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The bird that copies car alarms: relative clauses with which and that

An A2 ESL lesson plan on relative clauses with which and that, for describing things and animals, built around the northern mockingbird.

Grammar
Defining relative clauses with which or that (It's a bird that copies sounds.), the verb that agrees (birds that copy) and no extra it or them.
Topic
The northern mockingbird in a Texas park, a songbird that copies car alarms and the state bird of five states, with words such as copy, repeat, hedge and lullaby.
Activities
Students read a nature center notice, hear a park dialogue and a viewer's question, practice with self-checking drills, ask Maya about birds in a chat and open boxes on animals and sounds.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Beep beep… tweet?

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: the bird that copiesVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: meet the mockingbird

    • Look at the photo: a mockingbirdPictureUnlock
    • Read the notice at the nature centerReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: a bird or a car?

    • Listen to Marco and MayaListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to Drew's questionListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: a bird that copies

    • Study the scheme: which and thatGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: join the sentences with which or thatFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: that I hear, that he hearsFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the correct sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: birds that sing

    • Choose the right replies: ask Maya about birdsChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: animals and soundsOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Maya's nature quiz: choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: write which or that and the verbFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: the show's postDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: Maya's notebookChoose the optionUnlock

29 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • car alarm
  • squeaky
  • lullaby
  • cage
  • hedge
  • berry
  • insect

Grammar: relative clauses with which and that

A defining relative clause follows a noun and tells you which one, or what kind, you mean, so two short sentences become one: It's a bird. It copies sounds. becomes It's a bird that copies sounds. Describing a songbird that copies car alarms, learners put which or that after a thing or an animal, make the verb agree and never say it twice.

It's a bird that copies car alarms!

Put which or that after a thing or an animal to say more about it.

Two sentences become one

Which or that takes the place of it, they or them: Mockingbirds are birds. They live near houses. becomes Mockingbirds are birds that live near houses. The clause sits right after its noun, even mid-sentence: The song which the bird sings is long.

Two sentencesOne sentence
It's a bird. It copies sounds.It's a bird which / that copies sounds.
Mockingbirds are birds. They live near houses.Mockingbirds are birds which / that live near houses.
Here's the photo. Nora took it.Here's the photo which / that Nora took.
The song is long. The bird sings it.The song which / that the bird sings is long.

A bird that copies, birds that copy

After which or that, the verb agrees with the noun before it, because the pronoun means it for one and they for more: a bird that copies sounds, birds that copy sounds; a bird that sings, birds that sing.

which / that =The verbExample
it (one thing or animal)copies, sings, livesa bird that copies sounds (it copies)
they (two or more)copy, sing, livebirds that copy sounds (they copy)

The song that I sing, the song that he sings

When that stands for the object, a new subject follows it, and the verb agrees with that subject: the song that I sing, the song that he sings, the song that they sing. The bird's habit works the same way: It copies the sounds which it hears.

WhoExample
IThis is the song that I sing.
youThis is the song that you sing.
heThis is the song that he sings.
sheThis is the song that she sings.
itThis is the song that it sings. (the bird)
weThis is the song that we sing.
theyThis is the song that they sing.

Don't say it twice

Which and that already mean it, they or them, so the old pronoun disappears: a bird that copies sounds, not a bird that it copies sounds; the song that the bird sings, not …sings it. These clauses take no comma: a bird that sings, not a bird, that sings.

Don't say it twice!

which / that takes the place of it, they or them, so don't say it again: a bird that copies sounds (not: a bird that it copies sounds); the photo that Nora took (not: the photo that Nora took it). For things and animals, which and that are both right. No comma before that: a bird that sings (not: a bird, that sings).

Which or that, but never who or what

For things and animals, which and that are both right, and that works for people too: the girl that asks questions. But a thing never takes who (the gate that squeaks), and what or that's can't start the clause: the bird that sings at night.

People: that is OK too

For a person, you can say that too: Maya is the girl that asks a lot of questions. In the next lesson, you learn who for people. For things, never who: the gate that squeaks (not: the gate who squeaks).

Common mistakes

  • It's a song who has a mockingbird in it.

    It's a song which / that has a mockingbird in it.

    a thing: which / that, never who

  • It's a bird which it copies sounds.

    It's a bird which copies sounds.

    which = it: don't say it again

  • It's the bird what sings at night.

    It's the bird that sings at night.

    never what here

  • It's a bird that's copies sounds.

    It's a bird that copies sounds.

    that, not that's (= that is)

Mockingbird facts

  • The mockingbird is a bird that copies other sounds.
  • A car alarm is a sound that a mockingbird can copy.
  • It copies the sounds which it hears around houses.
  • Texas is a state that chose the mockingbird.
  • Dick was a mockingbird which lived in the White House.
  • “Hush, Little Baby” is a lullaby that has a mockingbird in it.

