Relative Pronouns: Who, Whom, Whose, Which and That

Day 6 speaking goal: Join short messages so a listener knows which person or thing you mean.

Join two ideas without repeating a name. Use who, whose, which or that to add useful information.

Jump to: Rules · Compare · Examples · Self-checks · Answers

6.1 Who and whom: people

Learn	Simple English
Rule	Use who to add information about a person. Whom is a more formal form when that person receives the action.
Pattern	A person who + verb.
Example	The woman who lives upstairs is a teacher.
Why	In everyday English, the person who I met is natural. Whom I met is more formal.

6.2 Whose: belonging to someone

Learn	Simple English
Rule	Use whose before a noun to show who something belongs to.
Pattern	Person + whose + noun + verb.
Example	This is the boy whose bag is missing.
Why	The bag belongs to the boy. Whose joins that information to the sentence.

6.3 Which and that: things

Learn	Simple English
Rule	Use which or that to identify a thing. That can also identify people in this pattern.
Pattern	Thing + which/that + words that identify it.
Example	The book that I borrowed is useful.
Why	The book which I borrowed is also correct here. Both tell us which book.

6.4 When commas change the meaning

Learn	Simple English
Rule	Without commas, the added words identify which person or thing. With commas, they add extra information about someone or something already clear.
Pattern	Identifying: no commas. Extra information: commas.
Example	My brother, who lives in Chennai, is visiting.
Why	The commas add a detail about my brother. For extra information with commas, use who or which, not that.

Two messages become one. I met a neighbour.: The neighbour gardens.; Keep one noun: a neighbour + who; Joined message: I met a neighbour who gardens..

6.5 Compare the patterns side by side

Job	Relative word	Example
Person doing action	who / that	The friend who called is here.
Person receiving action	who / whom / that	The friend whom I called is here.
Possession	whose	The friend whose bike broke is here.
Thing	which / that	The bike that broke is outside.

6.6 Everyday examples: notice the meaning

The woman who teaches us is patient.

💡 Who is the relative subject.

The man who I met was friendly.

💡 Object who is common in conversation.

The man whom I met was friendly.

💡 Whom gives a more formal object form.

The colleague to whom I wrote replied.

💡 Whom comes after to in this formal pattern.

The colleague who I wrote to replied.

💡 A natural less formal alternative.

The student whose bag is red is waiting.

💡 Whose introduces possession.

The shop whose window broke is closed.

💡 Whose can refer to a thing.

The book which I borrowed is useful.

💡 Which refers to a thing.

The book that I borrowed is useful.

💡 That also tells us which thing you mean.

The book I borrowed is useful.

💡 You can leave out “that” here because “I” does the borrowing.

The book that fell is damaged.

💡 Keep “that”: it tells us what fell. There is no other subject before “fell”.

The person that called left a message.

💡 That can identify a person.

Ravi, who lives nearby, can help.

💡 Commas mark an extra detail.

My phone, which is new, works well.

💡 Which adds extra information about a thing already identified.

The room where we meet is upstairs.

💡 Where introduces a place relationship.

I know a cook who makes excellent soup.

💡 The added words describe a person already mentioned.

She found the keys that I lost.

💡 The added words tell us which keys.

The family whose car stopped needs help.

💡 The associated car identifies the family.

6.7 Common mistakes and why

❌ The neighbour who he gardens is kind.

✅ The neighbour who gardens is kind.

“Who” already means the neighbour here. Do not add “he”.

❌ Ravi, that lives nearby, is here.

✅ Ravi, who lives nearby, is here.

For extra information about a person after a comma, use who, not that.

❌ The student who’s phone rang apologized.

✅ The student whose phone rang apologized.

Possession needs whose, not who is.

6.8 Try it yourself

Step 1: Describe a person using who.

Step 2: Describe something you own using which or that.

Step 3: Add a sentence with whose, such as a friend whose dog is small.

6.9 Five self-checks

Choose A or B for each question. Read the answers below after you finish.

1. Join these ideas: “I know a woman. She repairs phones.” Which sentence is correct?
A. I know a woman who repairs phones.
B. I know a woman which repairs phones.

2. The bike belongs to the man. Choose the missing word: “The man ___ bike broke is here.”
A. who’s
B. whose

3. You met a person yesterday. Which phrase sounds natural in everyday English?
A. the person who I met
B. the person whose I met

4. Choose the missing word: “Mira, ___ lives nearby, is coming.”
A. that
B. who

5. Choose the missing word: “The bag ___ fell is mine.”
A. whose
B. that

Self-check answers and explanations

1. A — I know a woman who repairs phones.

💡 Use who for the woman doing the repairs.

2. B — whose

💡 Whose shows that the bike belongs to the man. Who’s means who is or who has.

3. A — the person who I met

💡 Who can refer to the person you met. Whom is a more formal alternative here.

4. B — who

💡 Use who for this extra detail about a person after a comma.

5. B — that

💡 That joins the information and tells us which bag: the one that fell.

6.10 Remember these points

Who: a person. Whose: belonging to someone.

Which: a thing. That: a person or thing in identifying information.

Commas can change the meaning.

Review any self-check you missed. Then say three examples aloud without looking.

Further reading: pronouns basics · parts of a sentence

Grammar references: Cambridge: Relative pronouns

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