Relative Clauses — Quick Reference

The Rule in 10 Seconds

Relative clauses add extra information about a noun. They go after the noun they describe. Pick the right relative pronoun based on what the noun is:

Pronoun	Used for	Example
who	People	The woman who called* is my sister.*
which	Things / animals	The book which I bought* is great.*
that	People or things (defining only)	The car that he drives* is red.*
where	Places	The café where we met* closed down.*
when	Times	The day when I arrived* was rainy.*
whose	Possession	The man whose car* was stolen called police.*

Relative Clause Structure

Noun + who/which/that + verb phrase → The student who passed the exam celebrated.

Defining vs. Non-Defining

Type	Meaning	Commas?	“that” ok?	Example
Defining	Essential — tells you WHICH one	No commas	✅	The man who lives next door* is a chef.*
Non-defining	Extra info — could be removed	Commas required	❌	My brother,* who lives in London, is visiting.*

When You Can Drop the Pronoun

You can omit who/which/that when they are the object of the clause:

Role	Drop it?	Example
Subject	❌ Keep it	The man who* called me…* (who = subject of “called”)
Object	✅ Can drop	The man (who/that)* I called…* (I = subject, who = object)

Common Mistakes

The man who he lives here is nice.

The man who lives here is nice.

'Who' replaces the subject — don't add 'he' too. One slot, one word.

My sister who is a doctor, lives in Beijing.

My sister, who is a doctor, lives in Beijing.

You only have one sister — this is extra info, so commas go on BOTH sides.

The café that I was born, is famous.

The café where I was born is famous.

Places need 'where' (or 'in which'), not 'that', when referring to location.

My boss, that is very strict, fired him.

My boss, who is very strict, fired him.

Non-defining clauses (with commas) can't use 'that'. Use 'who' for people, 'which' for things.

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