Who and which

Objective & content

This grammar sheet teaches simple relative clauses with who for people and which for things and animals (a person who flies a plane, an animal which lives in Australia), and how who or which joins two sentences. Pupils read a "Guess what it is" game between Rohan and Tessa, find the missing words and read the rule, given in a box. By the end, they can say what a person, an animal or a thing is or does, and write a clue for a partner to guess.

Pedagogical guide

Page 1 is the game, with a picture of Rohan and of Tessa: they take turns to describe a kangaroo, a nurse, an umbrella, a pilot, a penguin, a vet and a fridge, and the other one guesses. Pupils find six missing words in sentences from the game. Page 2 has the rule, given in a box in short lines with the key words in bold: who for people, which for things and animals, that also right for all three, no he, she or it after who or which, and who and which to join two sentences. Then pupils tick who or which in eight sentences, where the noun before the gap decides; choose the right sentence in six pairs (the wrong one has which for a person, who for a thing or an extra he or it); and join six pairs of sentences with who or which. Page 3 is a crossword: pupils write who or which in each of the nine clues (a waiter, a phone, a giraffe, a helmet...), then write the words in the grid. In the last task, pupils write three clues of their own for a partner to guess, starting from It's a person who... Every exercise opens with a worked example, except the crossword and the last task. that is never tested: the answer key says it is right wherever who or which is.

Suggested procedure

1. (5 min) Say "It's a person who teaches English" and let the class guess; write the sentence on the board.
2. (10 min) Read the game aloud; pupils find the missing words.
3. (5 min) Read the rule in the box with the class; pupils find a sentence with who and one with which in the game.
4. (15 min) Page 2: who or which, the right sentence, then join the sentences.
5. (10 min) Page 3: the crossword, then three clues for a partner.
6. (5 min) Check with the answer key on pages 4 and 5.

Adaptations

[S] Pupils read the game aloud in pairs, one as Rohan and one as Tessa, before the tasks.

[A] Pupils write a definition with who or which for five things in the classroom.

Materials & prerequisites

One copy of pages 1 to 3 per pupil. Pages 4 and 5 are the answer key, the crossword solution and teacher notes: keep them. Pupils need the present simple with he, she and it, can, and the words for jobs, animals and things at home. To take it further, the class plays "Guess what it is" in teams, one clue at a time.