Relative Clauses: Who, Which and That

Quick Answer: A relative clause gives more information about a noun. Use who for people ("the woman who called"), which for things ("the car which I bought"), and that for people or things in clauses without commas ("the film that won"). In clauses with commas, use only who or which: "My sister, who lives in Ankara, is a nurse."

Key takeaways

• Who is for people, which is for things and animals, and that can replace either in defining clauses.
• Defining clauses (no commas) say which one you mean; non-defining clauses (with commas) add extra information.
• Never use that after a comma: "My car, which is red", not "My car, that is red".
• You can drop who, which or that only when it is the object: "the cake (that) she made".
• The relative pronoun replaces it, him or her, so do not repeat them: "the laptop which I bought", not "which I bought it".
• Whose shows possession, where replaces in which, and when follows time words.

Which relative pronouns does English use?

Pronoun	Used for	Example
who	people	The man who lives next door is a pilot.
which	things, animals	The phone which I bought is great.
that	people or things (defining clauses only)	The book that you lent me was funny.
whose	possession	That's the girl whose father is a chef.
where	places	This is the cafe where we first met.
when	times	I remember the day when I got my first job.
whom	people as object (formal)	The person to whom I spoke was helpful.

Joining Sentences

Look at how two sentences become one:

• I met a woman. She works at the embassy.

• I met a woman who works at the embassy.

• This is the laptop. I bought it last week.

• This is the laptop which I bought last week.

Notice that the relative pronoun replaces the pronoun (she, it). Do not keep both.

• Wrong: This is the laptop which I bought it last week.
• Right: This is the laptop which I bought last week.

What is a defining relative clause?

A defining clause tells us which one we mean. Without it, the sentence is unclear. There are no commas.

• The students who passed the exam got a certificate. (Only those students, not all.)
• I don't like films that have sad endings.
• Is this the bus that goes to the airport?

In defining clauses, that is very common in everyday English, for people and things. In American English, that is preferred for things; in British English, which and that are both common.

What is a non-defining relative clause?

A non-defining clause adds extra information. The sentence is complete without it. It always has commas.

• My mother, who is 60, still runs every morning.
• Istanbul, which has over 15 million people, is Turkey's largest city.
• Our teacher, whose husband is French, often brings us French cheese.

Rules for non-defining clauses:

• Always use commas (or brackets).
• Never use that. Wrong: "My car, that is red, is old." Right: "My car, which is red, is old."
• Never leave out the pronoun.

For more on commas, see our guide to English punctuation.

Comparing the two

Defining (no commas)	Non-defining (commas)
My brother who lives in London is a doctor.	My brother, who lives in London, is a doctor.
(I have more than one brother; I mean the London one.)	(I have only one brother; by the way, he lives in London.)

The commas change the meaning, so they really matter in writing.

When can you leave out who, which or that?

In a defining clause, you can omit who, which or that when it is the object of the clause (when another subject follows it).

• The man (who) I saw yesterday was your neighbor.
• The cake (that) she made was delicious.
• Is this the song (which) you were talking about?

You cannot omit it when it is the subject (when a verb follows it directly).

• The man who lives here is friendly. (who is the subject of lives, so keep it)
• Wrong: The man lives here is friendly.

Quick test: if the pronoun is followed by a noun or pronoun (I, she, my friend), you can drop it. If it is followed by a verb, keep it.

Whose, Where and When

Whose shows possession, for people and things.

• I have a friend whose sister is a famous singer.
• That's the house whose roof was damaged in the storm.

Where is used for places. It replaces "in which" or "at which."

• This is the town where I grew up.
• Do you know a restaurant where we can eat outside?

When is used for times.

• Summer is the season when most people travel.
• I'll never forget the moment when I saw the sea for the first time.

Prepositions in Relative Clauses

In everyday English, the preposition goes at the end:

• That's the woman (who) I was talking to.
• This is the house (that) I grew up in.

In formal English, it goes before whom or which:

• That is the woman to whom I was speaking.
• This is the house in which I grew up.

What are the most common relative clause mistakes?

Mistake	Wrong	Right
Which for people	the man which helped me	the man who helped me
Repeating the pronoun	the car that I bought it	the car that I bought
That after a comma	Paris, that is in France, is beautiful.	Paris, which is in France, is beautiful.
Who's for whose	the boy who's bike was stolen	the boy whose bike was stolen
Dropping a subject pronoun	The girl sings in the band is my cousin.	The girl who sings in the band is my cousin.

A note for Turkish speakers

Turkish puts the description before the noun with participles: "Ankara'da yaşayan kız kardeşim", "aldığım kitap". English puts it after the noun with a pronoun: "my sister who lives in Ankara", "the book (that) I bought". When you translate, move the description to after the noun and start it with who, which or that.

Practice Quiz

Choose who, which, that, whose, where or when. Sometimes more than one answer is correct.

1. The woman ___ lives upstairs is very kind.
2. This is the restaurant ___ we had our first date.
3. I lost the umbrella ___ you gave me.
4. He's the actor ___ films won many awards.
5. Ankara, ___ is the capital of Turkey, is in central Anatolia.
6. 2020 was the year ___ everything changed.
7. Do you know anyone ___ can fix computers?

Answers: 1. who or that 2. where 3. that, which, or nothing 4. whose 5. which 6. when 7. who or that

Relative clauses help you sound fluent and precise, especially in writing. Connect your ideas even better with our guide to linking words, and practice in the LearnLingo B1 course.

People Also Ask

When do I use who, which and that?

Use who for people and which for things and animals. That can replace who or which in defining relative clauses, which are clauses without commas.

Can I use that in a non-defining relative clause?

No. In a non-defining clause, which is separated by commas, use who or which, never that. Say My brother, who lives in Izmir, is a doctor.

When can I leave out the relative pronoun?

You can leave it out in a defining clause when it is the object of the verb. The book that I bought can become The book I bought.

Related Reading

• Linking Words and Connectors
• English Punctuation Basics
• How to Improve Your English Writing
• The Passive Voice for Beginners