What Is a Relative Clause?
A clause is a part of a sentence with its own subject and verb. A relative clause comes straight after a noun and says which person or thing you mean.
WHOfor people
The man who fixed my motorbike was very friendly.
WHICHfor things
We stayed at a hotel which had a rooftop pool.
THATfor both, very common in speech
Where are the photos that you took in Hội An?
Use who for people, which for things, and that for both.
TRY IT
- Question 1
"I have a cousin blank works in Singapore."
- Question 2
"Where's the cake that Mum blank this morning?"
The forms
AS THE SUBJECT
nounwho / which / thatverb
The bus that goes to the airport leaves every hour.
A verb follows, so you must keep that.
AS THE OBJECT
noun(who / which / that)Sverb
The shoes (that) I bought are too small.
A new subject follows (I), so you can leave that out.
WHOSE · WHERE · WHEN
nounwhose + noun / where / when…
I know a woman whose daughter studies in Japan.
Whose for belonging, where for places (the café where we met), when for times.
There are no commas. In speech, a preposition usually goes at the end: the friend I went to Huế with.
the bag I bought, not the bag I bought it.
TRY IT
- Question 1
"Is there a bus blank to Hội An?"
When to use them
Describing someone you can't name
Do you know the guy who's talking to Lan?
Asking a friend quietly at a party.
Explaining a word you don't know
Bún bò Huế is a spicy noodle soup that people eat for breakfast.
Telling a visitor about local food when there is no English word for it.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:The book which I bought it yesterday is great.
Correct:The book (which) I bought yesterday is great.
Which already means the book. Drop it.
Incorrect:I have a friend lives in Canada.
Correct:I have a friend who lives in Canada.
Who is the subject of lives. It cannot go.
Incorrect:Mr Bình is the teacher which teaches us maths.
Correct:Mr Bình is the teacher who teaches us maths.
A teacher is a person: who or that, not which.
Incorrect:That's the man who's car broke down.
Correct:That's the man whose car broke down.
Who's means who is. For belonging, write whose.
Incorrect:That's the house where my grandparents live there.
Correct:That's the house where my grandparents live.
Where already means there. Say it once.
Quick check · 5 questions
Choose the correct word:
The boy who is sitting next to Minh is my brother.
- A. who — Correct
- B. which
- C. whose
Answer: A. who
Which is for things. Whose needs a noun after it, like whose bag.
Choose the correct sentence:
The song we sang at the party is my favourite.
- A. The song we sang at the party is my favourite. — Correct
- B. The song we sang it at the party is my favourite.
- C. The song who we sang at the party is my favourite.
Answer: A. The song we sang at the party is my favourite.
B repeats it. C uses who for a song. For things, use which, that or nothing.
Choose the correct word:
That's the girl whose brother won the singing contest.
- A. whose — Correct
- B. who
- C. who's
Answer: A. whose
Whose shows who something belongs to. Who's means who is.
Choose the correct word:
Do you remember the year when we moved to Sài Gòn?
- A. when — Correct
- B. which
- C. where
Answer: A. when
A full clause follows (we moved), so use when, not which.
Choose the correct word:
I need someone who can fix my laptop.
- A. who — Correct
- B. he
- C. which
Answer: A. who
A verb comes straight after it, so you cannot leave who out.
See whether it really stuck.
Start the quiz · 14 questions