Practice
English practice: relative clauses
Sign in to saveThe woman who called this morning left a message. The extra words tell us exactly which woman we mean.
Choose and build a relative clause that clearly identifies a person, thing, place, or possession.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
The student who sits by the window is absent today. /ðə ˈstjuːdənt huː sɪts baɪ ðə ˈwɪndəʊ ɪz ˈæbsənt təˈdeɪ/
The short answer
Use who for people, which for things, where for places, and whose for possession. That can often replace who or which in an identifying clause.
The student who sits by the window is absent today.
Why it works: Who introduces information that identifies the student.
4 more examples
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I found the keys that you were looking for.
The clause tells us which keys were found.
Not this:I found the keys
which you were looking for. What changes: Which can also refer to things in an identifying clause. -
This is the restaurant where we had lunch.
Where connects the noun restaurant to the place of the action.
Not this:This is the restaurant
that serves vegetarian food. What changes: That introduces a clause about what the restaurant does. -
The author whose novel won the prize gave a short speech.
Whose shows that the novel belongs to the author.
Not this:The author
who won the prizegave a short speech. What changes: Who says the author won the prize; whose says the author's novel did. -
The phone that I bought last month has stopped charging.
That is the object of bought, so it can be omitted in informal speech: The phone I bought last month.
Not this:The phone
that is on the tableis mine. What changes: That is the subject of is here, so do not omit it.
Read the full guide
First find the noun that needs more information. Then decide what the added clause says about it: a person, a thing, a place, or an owner. The relative word must make that relationship clear.
Find the noun that needs identifying
A relative clause follows the noun it describes. Ask which person, thing, or place the speaker means. The clause supplies the missing detail.
The neighbor who owns the red car is moving.
Who owns the red car identifies one neighbor from several possible neighbors.
Which noun does who works late describe in The colleague who works late catches the last bus?
It describes colleague. The clause tells us which colleague catches the last bus.
Use who for people
Use who when the relative word refers to a person. It can be the subject of the added clause or the object of its verb. In everyday English, that can sometimes replace who in an identifying clause, but who makes the person reference clear.
The person who answered the phone was helpful.
Who is the subject of answered. The person did the action.
The person who I met at the station was helpful.
Here who is the object of met. The speaker did the action of meeting.
Use which or that for things
Use which or that when the clause refers to a thing, an idea, or an animal when its individual identity is not the point. In identifying clauses, both choices are common. That is especially frequent in conversation.
The file which contains the schedule is missing.
Which is the subject of contains, so it cannot disappear from the clause.
The file that I sent yesterday is missing.
That is the object of sent. In an informal identifying clause, you may say The file I sent yesterday.
Use where and whose for different relationships
Use where when the noun is a place and the clause says what happened there. Use whose when the clause needs to show ownership. Whose can refer to people and things.
The town where my grandparents live is near the coast.
Where replaces the idea of in that town. It links the action live to a place.
I spoke to a student whose laptop was stolen.
Whose laptop means the laptop belonging to that student.
Decide whether commas are needed
Use no commas when the clause is necessary to identify the noun. Use commas when the noun is already identified and the clause only adds extra information. The comma choice changes what the listener understands.
Employees who work remotely must update their contact details.
Without commas, the sentence refers only to the employees who work remotely.
My manager, who works remotely, will join the call.
My manager is already identified. The comma clause merely adds information, so use who rather than that.
Keep the clause close to its noun
Place the relative clause just after the noun it describes. If the clause comes too far away, the reader may connect it to the wrong word. A short, direct sentence is often clearer than a long clause with several extra details.
I spoke to the client who requested a revised invoice.
Who requested a revised invoice clearly describes client because it follows client immediately.
Which is clearer: I spoke to the client yesterday who requested a revised invoice, or I spoke to the client who requested a revised invoice yesterday?
The second sentence keeps the relative clause next to client. It is easier to see who requested the invoice.
Before you go
Remember this
Find the noun, then choose a relative word that fits its job in the added clause. Use who for people, which or that for things, where for places, and whose for possession. Keep commas out when the clause is needed to identify the noun.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
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Try the written questionsQuestions about "English practice: relative clauses"
What is a relative clause?
A relative clause is a group of words that gives information about a noun. It usually begins with a relative word such as who, which, that, where, or whose. It can identify the noun or add an extra detail about it.
The student who sits by the window is absent today.
When should I use who in a relative clause?
Use who when the clause refers to a person. In an identifying clause, who can be the subject or object of the added clause. That can sometimes replace who in informal identifying clauses, but who is always clear for people.
The book that I borrowed is due tomorrow.
What is the difference between which and that?
Both which and that can refer to things in an identifying relative clause. That is common in conversation. In a non-identifying clause with commas, use which and do not use that.
I found the keys that you were looking for.
How do I use where and whose?
Use where when the added clause relates to a place, and use whose to show ownership. Whose can refer to a person or a thing, so it helps when you need to say who owns something.
I found the keys which you were looking for.
When can I leave out a relative word?
You can sometimes omit who, which, or that when it is the object of the relative clause in an identifying sentence. Do not omit it when it is the subject of the clause, and do not omit a relative word from a comma clause.
This is the restaurant where we had lunch.