This worksheet is themed around people and uses clause phrases like “Kids who,” “Girl who,” and “Boss who.” Students must locate phrases that describe individuals with specific roles or relationships. The focus is on forming relative clauses that connect people to actions or identities. This kind of word search supports learning about descriptive sentence building. […]
This worksheet is all about objects paired with the word “that” to form clauses, such as “Book that,” “Pen that,” or “Tool that.” These phrases help describe or identify objects in more detail. The focus is on enhancing descriptive writing with relative clauses involving non-living things. It challenges students to find these compound phrases in […]
This worksheet centers around the use of the word “which” to add detail, using phrases like “Plan which,” “Map which,” and “List which.” Students will locate clause structures used to describe or explain further about items, ideas, or documents. It’s designed to help students grow comfortable with informative and explanatory sentence parts. By practicing with […]
This word search features possessive clause phrases like “Girl whose,” “Dad whose,” and “Group whose.” It emphasizes ownership or connection between people and things or qualities. Students are to find and understand how “whose” ties people to something they have or relate to. Students develop grammatical skills by learning how “whose” works to show possession […]
This worksheet includes time-based starters like “Day when,” “Hour when,” and “Class when.” It helps learners become familiar with temporal clauses used to describe when events occur. The student’s task is to locate these time-related clause starters in the grid. By identifying “when” clauses, students grasp how to place events in time through language. It […]
Focused on location-based clauses, this worksheet uses phrases such as “Room where,” “Park where,” and “Zone where.” Students must find these place-related clause starters, aiding their grasp of spatial descriptions in sentences. It links physical spaces to descriptive phrases. Students expand their spatial vocabulary and descriptive language by using “where” clauses. This reinforces grammatical usage […]
This worksheet includes phrases beginning with action verbs like “Ran who,” “Spoke who,” and “Helped who.” Students find phrases that show people performing specific actions, making it an energetic, verb-centered task. It builds understanding of how actions can lead into more detailed sentences. The worksheet strengthens students’ grasp of verbs and active sentence structures. It […]
This worksheet explores examples of “that” clauses with objects, like “Chair that,” “Game that,” and “Wall that.” It emphasizes how to add extra detail to nouns using relative clauses. Students look for these object-descriptive phrases within the word search. It boosts students’ ability to describe objects in greater depth using “that” clauses. Vocabulary increases through […]
Centered around abstract and functional items, this word search features phrases like “Task which,” “Code which,” and “Goal which.” The vocabulary encourages deeper thinking and organization through technical and conceptual language. Students identify idea-based clause patterns. This exercise grows vocabulary related to abstract nouns and task-related concepts. It strengthens language for academic and professional writing. […]
This worksheet targets “whom” clause phrases such as “Man whom,” “Friend whom,” and “Coach whom.” It introduces a more formal relative clause structure used to identify or describe individuals. Students must locate and understand these more advanced clauses. Practicing with “whom” builds an understanding of formal grammar and object pronouns in relative clauses. It enhances […]
Grammar, meet giggles. Learning relative pronouns might sound like something from a dusty old textbook, but not here-not at Word Search Hero! We’ve turned grammar drills into thrilling word search puzzles that make discovering the English language feel more like a game night than a grammar lesson. Whether you’re a student brushing up on language skills, a teacher looking for engaging materials, or just a curious word nerd who loves a good challenge, these printable relative pronoun word searches are your new best friend.
Each puzzle is expertly designed to spotlight the magical world of relative pronouns-those humble little words like who, whom, whose, which, and that that sneak into our sentences and glue ideas together. But don’t let their size fool you-relative pronouns carry serious grammatical weight! And now you get to hunt them down like hidden treasures in a sea of letters, all while sharpening your language skills and having way more fun than your English teacher ever promised.
