Relative Clauses (who, which, that)

1 Main clause + Relative pronoun + Relative clause
2 Example: "The book" (main clause) + "that" (relative pronoun) + "I bought" (relative clause)
3 Result: "The book that I bought"
4 The relative pronoun connects the two ideas

1 The relative pronoun replaces a noun in the relative clause
2 The relative pronoun connects the main clause and the relative clause
3 The relative clause provides extra information about the noun
4 The relative clause usually comes immediately after the noun it modifies

1 Use "who" to refer to people (human beings)
2 "Who" functions as the subject of the relative clause
3 Example: "The man who lives next door is friendly"
4 Example: "Students who study hard succeed"

1 The teacher who teaches English is very kind
2 The woman who called me yesterday is my aunt
3 Children who play sports stay healthy
4 The person who invented the telephone was Alexander Graham Bell

1 Use "which" to refer to things (objects, animals, ideas)
2 "Which" can function as the subject or object of the relative clause
3 Example: "The book which is on the table is mine" (subject)
4 Example: "The book which I bought is expensive" (object)

1 The car which is parked outside belongs to my father
2 The computer which I use every day is fast
3 The flowers which bloom in spring are beautiful
4 The movie which we watched last night was exciting

1 Use "that" to refer to both people and things
2 "That" can function as the subject or object of the relative clause
3 Example: "The man that helped me was kind" (person)
4 Example: "The house that is big is expensive" (thing)

1 The book that I read was interesting
2 The woman that called me is my sister
3 The computer that I bought last week is fast
4 The students that study hard pass their exams

1 The relative pronoun performs the action in the relative clause
2 Example: "The woman who teaches English is nice" (who = subject)
3 Example: "The book which costs $20 is good" (which = subject)
4 The relative pronoun cannot be omitted

1 The relative pronoun receives the action in the relative clause
2 Example: "The woman whom I met yesterday is nice" (whom = object)
3 Example: "The book which I bought is good" (which = object)
4 The relative pronoun can be omitted in object position

1 Provide essential information to identify the noun
2 No commas separate the relative clause
3 Example: "The woman who lives next door is my neighbor"
4 Without the clause, the meaning is unclear

1 Provide extra, non-essential information
2 Commas separate the relative clause
3 Example: "My brother, who lives in London, is a doctor"
4 The clause can be removed without losing core meaning

1 The woman ___ called me yesterday is my aunt. (who)
2 The book ___ is on the table is mine. (which)
3 The students ___ study hard pass their exams. (who)
4 The car ___ is parked outside belongs to my father. (which)
5 The teacher ___ teaches English is very kind. (who)
6 The computer ___ I bought last week is fast. (that)

1. Use "who" for people
2. Use "which" for things
3. Use "that" for people or things (especially in defining clauses)
4. Consider whether the clause is defining or non-defining

1 "The woman is my neighbor." + "The woman lives next door." → "The woman who lives next door is my neighbor."
2 "The book is expensive." + "I bought the book yesterday." → "The book which I bought yesterday is expensive."
3 "The teacher is kind." + "The teacher teaches mathematics." → "The teacher who teaches mathematics is kind."
4 "The car belongs to my father." + "The car is parked outside." → "The car which is parked outside belongs to my father."
5 "The student studies hard." + "The student will pass the exam." → "The student who studies hard will pass the exam."

All sentences correctly combined using appropriate relative pronouns.

1 ❌ "The man who lives next door is my neighbor." → ✅ "The man who lives next door is my neighbor." (CORRECT)
2 ❌ "The book which I who bought is expensive." → ✅ "The book which I bought is expensive." (Remove "who")
3 ❌ "The woman which called me is my sister." → ✅ "The woman who called me is my sister." (Use "who" for people)
4 ❌ "The students which study hard succeed." → ✅ "The students who study hard succeed." (Use "who" for people)
5 ❌ "The car that is big is expensive that." → ✅ "The car that is big is expensive." (Remove extra "that")

1. Using "which" for people instead of "who"
2. Using multiple relative pronouns in one clause
3. Adding unnecessary relative pronouns
4. Incorrect comma placement in defining clauses

1 After superlatives: "The best book that I've read"
2 After words like "all", "every", "much", "many", "little", "few": "All that glitters is not gold"
3 After "the only", "the first", "the last": "She was the first person that arrived"
4 In defining relative clauses (American English preference): "The book that I bought"
5 When referring to both people and things: "Everything that happened"

1 This is the best movie that I have ever seen
2 All that matters is your health
3 The only thing that worries me is the weather
4 The first person that called me was my mother
5 Everything that I own fits in one suitcase

1 ❌ "The man which called me" → ✅ "The man who called me" (Use "who" for people)
2 ❌ "The book who I bought" → ✅ "The book which I bought" (Use "which" for things)
3 ❌ "The woman that called me is my sister that." → ✅ "The woman who called me is my sister." (Avoid extra pronouns)
4 ❌ "My brother, that lives in London," → ✅ "My brother, who lives in London," (Use "who" in non-defining clauses for people)

1 ❌ "The woman who I saw her yesterday" → ✅ "The woman who I saw yesterday" (Don't repeat the object)
2 ❌ "The book which I bought it is expensive" → ✅ "The book which I bought is expensive" (Don't repeat the object)
3 ❌ "The teacher who I spoke to him" → ✅ "The teacher who I spoke to" (Preposition can be at the end)

A: Do you know the girl who is standing over there?
B: Yes, that's Sarah. She's the student who always gets top grades.
A: Really? I heard that she's studying abroad.
B: Yes, she's going to the university that offers the best programs.
A: What about the boy who is sitting near her?
B: That's Tom, who is also a brilliant student. He's the one who organized the science fair.
A: Amazing! The people who work hard really succeed.

• 1 Pay attention to the correct relative pronoun
• 2 Use "who" for people and "which" for things
• 3 Practice with a partner if possible
• 4 Focus on natural rhythm and intonation

Which relative pronoun should be used for people?:
A) Which
B) Who
C) That
Answer: B) Who (though "that" is also acceptable)

What is the correct sentence?:
A) The book which I bought it is expensive
B) The book which I bought is expensive
C) The book which I bought, is expensive
Answer: B) The book which I bought is expensive

Which sentence uses a non-defining relative clause?:
A) The woman who lives next door is my neighbor
B) My brother, who lives in London, is a doctor
C) The students who study hard succeed
Answer: B) My brother, who lives in London, is a doctor

• Use "who" for people (subjects and objects)
• Use "which" for things (subjects and objects)
• Use "that" for people or things (especially in defining clauses)
• Defining clauses don't use commas
• Non-defining clauses use commas
• Subject clauses: relative pronoun performs the action
• Object clauses: relative pronoun receives the action

• "That" is preferred after superlatives and "all", "every", etc.
• Avoid using multiple relative pronouns in one clause
• In object position, the relative pronoun can be omitted
• Subject-verb agreement is crucial in relative clauses