Virtuous English AcademyRelative Clauses: Who, Which, Where (A2)
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Relative clauses add information to a noun using who (people), which (things) and where (places). This lesson shows how to join two ideas into one clear sentence.
Relative clauses let you add information about a noun without starting a new sentence. Instead of The man lives next door. He is a doctor, you say The man who lives next door is a doctor. This is how English builds longer, more connected sentences, and it is a genuine step up from the short sentences of A1.
The relative pronoun you choose depends on what you are describing. Who is for people, which is for things and animals, that works for both, where is for places, when is for times, and whose shows possession. Getting the right one is mostly a matter of asking what kind of noun came before it.
The relative pronoun always comes immediately after the noun it describes, and it replaces the subject or object of the clause. This means you never repeat the noun or add another pronoun: The book which I bought it is wrong, because which already stands for the book.
How to form Relative Clauses
| Pronoun | Refers to | Example |
|---|---|---|
| who | people | The woman who called is my aunt. |
| which | things and animals | The film which won the prize was Italian. |
| that | people or things (defining only) | The car that broke down is mine. |
| where | places | The town where I grew up is small. |
| when | times | The year when we met was 2018. |
| whose | possession | The man whose dog barks lives here. |
Relative Clauses: the key rules
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Who refers to people, which to things and animals, where to places.
the woman who lives upstairs; the film which won; the café where we met
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That can replace who or which in defining clauses.
the book that changed my life
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The relative pronoun replaces the repeated noun — don't say it twice.
the man who called (not: the man who he called)
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Defining clauses add essential information and take no commas.
Students who arrive late miss the quiz.
When to use Relative Clauses
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Identifying which one you mean
Defining clauses give essential information — without them the listener does not know which person or thing.
The man who fixed my roof was very good.
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Adding extra detail
Non-defining clauses add non-essential information and are separated by commas.
My brother, who lives in Oslo, is visiting next week.
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Describing places and times
Where and when replace clumsier constructions with prepositions.
This is the café where we first met.
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Combining short sentences
The main practical benefit — turning two choppy sentences into one fluent one.
I have a friend. She speaks Japanese. → I have a friend who speaks Japanese.
Defining vs. non-defining clauses
The commas are not decoration — they change the meaning of the sentence.
Defining — no commas
Essential information identifying which one. That can replace who or which. Cannot be removed.
The students who passed will get certificates. (only those students)
Non-defining — with commas
Extra information about something already identified. That is not allowed. Can be removed.
The students, who passed, will get certificates. (all of them passed)
Relative Clauses in example sentences
- The woman who lives upstairs is a musician.who for a person, defining.
- I bought a phone which has a better camera.which for a thing.
- This is the restaurant that I told you about.that in a defining clause about a thing.
- The village where I was born has changed.where for a place.
- My neighbour, whose son is a pilot, is retiring.whose for possession, non-defining with commas.
- The book I read last night was excellent.The object pronoun can be omitted entirely.
- Prague, which I visited last year, is beautiful.Non-defining — Prague is already identified.
- Do you remember the day when we moved in?when for a time.
Relative Clauses in a real conversation
Several of these clauses could drop the relative pronoun — see if you can spot which ones.
Eva:Do you know the man who runs the bakery?
Jan:The one whose son plays in the band? Yes.
Eva:He sold me a cake that was completely stale.
Jan:That's the shop where I stopped going last year.
Eva:My sister, who lives nearby, said the same thing.
Jan:The bread I bought there was fine, but that was months ago.
Common mistakes (and how to fix them)
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The doctor which treated me was kind.
The doctor who treated me was kind.
People take who (or that), never which.
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That's the hotel where we stayed there.
That's the hotel where we stayed.
Where already contains the place — adding there duplicates it.
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I have a friend who she speaks five languages.
I have a friend who speaks five languages.
Who is the subject of the clause; a second pronoun is redundant.
Practise Relative Clauses today
Combining sentences is the most useful exercise here, because it mirrors what the structure is for.
- Combine these pairs: I met a woman. She works in publishing. / This is the house. I grew up in it.
- Write six sentences about people you know, each with a who clause.
- Add commas where the clause is non-defining and explain why.
- Correct these: The book which I read it was good. — The man which called. — My friend who lives in Rome, is a chef.
Relative Clauses: frequently asked questions
When can I leave out the relative pronoun?
You can omit it when it is the object of the relative clause and the clause is defining: The film I saw was excellent, where which or that has been dropped. You cannot omit it when it is the subject — The man who called is wrong as The man called, which means something else. A quick test: if a noun or pronoun follows immediately, the relative pronoun is the object and can go.
What is the difference between who and that?
Both work for people in defining clauses, and both are correct: The man who called and The man that called. Who is generally preferred for people in careful writing, and some readers dislike that for humans. In non-defining clauses with commas, only who is possible — My boss, that lives nearby is wrong. Using who for people and which for things is always safe.
Why do the commas matter so much?
Because they change what the sentence claims. My sister who lives in Rome is a lawyer implies you have more than one sister and are identifying which. My sister, who lives in Rome, is a lawyer implies you have one sister and are adding a detail. The comma converts essential identification into optional extra information, so it genuinely alters the meaning.
Can I use where for anything other than a place?
In careful English, no — where refers to physical or conceptual locations: the town where I live, a situation where nobody wins. For times use when, and for possession use whose. You will hear where used loosely in speech, but in writing keeping the three separate makes your sentences noticeably clearer and is expected in exams.