WHO WHICH THAT WHOSE | relative pronouns and clauses (with video!)
Hi everyone! Today we are looking at: Who, which that and whose. I’ve also included my YouTube video into this blog for those who prefer to study that way. Let’s get started!
Relative Pronouns
- WHO, WHICH, THAT, WHOSE are relative pronouns.
- WHERE, WHEN, WHY are relative adverbs.
In today’s lesson, we are also going to look at DEFINING and NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES.
(These are also called RESTRICTIVE and NON-RESTRICTIVE RELATIVE CLAUSES.)
Relative Pronouns
- for people (and sometimes animals) = WHO / THAT
- for things (and animals) = WHICH / THAT
- for possession = WHOSE
What’s the difference between ‘who and that’ and ‘which and that’?
THAT is less formal. It is more common in spoken English.
We use these relative pronouns to give information about a noun.
Examples:
Person:
My student who/that comes from Portugal is allergic to peanuts.
My student, who is a huge Game of Thrones fan, always does his homework.
(You can see, in the 2nd sentence, I don’t include ‘that’. Why? Keep reading…)
Thing:
The contract which/that you signed this morning has to be mailed by noon.
The contract, which is over 12 pages long, has to be mailed by noon.
(Again, no ‘that’ in the 2nd sentence)
Possessive:
Our teacher whose accent is very thick is difficult to understand.
Our teacher, whose glasses are always a bit crooked, is difficult to understand.
All relative pronouns are part of a ‘relative clause’:
- who/that comes from Portugal
- who is a huge Game of Thrones fan
- which/that you signed this morning
- which is over 12 pages long
- whose accent is very thick
- whose glasses are always a bit crooked
are the relative clauses in each sentence.
Defining Relative Clauses
Defining relative clauses give you essential information. Your sentence information is not complete without it. You do not use commas in a defining relative clause.
My student who/that comes from Portugal is allergic to peanuts.
- ‘Who/that comes from Portugal’ is essential information. If I remove this clause, the sentence is grammatically correct, but the information is not complete.
- Imagine I have 15 students in my class. Which student has the peanut allergy? The student from Portugal.
The contract which/that you signed this morning has to be mailed by noon.
- ‘Which/that you signed this morning’ is essential information. If I remove this clause, the sentence is grammatically correct, but the information is not complete.
- Imagine I have signed 20 contracts in the past week. Which contract do I need to mail? The contract I signed this morning.
Our teacher whose accent is very thick is difficult to understand.
- ‘Whose accent is very thick’ is essential information. If I remove this clause, the sentence is grammatically correct, but the information is not complete.
- I am trying to tell you WHY my teacher is difficult to understand. Is she speaking too quickly? No. Is she a bad teacher? No. Her accent is too thick.
SUMMARY: Defining relative clauses are important pieces of information. Without them, the information in your sentence is not complete and can be confusing.
NON- Defining Relative Clauses
Non-defining relative clauses give you extra information. The information is not essential. The information is simply giving you more detail. Use commas to separate the clause.
My student, who is a huge Game of Thrones fan, always does his homework.
- ‘Who is a huge Game of Thrones fan’ is not essential information. It does not help you understand the situation better. It is simply extra, more interesting information.
The contract, which is over 12 pages long, has to be mailed by noon.
- ‘Which is over 12 pages long’ is not essential information. It does not help you understand the situation better. It is extra information. Maybe, someone is complaining.
Out teacher, whose glasses are always a bit crooked, is difficult to understand.
- ‘Whose glasses are always a bit crooked‘ is not essential information. It does not help you understand the situation better. It is extra information.
TIP: Commas separate a non-defining clause because you can remove the clause.
COMPARE:
My student who/that comes from Portugal is allergic to peanuts.
My student, who is a huge Game of Thrones fan, always does his homework.
Both of these sentences are correct. So why isn’t THAT an option in the second sentence?
We do not use ‘that’ in a non-defining relative clause. In other words, do not use THAT after a comma.
More examples:
You need to select the button which/that has your level of English on it.
Which button? The one that has your level of English on it.
defining relative clause – essential information
You have to speak to Maggie who/that works on the 5th floor.
Who is Maggie? She works on the 5th floor. (Maybe there is more than one Maggie in the office. I am giving you essential information.)
defining relative clause – essential information
My eldest brother, whose wife is from India, is a professional violinist.
Does my brother’s wife have anything to do with him being a violinist? No, it’s just interesting information. It’s extra.
non-defining relative clause – nonessential information
What pronoun do I use when I’m not speaking about a specific person or thing?
Maybe I want to give information about a situation?
Use ‘which’.
My colleague always chews gum loudly which drives me nuts!
My relative pronoun ‘which’ is speaking about the situation of ‘chewing gum loudly’.
Anna and David are getting a divorce which is a good thing really.
My relative pronoun ‘which ‘ is speaking about the situation of ’Anna and David getting a divorce’.
Karen told Sue to ‘shut up’ which made the whole situation worse!
My relative pronoun ‘which’ is speaking about the situation of ‘Karen telling Sue to shut up’.
Can I remove the relative pronoun?
Yes.
Many times in informal English we remove the relative pronoun in a defining relative clause .
We can remove the relative pronoun if it is the object, not subject of the relative clause.
Examples:
#1 This is the necklace which/that my mom gave me for my 16th birthday.
- What’s the clause? which/that my mom gave me for my 16th birthday
- What’s the subject of the clause? my mom
- Is ‘which/ or that’ the subject? No. It’s the object. I can remove it.
This is the necklace my mom gave me for my 16th birthday = correct
#2 My best friend is someone who everyone loves.
- What’s the clause? – who everyone loves
- What’s the subject of the clause? everyone
- Is ‘who’ the subject? No. It’s the object. I can remove it.
My best friend is someone everyone loves = correct
#3 I don’t know who told you that information.
What’s the clause? who told you that information
What’s the subject of the clause? ‘who’ is the subject. You cannot remove it.
I don’t know told you that information = incorrect.
Relative Adverbs WHERE WHEN WHY
where – places
when – time
why – the reason
We use these in defining relative clauses.
I know the shop where you bought that dress.
One day when you are all grown up, you’ll understand.
I don’t know the reason why Ariel quit her job.
Thank you very much for reading! I hope you now have a better understanding of who, which, that and whose!
Don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel, Instagram, Facebook and Blog!
See you next time!
Arnel 
Thank you so very much, Arnel. This will come in handy.
Great! Thank you so much Ernesto!