Relative Adverbs. Relative Pronouns

Table 8

Time	when (= in/on/at which)	1995 was the year (when) I finished studying
Place	where (= in/at/on/to which)	That’s the place (where) we went last week.
Reason	why (= for which)	That’s the reason (why) I moved house.

Table 9

Subject of the verb of the relative clause (cannot be omitted)		Object of the verb of the relative clause (can be omitted)	Possession (cannot be omitted)
used for people	who/that That’s the girl who/that lives next door.	who/whom/that The boy who/whom/that he waved to is my cousin.	whose That’s the man whose wife is a writer.
used for things/animals	which/that I saw a film which/that was directed by Polanski.	which/that The dog which/that you saw outside is my neighbour's.	whose/of which That’s the table the leg of which/whose leg is broken.

• Whom, which, whose can be used in expressions of quantity with of (some of, many of, half of etc.) She received a lot of presents for her birthday. Most of them were from her family. She received a lot of presents for her birthday, most of which were from her family.

• That can be used instead of who, whom or which but it is never used after commas or prepositions. She’s the girl who/that got a very good degree. The girl in the back, who is sitting next to Mary, is my niece. (“that” is not possible)

Exercise 161. Fill in: where, whose, who, which, when or why.

Buying a present for someone is often a tricky business. The first thing ...(which)... you have to decide is what to buy and the shop … you should go to buy it. Then you might want to buy a joint present with a friend, so you have to find a time … you are both free. It is probably most difficult buying a present for someone … you don’t know very well and … tastes you know little about. You have to try to find something … you think they would like. However, it is also no easy job buying a present for a close member of your family, such as your mother. I never know what excuse to tell my mother when I go out. I can’t tell her the reason … I’m going out because I want to surprise her on the big day. Still, it is worth all the trouble just to see the look of pleasure on someone’s face the moment … they receive your gift.

Exercise 162. Fill in: who, which, whose, when, where or why.

1993 was the year ...(when)... I took my first holiday abroad. We were students at the time, with very little money, which is the reason … we decided to go to Spain. We booked through the local travel agent, … went to a lot of trouble to find us a resort … was quiet by day but … had a lively night life. I went with my friend Cynthia, … has been my friend for nearly six years now. The flight to Malaga, … took over five hours, was very comfortable. Cynthia, … was a little nervous, was comforted by an air stewardess … was very courteous and helpful. The hotel … we stayed was just a 10-minute walk from the centre. It had a swimming pool, a gym … we used every morning. We spent the first day of our holiday on the beach, … was beautiful. Unfortunately, when we got back to the hotel that night my friend, … skin is very pale, realized that she had got badly burned. The sun cream … she had applied was simply not strong enough. I explained the situation to the hotel manager, … was very helpful. He telephoned the local doctor, … arrived shortly afterwards. He advised my friend to stay in bed for at least three days. After these three days, my friend, … had fully recovered, was ready to go out for the evening. We found a lovely restaurant … we tried some local dishes. We had a great time for the rest of our holiday. We found some very good discos … we spent many of our evenings. We also went to some places … had live Spanish music. We made some good friends … we are still in contact with. Cynthia has learned her lesson, too. Whenever we go on holiday in a country … climate is hotter than ours, she remembers to buy a high factor sun cream.