S3 English | Relative Clauses Prep Guide (for tutors) | Twelve rewrites and the comma test in 60 minutes

2026-11-06

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Secondary English

S3 students write “The boy who he won the race is my brother”. They are joining two sentences with who as if it were a conjunction. A relative pronoun is not a conjunction; it replaces a noun.

Objectives — Students can: (1) say what each of the five relative pronouns replaces (person, object, possession, place) and choose correctly in at least 10 of 12 items; (2) use the comma test to separate defining from non-defining clauses and explain how the meaning changes; (3) combine two sentences into one relative clause without leaving a duplicate pronoun behind.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Nouns and pronouns	Which pronoun can replace “the boy”?	he or him
Adjective position	Does an adjective come before or after its noun?	Usually before
Commas	What does a pair of commas do?	Marks information added on the side

02 Lesson flow (60 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-5 min	Entry: one wrong sentence	Write “The boy who he won the race”, ask which word is extra	Circle the extra word and explain
5-15 min	Five pronouns	One table: who/whom for people, which for things, whose for possession, where for places	Choose the pronoun for five sentences
15-27 min	Two sentences into one	Model deleting he, it, his, there – the pronoun must not survive	Combine six pairs
27-45 min	Defining vs non-defining	Same noun, two versions: with commas adds, without commas limits	Judge eight sentences and add commas
45-55 min	Twelve items timed	Fifty seconds each, two errors allowed	Work independently and note the cause of each error
55-60 min	Exit check	Three items collected and marked	Work independently

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: The relative pronoun is the pronoun

In “The boy who won the race is my brother”, who already stands for the boy, so he cannot appear again. Writing “who he won” says the subject twice.
The same logic holds: which replaces a thing, whose replaces his or its, where replaces there.
Test: pull the clause out and read it alone. If it lacks a subject, the relative pronoun did its job. If the subject is still there, something is duplicated.

Students do: fill in who, which, whose and where once each, then read each clause as a standalone sentence to prove there is no double subject.

Scene 2: The comma changes the meaning

“My brother who lives in Tokyo is a doctor” implies I have more than one brother and this clause identifies which. “My brother, who lives in Tokyo, is a doctor” implies I have only one, and the clause is extra information.
So a non-defining clause always sits between two commas and never takes that. A defining clause may take that instead of who or which.
The commonest exam trap: the sentence already has commas and one option is that. It is never the answer.

Students say: how the comma changes how many brothers the reader thinks I have.

Scene 3: Whose and where are not random

Whose replaces a possessive and is followed immediately by a noun: the student whose phone rang. Where replaces an adverbial of place and follows a place noun: the school where I studied.
Many students write “the school which I studied”, dropping the preposition. Write “which I studied in” or “where I studied”; both work, but which needs the preposition.
The same pattern gives the day when and the reason why.

Students do: rewrite four sentences using where, when, why and whose, naming the preposition each one replaced.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Choose the pronoun	The book ___ I bought is expensive.	Is the antecedent a thing or a person?	which or that
Combine	I met a girl. Her father is a pilot.	whose replaces her	I met a girl whose father is a pilot.
Comma test	My sister who is a nurse lives in Macau.	Only one sister means commas	My sister, who is a nurse, lives in Macau.
Correct the error	The house which I live is old.	which needs a preposition, or use where	The house where I live is old.

Sanity check (teach this): Sanity check: no pronoun repeats after the relative pronoun; a non-defining clause has two commas, one on each side; that never follows a comma; whose is followed by a noun; where follows a place; read the finished sentence aloud – if the clause can stand alone as a complete sentence, the pronoun was used correctly.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Choose	Six sentences, who, which, whose or where	Check the pronoun matches the antecedent
Combine	Four pairs into four sentences	Check no duplicate pronoun survives
Commas	Three sentences, comma or no comma	Check whether the noun has one referent or many

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Pronoun repeated	“The man who he called me”	“Who already replaces the man. Adding he says it twice. Delete he and the sentence is correct.”
That after a comma	“My father, that is a teacher, …”	“With commas you cannot use that. Use who or which.”
Where and which confused	“the shop which I bought it”	“Which needs a preposition, or switch to where. Pick one.”
Only one comma	“My sister, who is a nurse lives in Macau.”	“Extra information needs a comma on both sides. One comma changes the meaning.”

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Secondary English chapter index — All chapters for this subject
Prep guide index — The same kind of chapter for other subjects
Redo this chapter — Write twelve sentences, six defining and six non-defining, and circle every relative pronoun

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
The girl ___ won is my cousin.	who	Answering which means act two again
Can that follow a comma?	No	Answering yes means act three again
the school ___ I studied	where	Answering which means act three again

09 Tutor FAQ

Should S3 students use whom?

They should recognise it, though who is acceptable in speech. In writing whom usually follows a preposition: to whom.

Can the relative pronoun be left out?

In a defining clause, yes when it is the object: the book (which) I bought. It cannot be dropped in other roles.

How deep does S3 go?

Usually choosing, combining and the comma test. Reducing a clause to a participle phrase comes later; secure these three first.

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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.