Relative pronouns and clauses — Digital SAT Reading & Writing practice
who, whom, whose, which, that, where and when.
Key ideas to know
Essential vs Nonessential Clauses
Choose the correct word for each blank: 1) The recipe ___ she followed failed. 2) Her dog, ___ barked all night, is finally asleep.
Use that for essential clauses without commas, and which for nonessential clauses set off by commas. Answers: that; which.
Watch out: Adding a comma before which in an essential clause or omitting it in a nonessential clause breaks standard punctuation rules.
Where vs in which
Identify the error and fix it: “The situation where we need to act quickly is rare.”
Where is for physical places. For a situation, use in which: The situation in which we need to act quickly is rare.
Watch out: Using where for situations, cases, or circumstances that are not physical places.
Spotting Dependent Clauses
Complete the thought correctly: The scientist who discovered the element ___
The relative clause is dependent and cannot stand alone. Attach it to a main clause: The scientist who discovered the element won a Nobel Prize.
Watch out: Treating a relative clause as a complete sentence creates a fragment error on the Digital SAT. Always attach it to an independent clause or add a main verb.
People vs Things Pronouns
Choose the correct relative pronoun: The researchers ___ published the study are attending the conference. / The data ___ they collected was accurate.
Use who, whom, or whose for people, and which or that for things. Correct choices: who for researchers; that for data.
Watch out: Using who for objects or which/that for people breaks standard convention and will be marked incorrect on the SAT.