an adjective.
- a verb. ✓
- an adverb.
- a name.
Which two are true of a main clause?
- It contains a verb. ✓
- It does not make sense on its own.
- It always includes a comma.
- It does make sense on its own. ✓
Which two are true of a subordinate clause?
- It contains a verb. ✓
- It does not make sense on its own. ✓
- It always includes a comma.
- It does make sense on its own.
What type of word joins a main clause and an adverbial clause to make an adverbial complex sentence?
- verb
- co-ordinating conjunction
- adverb
- subordinating conjunction ✓
Which of the following is an adverbial complex sentence?
- It was perfectly still.
- As the stars shimmered, we slept peacefully. ✓
- Aisha was afraid of the dark, but she slept all night.
Tick all the sentences that use commas correctly.
- We walked to the shops, and bought chicken, eggs and milk.
- When it was time to go home, we put the strong, metal chairs on our desks. ✓
- After they had eaten lunch, Jun, Jacob and Andeep had to go to see Mr Clarke. ✓
- Before the children arrived at school they had already eaten their lunch.

A relative clause is a type of ...
- main clause
- subordinate clause ✓
- simple sentence
What kind of word begins a relative clause?
- subordinating conjunction
- co-ordinating conjunction
- relative pronoun ✓
Which two of the following are relative clauses?
- while we were waiting
- which was very expensive ✓
- who had no money ✓
- because we were hungry
What kind of word does a relative clause often follow?
- a noun or noun phrase ✓
- a verb
- an adjective
- an adverb
Which relative clause could fill this gap? 'Sofia, __________, waved her hand wildly in the air.'
- which was very intelligent
- which was the best at grammar
- who was desperate to answer ✓
Tick all the sentences that contain a relative clause.
- We trooped into the classroom when the bell rang.
- The door, which was old and cracked, was made of solid wood. ✓
- Andeep, who often visited Alex's house, was waiting at the door. ✓
- Who are you looking for?

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Any subordinate clause is a group of words that contains a verb and does not make complete sense.
Any subordinate clause must join to a main clause to make sense.
A relative clause is a type of subordinate clause which starts with a relative pronoun.
A previously-learnt type of subordinate clause is the adverbial clause that starts with a subordinating conjunction.

Children may believe relative clauses can only be placed in the middle of sentences.

Relative clauses follow nouns/noun phrases; although we focus on the middle position in Y4, it can vary.

Subordinate clause - a group of words that contains a verb and does not make complete sense
Main clause - a group of words that contains a verb and makes complete sense
Relative clause - a type of subordinate clause that starts with a relative pronoun
Relative pronoun - a word that starts a relative clause like "who" or "which"
Adverbial clause - a type of subordinate clause that starts with a subordinating conjunction