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Lesson planB150 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
The Colleague Whose Job I Want: relative clauses at work
Students use defining relative clauses with who, which, that and whose to describe people and jobs at work, then describe a workplace they know.
Relative clauses defining · Work · Jobs
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Plan at a glance
Aims
- Use defining relative clauses accurately
- Learn and use 14 words and phrases in 2 sets: People and places at work, Jobs and agreements
- Read for detail: Nadia's workplace
- Writing task: a workplace I know
Stages · 50 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs talk about jobs and share ideas with the class.
- 5 minVocabulary: Ex. 1
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes together and check understanding.
- 10 minControlled practice: Ex. 2–3
- 5 minAccuracy practice: Ex. 4
- 10 minReading: Ex. 5
- 10 minWriting: Ex. 6
Printables
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Download all (ZIP, 2 PDFs)Grammar notes
who, which, that, whose, where
- People: who or that — the colleague who helped me.
- Things: which or that — the contract which I signed.
- whose = possession — the manager whose office is next to mine.
- where = places — the room where we have meetings.
Leaving out who, which or that
- You can leave it out when it's the object of the clause: the salary (that) they offered me.
- You can't leave it out when it's the subject: the colleague who helped me (not: the colleague helped me).
- A preposition can go at the end: the company (that) I work for.
Watch out
- Don't use what: the job that I want (not the job what I want).
- Don't repeat the pronoun: the man who works here (not who he works here).
Study tips
- Describe people at work with whose: She's the colleague whose ideas always win.
- Try writing sentences twice, with and without that, and check which ones still work.
Glossary
- People and places at work7 items
- Jobs and agreements7 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
Work words
Choose the correct word or phrase.
- a
My ___ is a hospital, so I never sit at a desk all day.
- b
Answering emails is the first ___ I do every morning. It only takes ten minutes.
- c
Can you check the train ___? I think the last train leaves at eleven.
- d
My manager has a very busy ___ this week: five meetings and two business trips.
- e
I sent my ___ last Monday. Now I'm waiting to hear if they want to meet me.
- f
The ___ lasted an hour, and they asked me a lot of questions about my experience.
- g
Marta is my ___. We sit next to each other in the sales department.
2
who, which, whose or where?
Write the right word: who / which / whose / where. Sometimes that is also possible.
- a
A manager is a person organises other people's work.
- b
This is the contract you need to sign before Friday.
- c
That's the colleague husband works in our department.
- d
The canteen is the place we have lunch.
- e
I'm looking for a job pays a better salary.
- f
She's the employee project won the prize this year.
- g
Is there a quiet room I can make a private phone call?
- h
The people work in my team are very friendly.
3
Can you leave it out?
Can you leave out who, which or that in these sentences? Put each sentence in the right group.
- a
The report that I wrote is on your desk.
- b
The colleague who helped me is on holiday.
- c
The salary which they offered me was too low.
- d
The task which takes the most time is answering emails.
- e
The manager who I spoke to was very helpful.
- f
The department that I work in is on the third floor.
- g
A company that makes phones has opened an office here.
4
Find and correct the mistake
Each sentence has one mistake. Write the correction: the corrected word(s) or the whole sentence.
- a
She works on the sales department.
- b
The colleague which helps me with my schedule is very kind.
- c
That's the manager who his office is next to mine.
- d
I don't like jobs what start very early in the morning.
- e
The company where I work for is in the city centre.
- f
The contract who I signed last year ends in May.
5
Read: Nadia's workplace
Read the text. Are the sentences true, false or not given?
Nadia works for a company that makes software for hospitals. She started there three years ago as an assistant, and now she manages a team of ten people. The colleague who trained her in her first year is now her boss. "She's the person whose advice helped me most," Nadia says. The company has a policy that allows staff to work from home two days a week. Nadia's workplace is an old factory which the company turned into modern offices. The task she likes least is writing reports, but she enjoys the meetings where her team share new ideas. Last month she sent a job application to a bigger company. "The salary they offered was higher," she explains, "but I'm staying. I like the people I work with too much."
- a
Nadia has worked at the company for three years.
- b
The colleague who trained Nadia is now her boss.
- c
Nadia's team work from home every day.
- d
The company's offices are in the city centre.
- e
Nadia accepted the job at the bigger company.
- f
Nadia enjoys writing reports.
6
Write: a workplace I know
Describe a workplace.
Describe your workplace, or a workplace you know well (8–10 sentences). What does the company do? Who are the people you work with? Use relative clauses (who / which / that / whose / where), and leave out the pronoun where you can. Word box: employee · workplace · task · schedule · job application · work for · colleague · department · contract · salary Example: I work for a company that sells furniture. My workplace is an office which is near the station. The colleague I sit next to is a designer whose ideas are always original.
Suggested minimum: 80 words
0 words · aim for at least 80
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Revise with a game
This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.
- Step UpAnswer the lesson's questions to climb to the top.
- Pair UpMatch the lesson's words to their meanings against the clock.
- SnapA word and a meaning: do they go together? Answer fast.
- Fix ItFind the mistake in each sentence, then correct it.
- Quiz BoardTeams choose questions worth 100 to 500 points.
- Retro arcadeWord Invaders, Word Snake, Word Maze and Word Crossing: classic arcade games with the lesson's words.
Glossary
The 14 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in 2 sets.
People and places at work
- employee
- a person who is paid to work for a company
- colleague
- a person who works with you
- department
- one part of a large organisation
- workplace
- the place where people work
- work for
- to have a job with a company or person
- manager
- a person who is in charge of a team or business
- office
- a room or building where people work
Jobs and agreements
- task
- a piece of work that you have to do
- schedule
- a plan of the things you will do and when you will do them
- job application
- a formal request for a job
- contract
- a written agreement, for example between a worker and a company
- salary
- the money you earn every month or year from your job
- project
- a planned piece of work that has a clear aim
- job interview
- a meeting where an employer asks questions to decide if you are right for a job
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