Defining Relative Clauses: Who, which, that, where
Learn how to connect sentences and add essential information about people, things, and places.
- check_circleI can connect sentences using who, which, that, and where.
- check_circleI can describe people, things, and places with essential details.
Discover
Meet today's English in a real situation — no rules yet. Read it once and try to guess the pattern in the words in bold. Underlined words open a short definition.
Sarah: Have you seen the documentary that I told you about?
Mark: Is it the one about the man who lived in the forest for ten years?
Sarah: Yes! It’s a story which really changed my perspective on life.
Mark: I love stories where people survive in extreme conditions. I’ll watch it tonight.
Sarah: Great! The director is a famous photographer that travels around the world.
Learn
Now the rules behind what you just saw — explained simply, with examples. Underlined words open a short definition — hover on desktop, tap on a phone.
We use defining relative clauses to add essential information about a person, thing, or place. They tell us exactly who or what we are talking about.
Without them, the sentence might not make sense.
- The man is my uncle. (Which man?)
- The man who is wearing a blue shirt is my uncle. (Ah, that man!)
Who (for people)
We use who when we are talking about people.
- The woman who works in the bakery is very friendly.
- I like people who always tell the truth.
Which (for things)
We use which when we are talking about things or animals.
- This is the recipe which my grandmother gave me.
- I lost the keys which were on the table.
That (for people and things)
That is a very useful word because you can use it instead of who or which. It is very common in spoken English.
When you are not sure whether to use who or which, you can usually use that!
- The woman that works in the bakery is very friendly. (Same as who)
- I lost the keys that were on the table. (Same as which)
Common mistake: Do not use what instead of that in relative clauses!
The book what I read is great.- The book that I read is great.
Where (for places)
We use where when we are talking about places and what happens in them.
- That is the hospital where I was born.
- We found a restaurant where they serve excellent pizza.
- Use who for people: The man who…
- Use which for things/animals: The car which…
- Use that for people or things: The man that… / The car that…
- Use where for places: The city where…
Practice
Try it yourself. You'll see right away whether you got it right, plus a short explanation of why.
Use It
Now make the language yours in a real task. Use the prompt below — the editor keeps a simple word count, and nothing is saved or graded.
Before you finish — be honest. Can you do these now?