Conditionals and relative clauses
Class 8 English · Grammar · 33 questions with answers
Conditionals are four patterns, not four rules to remember - each pairs a particular tense in the 'if' half with a particular one in the other. Relative clauses are simpler still: one pronoun, chosen by what it stands for. Both are quick to fix and both keep appearing until Class 10.
- Chooses the right tense pair for each of the four conditional types
- Selects who, whom, whose, which, that or where correctly
- Joins two sentences using a relative clause
- Uses a phrasal verb whose meaning cannot be assembled from its parts
Exercise 1 of 3 · 11 questions
Complete with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
Write the answer · Warm-up
Here’s one done for you
'If she had left earlier, she would not have missed the bus.' This is the type children get wrong most, and the reason is that it describes something that did not happen - she did not leave earlier, and she did miss the bus. The pattern is fixed: had + past participle in the first half, would have + past participle in the second. If either half slips into a simple past, the sentence stops meaning what it should.
- 1)If you ___ (heat) ice, it melts.
- 2)If it ___ (rain) tomorrow, we ___ (cancel) the picnic.
- 3)If I ___ (be) taller, I ___ (play) basketball for the school.
- 4)If she ___ (leave) earlier, she ___ (not miss) the bus.
- 5)If you ___ (not water) the plants, they ___ (die).
- 6)If you ___ (mix) blue and yellow, you get green.
- 7)If we ___ (miss) the bus, we ___ (have) to walk.
- 8)If I ___ (know) the answer, I ___ (tell) you.
- 9)If he ___ (study) harder, he ___ (not fail) the test.
- 10)If water ___ (reach) 100 degrees, it boils.
- 11)If they ___ (invite) me, I ___ (go).
Answers
- 1) heat. A general truth takes present tense in both halves.
- 2) rains, will cancel. A likely future event: if + present simple, then will + base form.
- 3) were, would play. An imagined present: if + past, then would + base form. 'Were' is used for all persons here.
- 4) had left, would not have missed. A past that did not happen: if + past perfect, then would have + past participle.
- 5) do not water, will die. A likely future consequence.
- 6) mix - a general truth, so both halves stay in the present.
- 7) miss / will have - a real possibility, so present in the if-clause and will in the other.
- 8) knew / would tell - an unreal present situation, so past in the if-clause and would in the other.
- 9) had studied / would not have failed - an unreal past situation, so past perfect and would have.
- 10) reaches - a scientific fact, so the present simple in both halves.
- 11) invite / will go - a real future possibility, so present in the if-clause and will in the other.
Exercise 2 of 3 · 11 questions
Fill in with who, whom, whose, which, that or where.
Write the answer · Guided
Here’s one done for you
'The girl whose bag was stolen reported it at once.' The choice is decided by what the word stands for, not by how the sentence sounds. A person doing something takes who; a person having something done to them takes whom; possession takes whose; a thing takes which or that; a place takes where. Five choices, one question - what does it stand for?
- 1)The boy ___ won the race is my cousin.
- 2)The book ___ I borrowed from the library is very interesting.
- 3)That is the house ___ we lived for ten years.
- 4)The girl ___ bag was stolen reported it at once.
- 5)The man ___ we met yesterday is a doctor.
- 6)The film ___ we watched last night was excellent.
- 7)This is the shop ___ I bought my bag.
- 8)The scientist ___ discovered penicillin was Fleming.
- 9)I know a girl ___ father is a pilot.
- 10)The reason ___ he gave was not convincing.
- 11)She is the person to ___ I spoke.
Answers
- 1) who - it stands for a person doing the action.
- 2) which, or that - it stands for a thing.
- 3) where - it stands for a place.
- 4) whose - it shows possession.
- 5) whom - it stands for a person receiving the action. 'Who' is common in speech, but 'whom' is what the paper expects here.
- 6) which or that
- 7) where
- 8) who
- 9) whose
- 10) that or which
- 11) whom
Exercise 3 of 3 · 11 questions
Join each pair into one sentence using a relative clause.
Write the answer · Practice
Here’s one done for you
'The village is beautiful. I was born there.' becomes 'The village where I was born is beautiful.' Two things to notice. The word 'there' disappears, because 'where' has taken its job - keeping both is the commonest error. And the relative clause slots in immediately after the noun it describes rather than at the end of the sentence.
- 1)This is the man. He helped us find the address.
- 2)I read a book. It was written by Ruskin Bond.
- 3)The village is beautiful. I was born there.
- 4)She is the teacher. Her son is in my class.
- 5)We visited the museum. It was closed for repairs.
- 6)That is the doctor. She treated my grandfather.
- 7)I lost the pen. My uncle gave it to me.
- 8)This is the school. I studied here for six years.
- 9)He is the boy. His drawing won the prize.
- 10)We met a farmer. He grows only organic vegetables.
- 11)The bridge collapsed. It was built in 1902.
Answers
- 1) This is the man who helped us find the address.
- 2) I read a book which was written by Ruskin Bond. ('that' is also acceptable)
- 3) The village where I was born is beautiful.
- 4) She is the teacher whose son is in my class.
- 5) We visited the museum, which was closed for repairs.
- 6) That is the doctor who treated my grandfather.
- 7) I lost the pen that my uncle gave me.
- 8) This is the school where I studied for six years.
- 9) He is the boy whose drawing won the prize.
- 10) We met a farmer who grows only organic vegetables.
- 11) The bridge, which was built in 1902, collapsed.
While your child works
- For conditionals, ask 'did it happen or not?' before choosing the tense. That single question sorts type 2 and type 3.
- For relative pronouns, ask 'what does it stand for?' - person, thing, place, or possession.
- When joining sentences, check the leftover word has gone. 'The village where I was born there' is the classic slip.