More lessons on this grammar: Relative clauses lessons and exercises

Try the relative clauses exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

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What's in the lesson

  • 16 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • join two sentences with which or that: It's a bird. It copies sounds. becomes It's a bird that copies sounds.
  • make the verb agree with the noun before the clause: a bird that copies, but birds that copy
  • describe a thing with a clause that has its own subject: the song that I sing, the sounds that it hears
  • avoid the usual slips: the gate that squeaks, not the gate who squeaks; a bird which copies sounds, not which it copies

Lesson 25 opens Amazing animals, the seventh unit of English A2.2 · Curious Minds. Pronouns from A1 come back here: the subject pronouns of A1.1 lesson 7 and the object pronouns of A1.2 lesson 16, since which or that now takes the place of it, they or them. Lesson 26 adds who for people and where for places. A bird known for copying car alarms is easiest to describe with that very pattern: It's a bird that copies sounds.

Questions on a spinning wheel get students talking about birds and night noises before ten word cards, each with a picture and audio, bring in copy, repeat, squeaky and lullaby. The nature center's bird-of-the-month notice comes with true-or-false and multiple-choice questions; then students hear Marco and Maya in a Texas park as a bird on a hedge copies a car alarm, and Drew, a viewer, asking if that can be true (both AI-voiced). Four drills follow the scheme and mark each answer at once, and one of them is a gap-fill that joins two sentences into one. Speaking means a chat in which students ask Maya about birds, then open boxes about animals and sounds.

Homework is eight tasks that check themselves: a word match, an anagram and a quiz of What do you call a … that …? questions, then choices between that and its wrong rivals, gaps for which or that with the verb, word order, a drag-and-drop post and a page of choices from Maya's notebook.

Grammar:
relative clauses · which / that · defining relative clauses · a bird that copies sounds
Topic:
northern mockingbird · birds · Texas · state birds · Thomas Jefferson · Hush, Little Baby · Curious Minds

Teaching tips

  • Cross out the pronoun on the board: write It's a bird. It copies sounds., strike through the second It, write that above it, and let students join the next pair.
  • Ask what students hear at night before the notice: car alarms, dogs, a squeaky gate? The notice then shows that one bird can copy all of them.
  • Listen a second time for every that: students note each clause in the park dialogue, from a bird that copies sounds to the bird that sang all night, and say what that stands for.
  • Run a definitions quiz in pairs: one student asks What do you call a song that helps a baby sleep?, the partner answers with a word from the cards, and then they swap roles.

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The whole course: English A2.2 · Curious Minds

32 lessons that pick up where English A2.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present perfect to used to, have to and relative clauses. Eight units cover nature, tech at home, heroes, healthy habits, fashion, school, animals and traditions. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Wonders of nature

    the present perfect with ever and never, been to, superlatives with I've ever, articles with place names

    1. Lesson 1Have you ever seen the sky dance?The present perfect for experiences
    2. Lesson 2Have you been to the Grand Canyon?Present perfect vs past simple
    3. Lesson 3The longest cave in the worldSuperlatives with the present perfect
    4. Lesson 4The first national parkArticles with place names

  2. Unit 2 Clever tech at home

    the present perfect with just, already and yet, phrasal verbs, subject and object questions

    1. Lesson 5The chocolate bar that meltedThe present perfect with just
    2. Lesson 6Has my lunch arrived yet?Already and yet with the present perfect
    3. Lesson 7Turn it on, turn it offPhrasal verbs with it and them
    4. Lesson 8The girl who tests waterSubject and object questions

  3. Unit 3 Everyday heroes

    the past continuous, when and while, adjective order, story linkers

    1. Lesson 9When the pager beepsThe past continuous with was and were
    2. Lesson 10The man who planted apple treesPast continuous and past simple with when and while
    3. Lesson 11What's in the lost and found?The order of adjectives
    4. Lesson 12The dogs who saved NomeStory linkers

  4. Unit 4 Healthy and happy habits

    will for predictions, the zero and first conditionals, so do I and neither do I

    1. Lesson 13Why does school start later in California?Will and won't for predictions, decisions and offers
    2. Lesson 14Brain freeze!The zero conditional for facts
    3. Lesson 15Doctor's orders: go to the park!The first conditional with if and will
    4. Lesson 16Walking in the mall at 7 a.m.Agreeing with So do I and Neither do I

  5. Unit 5 Style through time

    used to, didn't use to, made of and made from, still and not anymore

    1. Lesson 17Why did everyone use to wear a hat?Used to for past habits and states
    2. Lesson 18Jeans used to be work clothesUsed to in negatives and questions
    3. Lesson 19Quilts made from old clothesMade of, made from and made by
    4. Lesson 20Cowboy boots, still made by handStill, not anymore and no longer

  6. Unit 6 School in America

    have to, must and mustn't, be allowed to, had to

    1. Lesson 21Do you have to wear a uniform?Have to and don't have to for rules
    2. Lesson 22Stop for the yellow bus!Must, mustn't and don't have to
    3. Lesson 23A class trip to the SmithsonianBe allowed to and can for permission
    4. Lesson 24One room, one teacher, every gradeHad to and didn't have to for past duties

