The PersonWho…
Relative clauses — who, which, that, where, whose
CEFR Pathway · You are here
Get talking · Section 1
5 minWarm up
Describe an object in the room without naming it: 'It's a thing which…'. Can your partner guess?
Think of a person who changed something in your life. Who are they?
Describe a place where you always feel relaxed. Why that place?
Grammar focus · Section 2
8–10 minRelative clauses — adding information inside a sentence
Read the examples. What is the pattern? Say the rule in your own words first.
→ She's the teacher who taught me English.
→ This is the app which saved my life at university.
→ That's the café where we first met.
→ He's the guy whose brother plays for the national team.
→ A corkscrew is a tool that you use to open bottles.
Reveal the rule
A relative clause gives extra information about a noun, without starting a new sentence.
More detail
Two short sentences: 'I have a friend. She lives in Lisbon.' One natural sentence: 'I have a friend WHO lives in Lisbon.' Choose the relative pronoun by what you are talking about: • who → people • which → things and animals • that → people OR things (informal, very common in speech) • where → places • whose → possession ('the man whose car was stolen') Two rules learners always break: 1. Do NOT repeat the subject: 'The man who ~he~ works here.' 2. The relative pronoun comes immediately AFTER the noun it describes: 'the book which I bought', not 'the book I bought which'.
Noun + relative pronoun + verb
e.g. The woman who lives next door is a doctor.
When to use
- Describing a person, place or thing precisely.
- Explaining a word you don't know: 'It's a thing which…'
- Writing longer, more mature sentences in the exam.
| Pronoun | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| who | people | the woman who called me |
| which | things / animals | the film which won the prize |
| that | people or things (informal) | the film that won the prize |
| where | places | the town where I grew up |
| whose | possession | the man whose dog barks |
Don't repeat the subject
✗ 'The boy who he broke the window.' ✓ 'The boy who broke the window.' The relative pronoun IS the subject.
'that' does most of the work
In everyday speech, English speakers use 'that' far more than 'which': 'the film that I watched'. Both are correct.
Drop it when there's another subject
'the film (that) I watched' — you can leave 'that' out when a new subject follows. You can never drop it when it is the subject: 'the film that won'.
Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.
1.Describe a colleague.
2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
3.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
Question 1.The doctor ____ treated me was very kind.
Question 2.This is the hotel ____ we stayed last summer.
Question 3.That's the woman ____ son won the competition.
Question 4.A dictionary is a book ____ explains words.
Question 5.Which sentence is correct?
Answer from memory first. Type what you think, and only open the choices if you need them.
Quick check 1.People →
Quick check 2.Places →
Quick check 3.Possession →
Vocabulary · Section 3
5–7 minWords & phrases to own
Don't just read these — say one out loud, then use it about your life.
a device
a piece of equipment made for a purpose
"It's a device which measures your heart rate."
Describe two devices you use daily.
a tool
an object you use to do a job
"A hammer is a tool that you use for nails."
Explain a tool without naming it.
a colleague
a person you work with
"She's a colleague who always helps."
Describe a colleague or classmate.
a neighbourhood
the area around where you live
"I live in a neighbourhood where everyone knows everyone."
Describe your neighbourhood.
reliable
someone or something you can trust
"He's the kind of friend who is always reliable."
Name a reliable person in your life.
a stranger
a person you don't know
"A stranger who helped me carry my bag."
Tell a short story about a stranger.
Discuss with a partner
- →Describe the person who has influenced you most.
- →Describe an app which you couldn't live without.
Finish the sentence about you
- He/She's the kind of person who… …
- It's a place where… …
- It's a thing which… …
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Pronunciation · Section 4
3–4 minWeak, fast relative pronouns
- • the man that I met → /ðə mæn ðət aɪ met/
- • the place where we stayed
- • a thing which you use every day
- • the friend who called me
How to say it
Relative pronouns are grammar words, so they are unstressed and short. 'who' → /hu/ almost swallowed, 'that' → /ðət/ (never /ðæt/ inside a clause), 'which' stays clear but quick. Stress the words around them: the NOUN before and the VERB after.
Reading · Section 5
8–10 minThe neighbour who changed the street
Marta is the kind of neighbour who notices things. When she moved into the block where I live, the small garden at the back was a place which nobody used — a grey square that collected rubbish and old bicycles. Marta printed twenty letters and put one under every door. The message was simple: bring a plant, any plant. Six people came on the first Saturday. One of them was an old man whose balcony was already full of tomatoes, and another was a student who had never grown anything in her life. Eighteen months later, the garden is the part of the building that everyone talks about. There is a bench where the older residents sit in the afternoon, and a corner which the children have claimed for football. Marta still says she did nothing special. But the neighbours who barely said hello now eat together twice a month.
