Relative Pronouns
A B1 guide to relative pronouns — who, which, that, whose, where — and how to use them in defining relative clauses to give essential information about people, things, and places.
What Relative Pronouns Do
A relative clause gives extra information about a noun. The clause begins with a relative pronoun like who, which, that, whose, or where.
The man **who** lives next door is a doctor.
I lost the key **that** opens the front door.
This is the village **where** I grew up.
In this lesson, we focus on defining (or restrictive) relative clauses, which give essential information that identifies the noun. Without the clause, the meaning is unclear or incomplete.
The woman **who phoned earlier** is here. (The clause tells us which woman.)
Who, Which, and That
The choice depends on what the noun refers to.
| Pronoun | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
who | people | The man who called me is my uncle. |
which | things and animals | The book which is on the table is mine. |
that | people, things, or animals (informal) | The film that we watched was great. |
In defining clauses, that is very common in everyday English and can replace who or which.
The woman who/that lives next door is a nurse.
The car which/that I bought is red.
Quick test
Ask: Is the noun a person? If yes, use who (or that). If no, use which (or that).
Subject vs. Object Relative Pronouns
This is the key idea in this lesson. The relative pronoun does one of two jobs in its clause:
- Subject — it does the action.
- Object — it receives the action.
Subject pronouns: never leave them out
When the relative pronoun is the subject of its clause, you must keep it.
The man **who** called me is my uncle.
(who = subject of called)
I have a friend **who** speaks five languages.
(who = subject of speaks)
Where is the bag **that** was on the chair?
(that = subject of was)
You cannot say The man called me is my uncle. The pronoun is doing the work of a subject.
Object pronouns: you can leave them out
When the relative pronoun is the object of its clause, you can leave it out.
The man **(who)** I called is my uncle.
(I is the subject of called; who is the object — it can be dropped.)
The book **(that)** I read was excellent.
(I did the reading; that is the object — it can be dropped.)
The film **(which)** we watched was funny.
(we is the subject; which is the object — it can be dropped.)
| With pronoun | Without pronoun |
|---|---|
The man who I called… | The man I called… |
The book that I read… | The book I read… |
The food which she cooked… | The food she cooked… |
How to tell which it is
Look at the relative clause and ask: Is there already a subject in the clause?
- No subject? The pronoun is the subject — keep it.
- There is a subject? The pronoun is the object — you can drop it.
| Sentence | Subject of the clause | Pronoun is | Can we drop it? |
|---|---|---|---|
The man who called me… | (none — who is the subject) | subject | No |
The man (who) I called… | I | object | Yes |
The cake (that) she made… | she | object | Yes |
The cake that is on the table… | (none — that is the subject) | subject | No |
A quick word about whom
Whom is the formal object form of who. It is correct, but rare in everyday English.
The man whom I called… (formal — written English)
The man who I called… (neutral, common)
The man I called… (most common in speech)
Whose
Use whose to show possession. It works for people, animals, and (less often) things.
That is the woman **whose** dog won the prize.
(= her dog won the prize)
I have a colleague **whose** brother is famous.
We met a couple **whose** children study in Spain.
Whose replaces his, her, its, or their.
| Two sentences | One sentence with whose |
|---|---|
That is the man. His car was stolen. | That is the man whose car was stolen. |
I know a girl. Her father is a pilot. | I know a girl whose father is a pilot. |
Be careful — whose is not the same as who's. Whose shows possession; who's is short for who is or who has.
Where
Use where to talk about places. Where replaces a phrase like in/at the place.
This is the café **where** we first met.
(= the café in which we first met)
Do you remember the hotel **where** we stayed?
(= the hotel at which we stayed)
The town **where** I was born is small.
After where, the clause is complete on its own — you do not need a preposition.
| Wrong | Right |
|---|---|
The town where I was born is small. | |
The café where we met is closed. |
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Better | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The man which lives next door… | The man who/that lives next door… | Use who or that for people, not which. |
| The man called me is my uncle. | The man who called me is my uncle. | Subject relative pronouns cannot be dropped. |
| The film what I watched was great. | The film (that) I watched was great. | Do not use what as a relative pronoun. Use that/which, or drop it. |
| The town where I was born in is small. | The town where I was born is small. | After where, do not add an extra preposition like in. |
| Who’s car is that? | Whose car is that? | Whose shows possession; who's means who is. |
Practice: Exercises
The woman ___ lives next door is a doctor.
Summary
Use who for people, which for things, and that for either (very common in defining clauses). Use whose to show possession and where to refer to a place.
The most important B1 rule: a relative pronoun that is the subject of its clause cannot be dropped. A relative pronoun that is the object can usually be dropped: The film (that) I watched was great.
This lesson covers only defining clauses — clauses that give essential information and have no commas. Non-defining clauses, with extra information set off by commas, are introduced in the next lesson and studied in depth at B2.