How to Use Relative Clauses (Who, Which, That, Whose, Where, When)

Lesson Table of Contents

1. Understanding Relative Clauses
2. Step 1: When to Use "Who"
3. Step 2: When to Use "Which"
4. Step 3: When to Use "That"
5. Step 4: When to Use "Whose"
6. Step 5: When to Use "Where"
7. Step 6: When to Use "When"
8. Quick Test! Can You Fix These Mistakes?
9. Answer Key
10. Dialogue: At the Café
11. Relative Clauses in Action

Click Here for Step-by-Step Rules, Stories and Exercises to Practice All English Tenses

Understanding Relative Clauses

What Are Relative Clauses?

A relative clause is a part of a sentence that gives more information about a noun. It starts with words like who, which, that, whose, where, and when.

Think of it as an extra detail to help describe something!

For example:

• The man who lives next door is very friendly.
  (The relative clause "who lives next door" gives more information about "the man.")

What Is a Clause?

Before we go further, let's talk about what a clause is. A clause is a group of words that has a subject and a verb.

Examples of clauses:

• She runs every morning. (Subject = She, Verb = runs)

• I met a teacher who loves history. (Relative clause = who loves history. Subject = who, Verb = loves)

A relative clause is a special type of clause that cannot stand alone. It must be part of a larger sentence.

✅ I like the book that you recommended. (The relative clause "that you recommended" gives more details about "the book.")

Step 1: When to Use "Who"

Use who for people.

Examples:
✅ She is the teacher who helped me.
✅ The boy who won the race is my cousin.

❌ The book who is on the table is mine. (Incorrect – "who" is only for people)
✅ The book that is on the table is mine. (Correct)

Step 2: When to Use "Which"

Use which for things (not people).

Examples:
✅ The car which is parked outside is mine.
✅ I love the movie which we watched yesterday.

❌ The person which called me was my friend. (Incorrect – "which" is for things, not people)
✅ The person who called me was my friend. (Correct)

Step 3: When to Use "That"

You can use that for both people and things (but "who" is more common for people).

Examples:
✅ The dog that barked last night belongs to my neighbor.
✅ The girl that sits next to me is very nice.

❌ The city that I was born is beautiful. (Incorrect – "that" is not used for places in this way)
✅ The city where I was born is beautiful. (Correct)

Step 4: When to Use "Whose"

Use whose to show possession (who something belongs to).

Examples:
✅ She is the woman whose car was stolen. (Her car was stolen)
✅ I met a boy whose father is a famous singer. (His father is a famous singer)

❌ I met a boy who father is a famous singer. (Incorrect – "who" cannot show possession)
✅ I met a boy whose father is a famous singer. (Correct)

Step 5: When to Use "Where"

Use where for places.

Examples:
✅ This is the house where I grew up.
✅ I know a café where they serve great coffee.

❌ This is the house which I grew up. (Incorrect – "which" is not for places)
✅ This is the house where I grew up. (Correct)

Step 6: When to Use "When"

Use when for times.

Examples:
✅ I remember the day when we first met.
✅ 1990 was the year when my brother was born.

❌ I remember the day which we first met. (Incorrect – "which" is not for time)
✅ I remember the day when we first met. (Correct)

Quick Test! Can You Fix These Mistakes?

1. ❌ The girl which is singing is my sister.
2. ❌ I visited the city who has the best food.
3. ❌ He is the man where helped me.
4. ❌ This is the country when I was born.
5. ❌ Do you know the man who car is blue?
6. ❌ The dog who barked all night belongs to my neighbor.
7. ❌ This is the restaurant which I met my friend.
8. ❌ She is the person that bicycle was stolen.
9. ❌ I need a day which I can rest.
10. ❌ The movie who we watched yesterday was amazing.

Answer Key

1. ✅ The girl who is singing is my sister.
2. ✅ I visited the city which has the best food.
3. ✅ He is the man who helped me.
4. ✅ This is the country where I was born.
5. ✅ Do you know the man whose car is blue?
6. ✅ The dog that barked all night belongs to my neighbor.
7. ✅ This is the restaurant where I met my friend.
8. ✅ She is the person whose bicycle was stolen.
9. ✅ I need a day when I can rest.
10. ✅ The movie that we watched yesterday was amazing.

Dialogue: At the Café

(A conversation between two friends, Lisa and Jake, at a café.)

Lisa: This café is amazing! I love the coffee here.

Jake: Yeah, it's my favorite spot. The barista who works here makes the best cappuccino.

Lisa: Really? Which one?

Jake: The guy who has curly hair and wears glasses. He always remembers my order.

Lisa: That’s impressive. I need to find a café where they actually get my name right.

Jake: Oh, yeah! Last time, they wrote “Liza” on your cup instead of “Lisa.”

Lisa: Exactly! By the way, what’s the name of the cake that you ordered? It looks delicious.

Jake: It’s called “chocolate dream.” It’s the one which has layers of chocolate and caramel.

Lisa: Wow. I think I’ll get that too. But I should probably avoid desserts whose ingredients include too much sugar.

Jake: That’s a good idea. There’s a fruit salad that they serve here. It’s the one which comes with honey and nuts.

Lisa: That sounds perfect! Oh, I almost forgot—did you get a call from Mark?

Jake: Yeah! He invited us to his housewarming party. It’s on Saturday, which is perfect because I’m free that day.

Lisa: Nice! I love his new apartment. The living room, where he has that huge bookshelf, is my favorite spot.

Jake: Yeah, me too! By the way, do you know the girl whose car was parked in front of my house yesterday?

Lisa: Oh, that must be Sarah! She just moved into your neighborhood.

Jake: Oh, cool! I should introduce myself next time.

Lisa: You should! Now, let’s order before the line gets too long.

Relative Clauses in Action

Here’s how relative clauses helped in this conversation:

• who → The barista who works here makes the best cappuccino. (Describes a person)
• which → The one which has layers of chocolate and caramel. (Describes a thing)
• where → I need to find a café where they actually get my name right. (Describes a place)
• whose → I should probably avoid desserts whose ingredients include too much sugar. (Shows possession)
• when → It’s on Saturday, which is perfect because I’m free that day. (Refers to a time)

Return from How to Use Relative Clauses (Who, Which, That, Whose, Where, When) to Understanding the Parts of a Sentence

Return to Really Learn English Home Page

Top of this page