The best part? They’re 100% free to download and printable, which means you can bring the joy of learning anywhere: classrooms, kitchens, car rides, coffee shops-wherever the day takes you. Got five minutes to spare? That’s five minutes of language fun right at your fingertips. Need a whole stack of puzzles for a group activity or homeschool session? We’ve got you covered. Just hit print and you’re off to the wordy races.
Let’s get a little nerdy for a second-just enough to appreciate what makes relative pronouns so cool. A relative pronoun is a type of word that introduces a relative clause-a group of words that provides more information about a noun. Think of them as sentence bridges: they connect ideas, add context, and help our words flow with clarity and meaning. Without them, our sentences would be choppy, disconnected, and frankly, pretty dull.
Here’s an example:
The cat that lives next door is always in my garden.
She’s the girl who baked that amazing pie.
I met the guy whose dog can skateboard.
In each case, the relative pronoun is doing some serious heavy lifting-it’s giving extra detail, telling us more about the subject, and making the sentence more interesting. And guess what? They’re everywhere in our everyday language. You’ve probably used dozens of them today without even realizing it.
There are five main relative pronouns in English:
Who – refers to people (e.g., The teacher who helped me.)
Whom – a more formal way to refer to people, often used in writing (e.g., The man whom I saw.)
Whose – shows possession (e.g., The girl whose phone rang.)
Which – refers to animals or things (e.g., The book which I borrowed.)
That – can refer to people, animals, or things (e.g., The house that Jack built.)
While they may be small, these words do big work in our sentences. Learning to identify and use them correctly is an essential step in mastering English grammar. And that’s exactly why these word search puzzles are so effective-they reinforce recognition and recall of relative pronouns through fun, immersive play.
Looking to build language confidence in kids? These puzzles are perfect for helping young learners get familiar with sentence structure and word functions. Teaching ESL? Our puzzles provide a hands-on, non-intimidating way for learners to engage with grammar. Even adults will find themselves brushing up on grammar rules they haven’t thought about since high school.
1. The Word “Whom” Is Technically Correct-but Rarely Used
Let’s face it: whom is the grammar equivalent of a tuxedo-formal, impressive, and slightly intimidating. While it’s grammatically correct and still used in writing or formal speech, most people avoid it in everyday conversation. The phrase “Whom did you invite?” might be technically spot-on, but chances are you’ll hear “Who did you invite?” instead. The good news? Our puzzles give you a safe (and fun!) space to meet whom again and not feel awkward about it.
2. Relative Pronouns Exist in Every Major Language
English isn’t alone in its love affair with relative pronouns. From French (qui, que) to Spanish (que, cual), and even German (der, die, das), nearly every language has a way to connect ideas using similar grammatical tools. By practicing English relative pronouns, you’re actually building a foundation that’s helpful for learning other languages too. Bonus points if you can say “relative pronoun” in five languages!
3. “That” Can Replace “Who” or “Which”… But Only Sometimes
Here’s a quirky quirk: the word that is like the multitool of relative pronouns. It can step in for who or which in many situations-The man that won the contest, The book that changed my life. But watch out! You can’t use that when the clause is non-defining-aka when it’s extra information set off by commas. My brother, who lives in Seattle, is visiting is correct. Swap in that and it’s a grammar crime.
4. Relative Pronouns Are Older Than You Think
These little words have been around for centuries. In fact, the use of who, whom, and which as relative pronouns dates back to Middle English, evolving from even older forms in Old English and Latin. Our ancestors were stringing sentences together with these connectors way back in the 12th century-proof that good grammar never goes out of style.
5. You Use Them More Than You Realize-Even When Texting
Even in our text-happy, emoji-driven world, relative pronouns sneak into everyday chats. Phrases like “The friend who came over,” “The app that crashed my phone,” or “A meme which made me laugh” are stuffed with them. Whether you’re writing an essay, an email, or a hilarious TikTok caption, you’re probably using relative pronouns constantly-and now, thanks to these puzzles, you’ll actually notice and appreciate them!