  7. Unit 7 Amazing animals

    relative clauses with which, that, who and where, look and sound + adjective, adjectives with prepositions

    1. Lesson 25 · you're hereThe bird that copies car alarmsRelative clauses with which and that
    2. Lesson 26Alligators and crocodiles togetherWho, which, that and where in relative clauses
    3. Lesson 27Sailors thought it was a mermaidLook, sound and feel as linking verbs
    4. Lesson 28Beagles at the airportAdjectives with prepositions

  8. Unit 8 Traditions we love

    invitations, will vs going to, so and such, one and ones

    1. Lesson 29Come to our cookout!Making, accepting and refusing invitations
    2. Lesson 30Is spring going to come early?Will vs going to for the future
    3. Lesson 31From turnips to pumpkinsSo and such for emphasis
    4. Lesson 32Giant balloons over ManhattanOne and ones in place of a noun

Questions about this lesson

What are relative clauses?
Relative clauses are parts of a sentence that describe a noun. They come right after it and start with a word such as which, that, who or where: It's a bird that copies sounds. Mockingbirds are birds which live near houses. A relative clause turns two sentences into one. The A2 lesson The bird that copies car alarms on edio.ai begins with which and that for things and animals.
What's the difference between which and that?
Without commas, which and that do the same job, so a bird that copies sounds and a bird which copies sounds are both right. The difference comes with commas: only which can add extra information between them, as in The northern mockingbird, which is the state bird of Texas, copies car alarms. Also, that can describe people, but which can't.
What is a defining relative clause?
A defining relative clause tells you which one or what kind you mean, so the sentence needs it: in The song that the bird sings is long, the clause picks out one song. It never takes commas. When that or which is the object, as here, you can leave it out: the song the bird sings. As the subject, it must stay: a bird that copies sounds.
How do you know whether to use that or which?
Try the comma test: a clause the sentence needs takes that, the usual American choice, though which is also correct: I can hear a car alarm that goes off every night. A clause that adds an extra fact between commas takes only which: My grandma's garden, which has a long hedge, is full of birds. That never follows a comma.
What are some examples of relative clauses?
Examples put the clause right after the noun it describes: The mockingbird is a bird that copies other sounds. A car alarm is a sound that a mockingbird can copy. Texas is a state that chose the mockingbird. In the second, a new subject, a mockingbird, follows that. All three are in the scheme of The bird that copies car alarms, an A2 lesson on edio.ai.
Is it "a bird that copies" or "a bird that it copies"?
It's a bird that copies, with no extra it, because that already stands for it. Objects work the same way: the song that the bird sings, not the song that the bird sings it. Watch the verb too: one bird copies, so a bird that copies, but birds that copy. The chat in The bird that copies car alarms, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, sets a bird that it sings as a trap.
Is it "the bird that sings" or "the bird what sings"?
It's the bird that sings; what can't follow a noun this way. After a thing or an animal, use that or which: the bird which sings at night. Who belongs to people, so the gate who squeaks is wrong as well. And keep that apart from that's: a bird that copies sounds, not a bird that's copies sounds.
How do you describe something when you don't know its name?
Name its group, then add a clause with that: It's a bird that copies sounds. It's a thing that keeps birds inside. It's a song that helps a baby sleep. The answers are a mockingbird, a cage and a lullaby. Turned into questions, such clauses make a quiz: the homework of The bird that copies car alarms, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, asks What do you call a small fruit which mockingbirds eat in winter?
How do I teach relative clauses to A2 students?
Begin with pairs of short sentences that share a noun: It's a bird. It copies sounds. Show how that replaces It, then let students join new pairs. Stay with things and animals at first, add clauses with their own subject (the song that I sing) once the pattern is easy, and save who and where for later. This lesson goes the same way: a notice and a dialogue, the scheme, four drills, then a chat.
What's a good game for practicing relative clauses?
An open-the-box game of describing prompts works well, because every answer needs a clause: Describe a bird that lives near your home. What's a sound that you hate? What's an animal that you love? For a guessing twist, one player describes a sound without naming it (It's a sound that a parked car makes at night), and the others guess it. This lesson's open boxes hold prompts like these.
What's good homework for practicing relative clauses?
Good homework mixes choosing, typing and ordering clauses: picking that over what or that's, typing which or that with the right verb (a cage that has metal bars), and putting chunks such as It's a bird / that / copies / car alarms in order. In the A2 lesson The bird that copies car alarms on edio.ai, eight homework tasks like these check themselves.
Are there interactive exercises for relative clauses?
Yes: online drills and chats can check every clause as learners type or choose it. Without an account, this page plays four parts of The bird that copies car alarms, an A2 lesson on edio.ai: the nature center's notice about the mockingbird, Marco and Maya's dialogue in a Texas park, a gap-fill that joins two sentences with which or that, and a chat with questions for Maya about birds. The other exercises are locked.
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