Read once for the overall message. Decide true or false first, then answer from memory — check the text only to find the sentence that proves you right.
Q1.Marta wrote to every flat in the building.
Q2.Only experienced gardeners joined.
Q3.The neighbours are closer than before.
Answer from memory first. Type what you think, and only open the choices if you need them.
Question 1.What was the garden like before?
Question 2.What did Marta ask people to bring?
Question 3.What happens now?
Listening · Section 6
8–10 minDescribing people at a party
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Anna:Who's that man who's standing by the window?
Ben:That's Daniel. He's the guy who organised the whole evening.
Anna:And the woman whose laugh I can hear from here?
Ben:That's his sister. She's the one who lives in Berlin now.
Anna:Is this the flat where you used to live?
Ben:It is, actually. It's the place where I spent my first two years in the city.
Anna:It's got a great view. That's the bridge which they built last year, isn't it?
Ben:Exactly. It's the thing that everybody photographs now.
First listening: catch the language, not the details. Tick what you hear, then listen again for the answers.
Question 1.Who is Daniel?
Question 2.Where does Daniel's sister live?
Question 3.What is Ben's connection to the flat?
Exam skills · Section 7
5 minCambridge PET Speaking & Writing — describing and defining
Task
Describe a person, a place and an object using one relative clause each.
Strategy
Relative clauses are the fastest way to raise your grammar band. In Speaking Part 2 (photo description) and Writing, examiners look for sentences that join two ideas. One safe technique: whenever you don't know a word, define it — 'It's a thing which you use to…'. You keep talking instead of stopping.
Example
'In the photo there's a woman who is waiting at a bus stop. She's holding a bag which looks quite heavy. It's the kind of street where you see a lot of shops, and the man whose umbrella is broken is standing behind her.'
Practice · Section 8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Q1.Join: 'I met a woman. She speaks five languages.'
Q2.Join: 'This is the hotel. We stayed there.'
Q3.Join: 'That's the boy. His bike was stolen.'
Question 1.That's the shop ____ sells fresh bread.
Question 2.She's the friend ____ helped me move house.
Question 3.This is the beach ____ we go every summer.
Question 4.He's the neighbour ____ dog barks all night.
Question 5.A microwave is a machine ____ heats food quickly.
Writing · Section 9
5 minPut it in writing
Plan first: three bullet points, then study the model and notice how it links ideas. Write only after that.
Your task
Write 80–100 words describing three people who matter to you. Use who, whose and where at least once each, and do not write any sentence shorter than eight words.
Plan (3 bullets)
- 1. What is the situation?
- 2. What are your two main points?
- 3. How will you finish it?
Study the model
My grandmother is the person who taught me to cook. She lives in a small village where nothing has changed for fifty years. My best friend Tomas, whose family moved here from Poland, is the one who always tells me the truth. And my old teacher, Mrs Adams, is the reason which explains why I still study English — she is the kind of teacher who never gives up on anybody.
Speaking · Section 10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
GUESS WHO · Pairs. Student A describes a famous person, a place or an object using only relative clauses ('It's a person who…', 'It's a place where…'). Student B guesses. Swap after three. No names allowed.
Useful phrases
- • It's a person who…
- • It's a place where…
- • It's a thing which you use to…
- • He's the one whose…
- • It's the kind of thing that…
Decide & report
Work through the situation and agree on one decision together. Then report your decision in 30 seconds, giving two reasons.
- AWhich jacket is yours?
- B_______________
- ADo you remember Sofia?
- B_______________
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
This lesson visibly lengthens student sentences. Push for joining, not listing. ~28 min total
Homework · Section 11
Take-homeTake it home
Write ten definitions of everyday objects using 'which' or 'that'. Test a friend.
Record a 60-second description of your neighbourhood using where, who and which.
Find five relative clauses in any English article and note the pronoun used.
Recap · Section 12
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- Relative clauses join two ideas into one sentence.
- who = people · which = things · that = both · where = places · whose = possession.
- Never repeat the subject: 'the man who ~he~ called'.
- Drop 'that' only when another subject follows: 'the film (that) I saw'.
- Define unknown words: 'It's a thing which you use to…'.
Extra Practice
Grammar · Vocabulary · Speaking · Review
Found this lesson tricky? Practise the language from Lesson 42 again.
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