Defining relative clauses
Identify exactly who or what you mean with who, which, that, where, whose and when — and know when you can leave the pronoun out.
In this lesson you will
- Use who, which, that, where, whose, when
- Leave out the relative pronoun when it’s the object
- Avoid repeating the pronoun
Learn
A defining relative clause tells us which person or thing we mean. It has no commas: The woman who lives next door* is a pilot.*
who / that for people; which / that for things; where for places; when for times; whose for possession: the man whose* car was stolen*.
You can leave out who/which/that when it is the object of the clause: The film (that) we watched was great. You can’t when it’s the subject: The man who* called* (not The man called me).
Don’t repeat the object: The book that I bought it** ✗ → The book that I bought ✓.
Examples
- People who exercise regularly sleep better.
- This is the café where we first met.
- The laptop I bought last year is already slow.
- She’s the student whose essay won the prize.
Vocabulary
identify
show which one
relative clause
a clause that describes a noun
whose
belonging to whom
prize
something you win
regularly
often, at regular times
Practice
The man ___ fixed my car was very friendly.
Speaking
Play a definition game: describe ten things, people or places with relative clauses without saying the word (It’s a person who…, It’s a place where…).
Writing
Write eight definitions of words from your job or hobby using who, which, where and whose.
Lesson quiz
A dentist is someone ___ looks after teeth.
Review
Key points
- who/that (people), which/that (things), where, when, whose.
- No commas in defining clauses.
- Omit the pronoun when it’s the object.
- Don’t repeat the object.
What you learned
- ✓ I can use defining relative clauses.
- ✓ I know when to omit the pronoun.
- ✓ I can define words.
Grammar reference: Relative clauses: who, which, that, where, whose