Year 6 English: Joining sentences concisely with relative clauses
Part of the Year 6 English relative clauses and expanded noun phrases chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Joining sentences concisely with relative clauses
Two short sentences that share a noun can often be joined with a relative clause. Instead of repeating the noun, the relative pronoun links the two ideas. This makes the writing concise, which means it says more in fewer words.
Before and after
| Two sentences | One sentence with a relative clause |
|---|---|
| The gardener is kind. She waters the plants. | The gardener who waters the plants is kind. |
| We saw a fox. It was hiding under the hedge. | We saw a fox that was hiding under the hedge. |
Key ideas
- Join sentences that share a noun, using a relative pronoun.
- Remove the repeated pronoun, such as she or it.
- Check that the joined sentence still means the same thing.
Method. Find the noun, then replace the pronoun with a relative clause.
- Find the noun. The fox is the noun.a fox
- Replace the pronoun. It is replaced by that was hiding under the hedge.that was hiding
- Join the sentences. The clause follows the noun, and no repeated pronoun is left.We saw a fox that was hiding under the hedge.
- Write the answer. We saw a fox that was hiding under the hedge.
Check. It is replaced by that. ✓
Method. Find the person, and use who.
- Find the person. The gardener is a person.The gardener
- Replace the pronoun. She is replaced by who waters the plants.who waters the plants
- Join the sentences. The clause follows the person.The gardener who waters the plants is kind.
- Write the answer. The gardener who waters the plants is kind.
Check. who is used for a person. ✓
Method. Leave out the pronoun, or use where, to join the sentences.
- Find the place. The hall is the place where we sang.the hall
- Join the sentences. We sang in it, so where or the object works.The hall we sang in
- Check the meaning. The new sentence says the same as the two original sentences.The hall we sang in was full.
- Write the answer. The hall we sang in was full.
Check. The joined sentence keeps the meaning. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: a joined sentence must still make sense. Check that each relative clause describes the noun it follows.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child to read a short paragraph of their own, and to find two short sentences that could be joined with who, which or where.
Exercise 5E Practice: joining sentences concisely
Method. Find the noun that the second sentence describes, then add the clause after it.
- Find the noun. The shop is the noun, and the second sentence says what it sells.The shop
- Add the clause. The clause that sells maps describes the noun, so it follows the noun.that sells maps
- Join the sentences. The main sentence keeps its verb, and the clause sits in the middle.The shop that sells maps is open.
- Write the answer. The shop that sells maps is open.
Check. The relative clause that sells maps follows the noun. ✓
Watch out. Do not keep the pronoun he, she, it or they in the joined sentence. Replace it with the relative pronoun.
Method. Find the noun that the second sentence describes, then add the clause after it.
- Find the noun. The runner is a person, and the second sentence says what she did.The runner
- Add the clause. The clause who won the race describes the noun, so it follows the noun.who won the race
- Join the sentences. The main sentence keeps its verb, and the clause sits in the middle.The runner who won the race is fast.
- Write the answer. The runner who won the race is fast.
Check. The relative clause who won the race follows the noun. ✓
Watch out. Do not keep the pronoun he, she, it or they in the joined sentence. Replace it with the relative pronoun.
Method. Find the noun that the second sentence describes, then add the clause after it.
- Find the noun. The lake is the place, and the second sentence says what lives there.The lake
- Add the clause. The clause where fish live describes the noun, so it follows the noun.where fish live
- Join the sentences. The main sentence keeps its verb, and the clause sits in the middle.The lake where fish live is calm.
- Write the answer. The lake where fish live is calm.
Check. The relative clause where fish live follows the noun. ✓
Watch out. Do not keep the pronoun he, she, it or they in the joined sentence. Replace it with the relative pronoun.
Method. Find the time, and join the clause with when.
- Find the time. Lunchtime is the time described.lunchtime
- Join the sentences. When it was lunchtime describes the moment the bell rang.when it was lunchtime
- Write the answer. The bell rang when it was lunchtime.
Check. when describes the time. ✓
Method. Find the owner, and join the clause with whose.
- Find the owner. The kite belongs to the girl.the girl
- Join the sentences. Whose kite flew highest describes the girl.whose kite flew highest
- Write the answer. The girl whose kite flew highest is my friend.
Check. whose shows the kite belongs to the girl. ✓
Method. Find the noun, and join the clause with that.
- Find the thing. The shell is a thing.a shell
- Join the sentences. That was white and smooth describes the shell.that was white and smooth
- Write the answer. I found a shell that was white and smooth.
Check. that describes the shell. ✓
Method. Find the place, then use where.
- Find the place. The park is the place.The park
- Join the sentences. Where we walk our dog describes the park.where we walk our dog
- Write the answer. The park where we walk our dog is big.
Check. where describes the park. ✓
Method. Choose the noun, then join the clause.
- Find the noun. The bus stop is the noun.bus stop
- Join the sentences. That is near the school describes the bus stop.that is near the school
- Write the answer. The bus stop that is near the school is where the bus leaves from.
Check. The sentence keeps the meaning. ✓
Method. A relative clause joins the sentences, so pick the phrase with the clause.
- Check the first. The castle that was built in the 1400s has a relative clause.that was built
- Check the second. The castle was built is a full sentence, not a join.was built
- Write the answer. the castle that was built in the 1400s
Check. the relative clause joins the sentences. ✓
Method. Find the thing, and use which.
- Find the thing. The desk is a thing.The desk
- Join the sentences. Which wobbles describes the desk.which wobbles
- Write the answer. The desk which wobbles is old.
Check. which describes the desk, a thing. ✓
Method. Say what is removed from the writing.
- Look at the repeated words. Two short sentences repeat the noun.repeated noun
- Look at the joined sentence. One sentence with a clause says the same in fewer words.fewer words
- Write the answer. It removes repeated words, such as the same noun or pronoun, so the writing says more in fewer words
Check. The joined sentence is concise. ✓