Do the four exercises in a row. The fourth one is the one that really trains the structure: describing something without saying its name forces you to build one relative clause after another, and it's exactly what one does when they're missing a word in a real conversation.
1. Listen to the entire track. Note what each definition refers to.
- Definition 1
- Definition 2
- Definition 3
- Definition 4
- Definition 5
Show answers
- an app
- a technician or engineer
- a data centre
- a data breach
- the default setting
2. Combine the two phrases into one, with or without commas as needed.
- This is the router. It stopped working on Sunday night.
- My mother lives alone. She refuses to use any smart device.
- I bought a speaker last year. It listens to everything.
- That is the village. My grandparents still have no internet there.
- The company apologised. Its servers were attacked in March.
- He turned off every notification. That improved his concentration.
Show answers
- This is the router that stopped working on Sunday night.
- My mother, who lives alone, refuses to use any smart device.
- The speaker I bought last year listens to everything.
- That is the village where my grandparents still have no internet.
- The company whose servers were attacked in March apologised.
- He turned off every notification, which improved his concentration.
3. Correct the sentence. All of them contain a typical error of this level.
- The app that I downloaded it does not work on old phones.
- My laptop, that cost a fortune, has already stopped charging.
- The engineer, who repaired the router, was extremely patient.
- That is the house in which I grew up in as a child.
- This is the company which servers were attacked last year.
- He never reads the conditions, that is what they expect.
Show answers
- The app I downloaded does not work on old phones.
- My laptop, which cost a fortune, has already stopped charging.
- The engineer who repaired the router was extremely patient.
- That is the house I grew up in as a child.
- This is the company whose servers were attacked last year.
- He never reads the conditions, which is what they expect.
4. Speak out loud, one minute per point. Record yourself and count how many relative clauses you used.
- Describe three objects in your home without saying their names
- Describe a person in your family and add one extra fact about them
- Explain which app you would delete first and why
- Say whether a device that learns from you is useful or dangerous
- Describe the place where you feel least controlled by technology
Show answers
- His own response. It is expected “it is the thing that…”, “it is the place where…”, without commas, because they are definitions.
- Their own response. The added information is included between commas and in a softer tone, because it is secondary.
- Their own response. At least one relative without a relative clause is expected, of the type “the app I use most”.
- Their own response. “A device that learns” is expected, without commas, and some “which” referring to the whole idea.
- Their own response. «where» is expected for the place and perhaps «when» for the time.
