England · Year 5 · Ages 9–10 · Worked examples

Year 5 Relative Clauses: Worked Examples

See free Year 5 relative clauses worked examples with clear strategies and answers, aligned to the England primary curriculum.

Model the thinking

Four worked examples

Try each question first, then compare the strategy and answer. The aim is to understand the method, not just copy the final result.

1
Identify

Find the relative clause: 'The bike, which was brand new, shone in the sun.'

How to think about it: Identify the sentence feature first, apply the rule only where it is needed, then reread the whole sentence aloud to check that the meaning and punctuation are clear.

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Answer: which was brand new

2
Pronoun

Choose a relative pronoun for a person: who / which.

How to think about it: Identify the sentence feature first, apply the rule only where it is needed, then reread the whole sentence aloud to check that the meaning and punctuation are clear.

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Answer: who

3
Add clause

Add a relative clause to 'The teacher smiled.'

How to think about it: Identify the sentence feature first, apply the rule only where it is needed, then reread the whole sentence aloud to check that the meaning and punctuation are clear.

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Answer: e.g. The teacher, who had heard the news, smiled.

4
Punctuation

Add commas where needed: 'My brother who lives in Leeds is visiting.'

How to think about it: Identify the sentence feature first, apply the rule only where it is needed, then reread the whole sentence aloud to check that the meaning and punctuation are clear.

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Answer: My brother, who lives in Leeds, is visiting. (assuming non-restrictive meaning)

Next step

Turn the explanation into practice

Use the printable for independent work, or return to the topic overview to choose another way to practise.

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