English — relative clauses

Relative clauses add information about a noun using who, which, that and friends.

How it works

✓ Rule

Use who for people, which for things, and that for either in defining clauses: The man who called… The book which/that I read… Whose shows possession, and where refers to a place.

Relative pronouns and adverbs

relative word → use
Relative word	Use
who	people
which	things
that	people or things (defining)
whose	possession
where	place

Good to know

⚠ Note

In defining clauses, you can omit an object relative pronoun when no preposition stands before it: The book (that) I read. Non-defining clauses need commas, cannot use that, and do not permit this omission: My brother, who lives in Rome, is a doctor.