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What Are Relative Clauses?

Relative clauses are dependent clauses that give more information about a noun. They begin with relative pronouns (who, which, that, whom, whose) and help us combine sentences and add detail without repetition.

The Basic Function
Relative clauses connect two related ideas into one sentence:

Two sentences: "I met a woman. She speaks five languages."
Combined: "I met a woman who speaks five languages."

The relative clause gives us extra information about "a woman."

Key Terms

Antecedent

The noun that the relative clause describes

Relative Pronoun

The word that introduces the clause (who, which, that, etc.)

Relative Clause

The entire clause giving information about the antecedent

Example Breakdown:

"The book that I bought is great."

• Antecedent: book
• Relative pronoun: that
• Relative clause: that I bought

Simple Examples

Basic Relative Clauses

The man who lives next door is a teacher.

I bought the car that you recommended.

The restaurant which opened last month is very popular.

She's the friend whose brother is famous.

Relative Pronouns

Who, which, that, whom, whose - choosing the right one

Understanding Relative Pronouns Beginner

Relative pronouns connect the relative clause to the antecedent. The choice depends on whether you're referring to people, things, or showing possession, and the function in the clause.

Complete Relative Pronoun Chart

Pronoun Refers To Function Example
who People Subject or Object The woman who called is my sister.
whom People Object (formal) The person whom I met was nice.
whose People/Things Possession The girl whose phone rang left.
which Things/Animals Subject or Object The car which I bought is red.
that People/Things Subject or Object The book that I read was great.

Who vs. Whom

The Who/Whom Rule
Who = subject (does the action)
Whom = object (receives the action)

Tip: If you can replace it with "he/she" use who. If you can replace it with "him/her" use whom.
WHO (Subject)

The woman who called is here.

(She called → subject)

I know someone who can help.

(He/she can help → subject)

WHOM (Object - Formal)

The man whom I met was kind.

(I met him → object)

The person to whom I spoke was helpful.

(I spoke to her → object)

💡 Modern Usage
In modern English, "whom" is becoming less common in everyday speech. Many people use "who" for both subject and object, or simply use "that" for people:

Formal: The person whom I contacted...
Informal: The person who I contacted...
Common: The person that I contacted...

Which vs. That

WHICH
For things and animals
Can be used in both defining and non-defining clauses

The car which I bought is fast.
My phone, which cost $1000, broke.
THAT
For people and things
Only used in defining clauses (no commas)

The car that I bought is fast.
The man that I met was nice.

Whose (Possession)

Using WHOSE

The girl whose bag was stolen called the police.

(Her bag was stolen)

I met a man whose daughter is a doctor.

(His daughter is a doctor)

The company whose CEO resigned lost money.

(Its CEO resigned)

Defining Relative Clauses

Essential information - no commas needed

Defining Relative Clauses Intermediate

Defining relative clauses (also called restrictive clauses) provide essential information that defines or identifies the noun. Without this information, the sentence meaning is incomplete or unclear. These clauses do NOT use commas.

Key Characteristics
✓ Essential information (you can't remove it)
✓ No commas
✓ Can use "that" for people and things
✓ Can omit the relative pronoun when it's the object
✓ Defines