A relative clause gives extra information about a noun. It usually begins with a relative pronoun or adverb such as who, which, that, whose, where or when.
Example: The student who won the prize is my cousin.
Which Word to Use
| Word | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| who | people | The woman who called you is my aunt. |
| whom | people as object (formal) | The man whom we met was friendly. |
| which | things and animals | The book which I borrowed is overdue. |
| that | people or things (defining clauses only) | The phone that I bought is broken. |
| whose | possession | The boy whose bag was lost is crying. |
| where | places | This is the town where I grew up. |
| when | times | I remember the day when we met. |
Defining and Non-Defining Relative Clauses
A defining clause tells us exactly which person or thing we mean. Without it, the sentence loses its meaning. It has no commas.
- Students who finish early can leave. (Only those students.)
A non-defining clause adds extra information that could be removed. It is separated by commas, and you cannot use that.
- My brother, who lives in Dhaka, is a doctor. (I have one brother; the clause is extra.)
Commas change meaning: My sister who lives in London suggests I have more than one sister, while My sister, who lives in London, suggests I have only one.
Leaving Out the Relative Pronoun
In a defining clause, you can leave out who, which or that when it is the object of the clause:
- The film (that) we watched was long. ✔
- The man who lives next door is a pilot. — who is the subject, so it must stay.
Common Mistakes
- Repeating the pronoun: The car which I bought it → The car which I bought.
- Using that after a comma: Paris, that is in France → Paris, which is in France.
- Using which for people: the teacher which → the teacher who.
Practice
- That’s the girl ___ father is a pilot.
- Rome, ___ I visited last year, is beautiful.
- Is this the café ___ you met your friend?
Answers: 1. whose 2. which 3. where
Related: what is a clause? and punctuation rules.
