Quick Guide
- Keywords: Relative clauses, collaborative, group work, sharing ideas
- Learner English level: High beginner, low intermediate
- Learner maturity: University, high school
- Preparation time: 10 minutes
- Activity time: 10-20 minutes, depending on class/group size
- Materials: Blackboard, chalk, worksheet (see Appendix)
This sentence-building activity helps students practice simple relative clauses as a collaborative effort. Once in groups, every student begins by writing a main clause, then passes their paper to a partner for them to add a relative clause (e.g., Student A: “I bought a book” → Student B: “that was a bestseller”). Each paper circulates within the group until it returns to the original student. This idea-sharing process enhances students’ understanding of relative clauses by showing them how to add details to sentences without making them too long or confusing, while also helping them connect ideas smoothly so their sentences flow better.
Preparation
Step 1: Print one worksheet per student. The one provided in the Appendix shows an example of the activity and gives space for students to write their own answers. Feel free to change the examples.
Step 2: Bring a timer to class
Procedure
Step 1: Explain how relative clauses are used to combine two sentences or ideas together. This reduces the need for separate sentences, making their English sound more natural and fluent.
Step 2: Write the following chart on the board.
Sentence 1 Sentence 2
My mom has a friend. She saw a UFO.
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Main clause Relative clause
My mom has a friend who saw a UFO.
Step 3: Read the sentence, “My mom has a friend who saw a UFO,” emphasizing that who, the relative pronoun, refers to a friend. Clarify that who is used for people, which is used for things or animals, and that can be used for people, things, and animals.
Step 4: Break down the grammatical components by writing the following on the board, then show how these components relate to the example sentence.
Main clause = subject + verb + noun
Relative clause = relative pronoun + verb + (adjective) + noun
Step 5: Divide the class into groups of 5-10 students and have them sit in group circles.
Step 6: Give each student a worksheet
Step 7: Have students write a main clause on their worksheet. If they struggle, provide examples on the board, such as “We met a man” / “I bought a smartphone” / “She has a bag”
Step 8: Once everyone is finished, have them pass their paper to the student on their left.
Step 9: Instruct the students to write down a relative clause on the next line that connects to the original main clause. Remind the students that they can write down silly answers, as long as they are grammatically correct. For example, “We met a man who smelled like cheese.” Give students 2 minutes to write their ideas down.
Step 10: Once everyone is finished, have them pass the paper again to the student on their left. Tell them again to finish the original sentence by writing a new relative clause on the next line. Rinse and repeat until the worksheets circle back to the original student. After a few rounds, their papers should look something like this:
Main clause
Relative clause
Student A: My mom has a friend
Student B: who likes aliens and UFOs.
Student C: that is smart.
Student D: who has a rich husband.
Step 11: Once the students receive their original paper back, give them about 3-5 minutes to read all the responses and share them with their friends. Tell the students to select their favorite sentence.
Step 12: Have students come up to the board and write their favorite sentence for everyone to see. Once the board is full, review each sentence with the class, making corrections if needed.
Conclusion
Practicing relative clauses in this way allows students to interact with the grammar and structure of relative clauses in a creative and playful way, subconsciously reinforcing their understanding of the grammatical concept. In my experience, students enjoy adding humor and their own personality to the activity, making the language-learning experience more meaningful and memorable.
Appendix
The appendix is available below:
