Year 6 English: Relative clauses with where, when and whose
Part of the Year 6 English relative clauses and expanded noun phrases chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Relative clauses with where, when and whose
Other relative pronouns describe more than a person or a thing. Where describes a place. When describes a time. Whose shows that something belongs to the noun in front of it.
Where, when and whose
| Relative pronoun | Describes | Example |
|---|---|---|
| where | a place | The village where our family lives is quiet. |
| when | a time | I remember the day when we won the match. |
| whose | a possession or a belonging | The author whose books sold millions is famous. |
Key ideas
- Where describes a place.
- When describes a time.
- Whose shows that something belongs to the noun it describes.
Method. Find the place, then join the clause with where.
- Find the place. The lake is a place.the lake
- Use where for a place. Where describes a place.where ducks swim
- Join the sentences. The clause follows the place.We visited the lake where ducks swim.
- Write the answer. We visited the lake where ducks swim.
Check. where describes the lake, a place. ✓
Method. Find the time, then join the clause with when.
- Find the time. The day is a time.the day
- Use when for a time. When describes a time.when we won the match
- Join the sentences. The clause follows the time.I remember the day when we won the match.
- Write the answer. I remember the day when we won the match.
Check. when describes the day, a time. ✓
Method. Find the owner, then join the clause with whose.
- Find the owner. Her books show that the author owns the books.the author
- Use whose for a possession. Whose shows that the books belong to the author.whose books
- Join the sentences. The clause follows the owner.The author whose books sold millions is famous.
- Write the answer. The author whose books sold millions is famous.
Check. whose shows that the books belong to the author. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: whose is not the same as who's. Whose shows that something belongs to someone, and who's means who is.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child to describe a place they know, using where, and a day they remember, using when.
Exercise 5B Practice: where, when and whose
Method. Find the noun that the second sentence describes, then add the clause after it.
- Find the noun. We visited the lake. names the noun, and ducks swim on it. describes it.We visited the lake.
- Add the clause. The clause where ducks swim describes the noun, so it follows the noun.where ducks swim
- Join the sentences. The main sentence keeps its verb, and the clause sits in the middle.We visited the lake where ducks swim.
- Write the answer. We visited the lake where ducks swim.
Check. The relative clause where ducks swim 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. I remember the day. names the noun, and we won the match on that day. describes it.I remember the day.
- Add the clause. The clause when we won the match describes the noun, so it follows the noun.when we won the match
- Join the sentences. The main sentence keeps its verb, and the clause sits in the middle.I remember the day when we won the match.
- Write the answer. I remember the day when we won the match.
Check. The relative clause when we won the match 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 author is famous. names the noun, and her books sold millions. describes it.The author
- Add the clause. The clause whose books sold millions describes the noun, so it follows the noun.whose books sold millions
- Join the sentences. The main sentence keeps its verb, and the clause sits in the middle.The author whose books sold millions is famous.
- Write the answer. The author whose books sold millions is famous.
Check. The relative clause whose books sold millions 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 village is quiet. names the noun, and our family lives there. describes it.The village
- Add the clause. The clause where our family lives describes the noun, so it follows the noun.where our family lives
- Join the sentences. The main sentence keeps its verb, and the clause sits in the middle.The village where our family lives is quiet.
- Write the answer. The village where our family lives is quiet.
Check. The relative clause where our family lives 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 day was sunny. names the noun, and we went to the beach. describes it.The day
- Add the clause. The clause when we went to the beach describes the noun, so it follows the noun.when we went to the beach
- Join the sentences. The main sentence keeps its verb, and the clause sits in the middle.The day when we went to the beach was sunny.
- Write the answer. The day when we went to the beach was sunny.
Check. The relative clause when we went to the beach 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 painting is old. names the noun, and its frame is gold. describes it.The painting
- Add the clause. The clause whose frame is gold describes the noun, so it follows the noun.whose frame is gold
- Join the sentences. The main sentence keeps its verb, and the clause sits in the middle.The painting whose frame is gold is old.
- Write the answer. The painting whose frame is gold is old.
Check. The relative clause whose frame is gold 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. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. The café is a place, so the relative pronoun is where.where fits
- Reject the other choices. When is used for a time, not for a place.when do not fit
- Write the answer. where
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. Summer is a time, so the relative pronoun is when.when fits
- Reject the other choices. Where is used for a place, not for a time.where do not fit
- Write the answer. when
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Method. Find the words that begin with the relative pronoun, and copy them.
- Find the relative pronoun. Where is the relative pronoun, and it describes the shelf, a place.where
- Copy the clause. The clause is the words from where to the end of the clause.where the books are kept
- Write the answer. where the books are kept
Check. where the books are kept is the relative clause. ✓
Watch out. A relative clause tells you which person, thing, place or time is meant.
Method. Find the words that begin with the relative pronoun, and copy them.
- Find the relative pronoun. When is the relative pronoun, and it describes the month, a time.when
- Copy the clause. The clause is the words from when to the end of the clause.when the leaves turn gold
- Write the answer. when the leaves turn gold
Check. when the leaves turn gold is the relative clause. ✓
Watch out. A relative clause tells you which person, thing, place or time is meant.
Method. Find the words that begin with the relative pronoun, and copy them.
- Find the relative pronoun. Whose is the relative pronoun, and it shows the tail belongs to the dog.whose
- Copy the clause. The clause is the words from whose to the end of the clause.whose tail is long
- Write the answer. whose tail is long
Check. whose tail is long is the relative clause. ✓
Watch out. A relative clause tells you which person, thing, place or time is meant.
Method. Choose a place, then add the clause after it.
- Choose the place. The garden is a place.The garden
- Add the clause. Where we planted the sunflowers describes the garden.where we planted the sunflowers
- Write the answer. The garden where we planted the sunflowers is full of bees.
Check. The sentence uses where for a place. ✓
Method. Choose a time, then add the clause after it.
- Choose the time. Saturday is a time.Saturday
- Add the clause. When the whole family goes swimming describes the day.when the whole family goes swimming
- Write the answer. Saturday is the day when the whole family goes swimming.
Check. The sentence uses when for a time. ✓
Method. Decide whether the noun is a place or a time.
- Find the noun. The hill is a place.a place
- Choose the pronoun. Where describes a place.where
- Write the answer. The hill is a place, so where is used; when is used for times
Check. where describes a place. ✓
Method. Find the noun that the second sentence describes, then add the clause after it.
- Find the noun. The village is the place, and the second sentence says where it is.The village
- Add the clause. The clause where our family lives describes the noun, so it follows the noun.where our family lives
- Join the sentences. The main sentence keeps its verb, and the clause sits in the middle.The village where our family lives is quiet.
- Write the answer. The village where our family lives is quiet.
Check. The relative clause where our family lives 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 possession, and join it with whose.
- Find the possession. Its bark belongs to the dog.its bark
- Join the sentences. Whose bark is deep describes the dog.The dog whose bark is deep is loud.
- Write the answer. The dog whose bark is deep is loud.
Check. whose shows that the bark belongs to the dog. ✓
Method. Choose the owner, then show the thing it owns.
- Choose the owner. The baker owns the bread.The baker
- Add the clause. Whose bread is famous shows that the bread belongs to the baker.whose bread is famous
- Write the answer. The baker whose bread is famous opened a new shop.
Check. The sentence uses whose correctly. ✓
Method. Find the relative pronoun, then the words that follow.
- Find the pronoun. Where is the relative pronoun.where
- Copy the clause. The clause is where the ducks swim.where the ducks swim
- Write the answer. where the ducks swim
Check. where the ducks swim describes the lake. ✓