Relative Clauses

Relative Pronouns

Who (for people)

• The woman who lives next door is a doctor.
• I met the teacher who taught my mother.
• The artist who painted this is famous.

Which (for things/animals)

• The book which I bought yesterday is interesting.
• The car which was parked outside belongs to my uncle.
• The cat which sleeps on the sofa is very old.

That (for people and things)

• The movie that we watched was exciting.
• The man that called you left a message.
• The house that burned down was very old.

Whose (for possession)

• The girl whose bag was stolen called the police.
• The author whose books I love is signing autographs.
• The company whose products we use is expanding.

Where (for places)

• The restaurant where we had dinner is closing.
• The city where I was born has changed a lot.
• The school where she teaches is nearby.

Defining vs. Non-Defining Clauses

Defining (Essential Information)

No commas - the information is necessary.

• The students who study hard pass the exam.
• The book that I need is on the top shelf.

Non-Defining (Extra Information)

With commas - the information is additional.

• My sister**, who lives in Paris,** is visiting next week.
• The Eiffel Tower**, which was built in 1889,** attracts millions of visitors.

Practice Examples

“The professor who teaches linguistics, whose research focuses on endangered languages, works at the university where I studied.”

• who teaches linguistics - defining (which professor)
• whose research focuses… - additional information
• where I studied - defines which university

Quiz