Grammar Terms: Modal Verbs and Clauses · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Modal Verbs and Relative Clauses

English · Grammar & Punctuation · ages 9-10
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. 'She might arrive late today.' Which word is the modal verb?

    • might
    • arrive
    • today

  2. 'The boy whose dog ran away searched the park.' Which word is the relative pronoun?

    • park
    • searched
    • whose

  3. A relative clause can begin with a relative pronoun, such as 'who' or 'that'.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. 'The book that I borrowed is on the table.' Which word is the relative pronoun?

    • that
    • borrowed
    • table

  5. Which sentence uses brackets for a parenthesis correctly?

    • Our teacher who is from (Wales read) us a poem.
    • Our (teacher who is) from Wales read us a poem.
    • Our teacher (who is from Wales) read us a poem.

  6. 'My neighbor, who plays the violin, is very talented.' Which words form the relative clause?

    • who plays the violin
    • is very talented
    • my neighbor

  7. 'Can I borrow your pencil?' What is the speaker doing?

    • Stating a fact
    • Showing they are sure
    • Asking for permission

  8. Which sentence contains a relative clause?

    • The bike had a flat tyre.
    • The bike was fixed quickly.
    • The bike that had a flat tyre was fixed.

  9. In 'Our cat (the black one) sleeps all day,' the parenthesis is also a relative clause.

    Circle one:   True   False

  10. 'You cannot leave the table until you finish your carrots.' What does 'cannot' tell the reader?

    • Leaving is certain to happen soon
    • Leaving is not allowed until the carrots are eaten
    • The carrots have already been eaten
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Answer key

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Modal Verbs and Relative Clauses W1-mt_-tcJeAhK5k-s1

  1. might · 'Might' shows how certain the writer is that she will arrive late.
  2. whose · 'Whose' introduces the relative clause and shows the dog belongs to the boy.
  3. True · A relative clause often opens with a relative pronoun like who, which, or that. A clause about a place can open with the relative adverb where.
  4. that · 'That' introduces the relative clause and points back to 'the book.'
  5. Our teacher (who is from Wales) read us a poem. · Only 'who is from Wales' is a complete extra chunk; remove it and the sentence still makes sense.
  6. who plays the violin · The clause starts with the relative pronoun 'who' and gives extra detail about the neighbor.
  7. Asking for permission · 'Can I ...?' asks for permission, here to borrow the pencil.
  8. The bike that had a flat tyre was fixed. · 'That had a flat tyre' starts with a relative pronoun and adds extra information about the bike.
  9. False · 'The black one' has no relative pronoun or relative adverb, so the parenthesis is not a relative clause.
  10. Leaving is not allowed until the carrots are eaten · 'Cannot' flips 'can' around: leaving is not allowed until the carrots are eaten.
Worksheet · LightMySky