Sentence structure · Intermediate (B1)
Relative clauses: who, which, that, where, whose
Add information about a noun: The woman who lives next door is a pilot.
The rules
Who for people, which for things, that for people or things (defining clauses), where for places, when for times, whose for possession: the man whose car was stolen.
Defining clauses identify which one we mean — no commas: The book that* I bought is great.* You can omit the pronoun when it’s the object: The book (that) I bought…
Non-defining clauses add extra information — use commas, never that, and never omit the pronoun: My brother, who* lives in Canada, is a doctor.* Paris, which* is the capital, is expensive.*
Examples
- The people who work here are friendly.
- This is the café where we first met.
- She’s the student whose essay won the prize.
- My phone, which is only a year old, has stopped working.
Common mistakes
✗ The man which called you is here.
✓ The man who called you is here.
who (or that) for people.
✗ My mother, that is a nurse, works nights.
✓ My mother, who is a nurse, works nights.
No that in non-defining clauses.
✗ The house where I live in is old.
✓ The house where I live is old.
Don’t repeat the preposition with where.
Practice
That’s the restaurant ___ we had our wedding.
Quiz
1.I have a friend ___ speaks five languages.
2.In which sentence can you leave out the pronoun?
3.Non-defining relative clauses use commas.
4.Complete the sentence.