Grammar
Relative pronouns: who, which, that, and whose
The neighbor who owns the blue bicycle is moving away. The bicycle that he uses every day is staying with his sister. Relative pronouns join the extra information to the noun without starting a separate sentence.
Choose who, which, that, or whose by identifying whether the relative clause refers to a person, a thing, or possession, and whether the information is essential.
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 guide who led the walk knows the area well. /ðə ɡaɪd huː led ðə wɔːk nəʊz ði ˈeəriə wel/
The short answer
Use who for people and which for things. In a defining clause, that can often replace who or which. Use whose before a noun to show that something belongs to a person, animal, or sometimes a thing.
I thanked the volunteer who showed me the entrance.
Why it works: Who refers to the volunteer, so it introduces a clause about a person.
5 more examples
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The guide who led the walk knows the area well.
Who refers to the guide, a person who performs the action in the relative clause.
Not this:The route
which crosses the valleyis closed today. What changes: Which refers to the route, a thing, so the relative clause describes an object rather than a person. -
The jacket that I ordered arrived on Friday.
That refers to the jacket and is the object of ordered in an essential clause.
Not this:The
jacket I orderedarrived on Friday. What changes: The object relative pronoun can be omitted because I is the subject of ordered. -
We met a chef whose restaurant opens early.
Whose comes before restaurant and shows that the restaurant belongs to the chef.
Not this:We met a chef
who opensthe restaurant early. What changes: Who is the subject of opens, so the sentence describes the chef's action rather than possession. -
My aunt, who lives near the coast, grows herbs.
The commas show that the clause adds extra information about an aunt the listener already knows.
Not this:The aunt
who lives near the coastgrows herbs. What changes: Without commas, the clause identifies which aunt is meant, so it is essential information. -
The printer, which was repaired yesterday, is working again.
Which adds extra information about a particular printer, so the clause is separated by commas.
Not this:The printer
that was repaired yesterdayis working again. What changes: That identifies one printer from a possible group, so the information is essential and there are no commas.
Read the full guide
First find the noun before the relative clause. Is it a person, a thing, or the owner of something? Then ask whether the clause identifies exactly which person or thing you mean. That choice helps you select the pronoun and decide whether commas are needed.
Find the noun the clause describes
A relative clause follows the noun it describes. Find that noun before you choose a pronoun. In the message which arrived at noon, the clause describes message, not noon.
The message which arrived at noon was helpful.
Which points back to message, the thing that arrived.
The colleague who sent the message was helpful.
Who points back to colleague, the person who sent it.
What noun does who describe in The student who asked the question stayed after class?
Who describes the student. The student asked the question.
Use who for people and which for things
Use who when the noun is a person. Use which when the noun is a thing or an animal. These choices work in both essential clauses and clauses that add extra information.
The mechanic who fixed my car called this morning.
The mechanic is a person, so who is the natural choice.
The tool which fixed the loose screw is in the drawer.
The tool is a thing, so which refers to it.
Which pronoun fits a book that has a torn cover?
Use which: The book which has a torn cover is mine.
Use that in essential clauses
A defining, or essential, relative clause tells the listener exactly which person or thing you mean. In these clauses, that can often replace who or which. It is common in ordinary conversation and writing.
The customer that called yesterday left a number.
That identifies one customer, so the clause is essential.
The folder that contains the invoices is on the shelf.
That identifies one folder from other possible folders.
Can that replace which in The folder which contains the invoices is on the shelf?
Yes. The clause is essential, so The folder that contains the invoices is also correct.
Use whose to show possession
Use whose before a noun when the relative clause needs to show ownership or a close connection. Think of whose as a compact form of his, her, their, or its before a noun.
The runner whose shoe came loose stopped near the bridge.
Whose shoe means the shoe of the runner.
We visited a library whose reading room overlooks the river.
Whose can also connect a thing to one of its parts, here the library and its reading room.
Which word shows possession in The musician whose violin was missing spoke to the manager?
Whose shows that the violin belongs to the musician.
Use commas for extra information
A non-defining clause adds information but does not identify the noun. Put it between commas. Use who, which, or whose in this type of clause. Do not use that.
Our manager, who starts work early, answers the first calls.
The speaker already knows which manager is meant, so the clause adds a detail.
The museum, which reopened in spring, is near the station.
Which adds information about one known museum. The commas keep that information separate.
Why is that unsuitable in My manager, ___ starts work early, answers the first calls?
The clause is extra information between commas, so use who rather than that.
Omit an object pronoun when the clause is essential
You can sometimes leave out who, which, or that. This is possible when the pronoun is the object of the relative clause and the clause is essential. Keep the pronoun when it is the subject of the clause.
The recipe that I saved is easy to follow.
That is the object of saved because I is the subject. You can say The recipe I saved is easy to follow.
The recipe that uses fresh mint is easy to follow.
That is the subject of uses, so it cannot be left out.
Can you omit that in The neighbor that we invited is arriving soon?
Yes. We is the subject of invited, so The neighbor we invited is arriving soon is correct.
Before you go
Remember this
Choose the pronoun from the noun it refers to: who for people, which for things, and whose for possession. In essential clauses, that can often replace who or which. Use commas for extra information, and omit the pronoun only when it is an object in an essential clause.
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 "Relative pronouns: who, which, that, and whose"
When do I use who and which in a relative clause?
Use who when the noun is a person and which when the noun is a thing. The guide who led the walk knows the area well refers to a person. The route which crosses the valley is closed today refers to a thing.
The guide who led the walk knows the area well.
Can I use that instead of who or which?
Usually, yes, in a defining clause that identifies the person or thing. The jacket that I ordered arrived on Friday is possible because the clause identifies the jacket. Do not use that for extra information between commas.
The route which crosses the valley is closed today.
What does whose mean in a relative clause?
Whose shows possession and comes before a noun. In We met a chef whose restaurant opens early, whose restaurant means the restaurant belongs to the chef. It can also refer to a thing and one of its parts when the connection is clear.
The jacket that I ordered arrived on Friday.
Why do some relative clauses have commas?
Commas mark a non-defining clause that adds extra information. My aunt, who lives near the coast, grows herbs gives a detail about a known aunt. The aunt who lives near the coast grows herbs identifies which aunt is meant.
The jacket I ordered arrived on Friday.
When can I leave out a relative pronoun?
You can omit who, which, or that when it is the object in a defining clause. The jacket I ordered arrived on Friday has the same meaning as The jacket that I ordered arrived on Friday. Do not omit the pronoun when it is the subject of the clause.
We met a chef whose restaurant opens early.