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Lesson planB250 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
A Town with a Story: non-defining relative clauses
Students learn to use non-defining relative clauses to add information about towns and landmarks, then write a short guide to a town.
Relative clauses non defining · Travel · Places in town · Towns
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Plan at a glance
Aims
- Use non-defining relative clauses accurately
- Learn and use 13 words and phrases in 2 sets: Places, buildings and history, Describing a town and its people
- Read for detail: Westhaven, a town worth a second look
- Writing task: a guide to a town you know
Stages · 50 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs talk about travel and share ideas with the class.
- 5 minVocabulary: Ex. 1
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes together and check understanding.
- 5 minControlled practice: Ex. 2
- 10 minAccuracy practice: Ex. 3–4
- 10 minReading: Ex. 5
- 10 minWriting: Ex. 6
Printables
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Download all (ZIP, 2 PDFs)Grammar notes
Extra information
- A non-defining clause adds extra information about someone or something we have already identified: My grandmother, who is 90, still swims every day.
- Without the clause, the sentence still makes sense: My grandmother still swims every day.
- Put commas round the clause (or a comma and a full stop if it comes at the end).
Which word?
- who for people, which for things, whose for possession, where for places, when for times.
- Never use that: The castle, which (not that) is 800 years old, stands above the harbour.
- You can't leave the pronoun out: My uncle, who lives in Leeds, … (not My uncle, lives in Leeds, …).
which for a whole idea
- which can refer to the whole of the previous clause: The bridge was closed, which meant a long drive round the bay.
Study tips
- Test it: cover the clause with your finger. If the sentence still tells you exactly who or what is meant, the clause is non-defining and needs commas.
- When you describe your own town, add one extra fact about each place with who, which, whose or where.
Glossary
- Places, buildings and history6 items
- Describing a town and its people7 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
Places and buildings
Match each word with its meaning. There is one extra meaning.
Tap an item…
…then its match
2
who, which, whose, where or when?
Complete each sentence with who, which, whose, where or when. Don't use that.
- a
Westhaven, is on the south coast, has about 20,000 residents.
- b
The old harbour, fishing boats still unload every morning, is the best place for breakfast.
- c
My uncle Tom, has lived in the old town all his life, knows every narrow street.
- d
The town hall, clock stopped years ago, is the best-known landmark in Westhaven.
- e
In August, the summer festival takes place, the streets are very crowded.
- f
The market district, used to be full of empty shops, is now the town's main attraction.
- g
Ana Ruiz, company restored the old cinema, has just opened a café there.
- h
The bridge was closed for repairs last year, meant a long drive round the bay for residents.
3
Join the sentences
Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first. Use the word given and between two and five words.
- a
The castle stands above the harbour. It is almost 800 years old.
WHICH
The castle, almost 800 years old, stands above the harbour.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- b
My neighbour Grace runs the bookshop. Her family has lived here for generations.
WHOSE
My neighbour Grace, lived here for generations, runs the bookshop.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- c
We stayed in the fishermen's district. The streets there are very narrow.
WHERE
We stayed in the fishermen's district, very narrow.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- d
The museum reopened last spring. It had been closed for ten years.
WHICH
The museum, closed for ten years, reopened last spring.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- e
Mr Patel is the mayor. He opened the festival last year.
WHO
Mr Patel, the festival last year, is the mayor.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- f
Few people visit the old town these days. That is a shame.
WHICH
Few people visit the old town these days, a shame.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
4
Find and correct the mistake
Each sentence has one mistake. Write the correction: the corrected word(s) or the whole sentence.
- a
The cathedral, that took a hundred years to build, is the oldest building in town.
- b
My cousin, which works as a tour guide, showed us round the castle.
- c
The hotel, who rooms all face the sea, is always fully booked in summer.
- d
The square, where we had lunch there, was full of street musicians.
- e
The new shopping centre, which it opened last year, has hurt the small shops.
- f
The old cinema, which have been restored, now shows films every evening.
- g
Westhaven, when I grew up, has changed a lot.
5
Read: Westhaven, a town worth a second look
Read the text. Are the sentences true, false or not given?
Westhaven, which sits on a quiet stretch of the south coast, is not a place most tourists have heard of. For years its main attraction was the castle, which looks down on the harbour from a rocky hill. Visitors would climb up to it, take a few photos and leave by lunchtime. That changed when Ana Ruiz, whose family has run a bakery in the town for three generations, decided to restore the old cinema in the market district. The building, which had stood empty for over twenty years, now holds film nights, concerts and a weekly craft market. Other residents followed her example, and the narrow streets around it are now full of small galleries and cafés. Not everyone is happy. Some older residents, who remember a quieter Westhaven, say the town gets too crowded in summer. The council, which wants to protect the town's heritage, has decided to limit the number of new hotels in the old town. 'We want visitors,' says Ana, 'but we don't want to become a theme park.'
- a
Westhaven is well known to most tourists.
- b
In the past, most visitors stayed in Westhaven for only a few hours.
- c
Ana Ruiz's family runs a bakery in Westhaven.
- d
The craft market in the old cinema takes place every day.
- e
The castle is the oldest building in Westhaven.
- f
All the residents welcome the changes in the town.
- g
Ana's cinema shows films in several languages.
- h
The council has limited the number of new hotels in the old town.
6
Write: a guide to a town you know
Write a short guide.
Write a short guide to a town or city you know well (120–150 words) for visitors. Describe three or four places: what are they, and why are they worth seeing? Use at least four non-defining relative clauses (who / which / whose / where / when), with commas. Word box: landmark · district · architecture · resident · heritage · restore · attraction · narrow · crowded · coast Example: The old harbour, where fishing boats still unload every morning, is the best place for breakfast. The cathedral, whose architecture is unusual for the region, is the town's best-known landmark.
Suggested minimum: 120 words
0 words · aim for at least 120
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 13 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in 2 sets.
Places, buildings and history
- landmark
- a famous building or feature that helps you recognise a place
- district
- one area of a town or city
- architecture
- the style and design of buildings
- heritage
- the buildings, traditions and history that a place passes on
- restore
- to repair an old building so it looks as it did originally
- attraction
- a place that people visit for interest or enjoyment
Describing a town and its people
- resident
- a person who lives in a particular place
- narrow
- not wide
- crowded
- full of people
- coast
- the land next to the sea
- tourists
- people who visit a place on holiday
- visitors
- people who come to see a place or a person
- quiet
- with little noise or activity; calm
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