Relative clauses (who, which, that)
A relative clause adds information about a noun. It starts with a relative pronoun that depends on whether the noun is a person or a thing.
| used for | example | |
|---|---|---|
| who | people | the woman who lives next door |
| which | things, animals | the flat which we rented |
| that | people or things (informal) | the car that I bought |
| whose | possession | the man whose dog is barking |
| where | places | the city where I was born |
Leaving out the pronoun
If the pronoun is the object of the clause, you can leave it out: the film (that) I saw. If it is the subject, you can’t: the man who called.
Examples
- The doctor who treated me was very kind.
- This is the book (that) I told you about.
- I have a friend whose sister lives in Canada.
- That’s the café where we first met.
- That’s the girl who won the race.
Common mistakes
- ✗ The girl which won the race is my cousin.✓ The girl who won the race is my cousin.Who is used for people, whereas which refers to things.
- ✗ This is the film who I told you about.✓ This is the film that I told you about.A film is a thing, so the pronoun is that or which and not who.
- ✗ The book what I read was great.✓ The book that I read was great.What cannot introduce a relative clause, so that or which is used.
- ✗ I have a cousin which sister lives in Spain.✓ I have a cousin whose sister lives in Spain.Whose shows that the sister belongs to the friend.
- ✗ This is the shop where I bought it there.✓ This is the shop where I bought it.Where already refers to the place, so it is not repeated with there.