Who, Which and That (Relative Pronouns)
📌 Lesson Contents
🎯 Lesson goal
In this lesson you will learn to use who, which and that 📖 to join sentences smoothly. You will learn when to use them 🧠 and what they refer to ✍️, and then practise straight away with the test at the bottom of the page! 🚀
🌟 What are relative pronouns?
Relative pronouns join two sentences or clauses. They help you avoid repeating words, because they refer to the same person, animal or thing. 🧑🤝🧑🛍️ They make your English sound much more natural and smooth!
🔍 What are they and how do we use them?
| Pronoun | Use it for… | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Who | People only 👤 | She is the girl who plays piano. 🎹 |
| Which | Things or animals 🚗🐕 | This is the dog which barks a lot. 🐕 |
| That | People, things or animals (general) 🌐 | He is the boy that won the race. 🏃♂️ |
🔍 Practical examples
1. WHO ➔ for people only
- The teacher who teaches English is nice. 📚
- I know a man who can sing very well. 🎤
2. WHICH ➔ for things or animals
- This is the cake which won the contest. 🎂
- She has a dog which loves to swim. 🐕
3. THAT ➔ general: people, things or animals
- The boy that lives next door is friendly. 🏡
- The book that I bought is very interesting. 📖
🧩 Summary table – Who, Which, That
| Pronoun | What for? | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Who | People | I met a girl who speaks Spanish. 🧑🎓 |
| Which | Animals or things | Here is the car which I like. 🚗 |
| That | People, animals, things (very common) | The movie that we watched was great. 🎬 The man that works there is a genius. |
❓ Basic questions answered
- Can I always use “that” instead of “who” or “which”?
➔ In everyday defining clauses, yes! But who is more precise for people and which for things. In non-defining clauses (between commas), you cannot use that. - Do I need to repeat the subject after who/which/that?
➔ No! The relative pronoun already replaces the subject (e.g. The boy who won, NOTThe boy who he won). - Does the verb come straight after the relative pronoun?
➔ Yes, if the relative pronoun is the subject of the new clause! (e.g. the boy who plays football).
🚫 Common mistakes to avoid
| Mistake ❌ | Correct ✅ |
|---|---|
| She is the woman which lives here. | She is the woman who / that lives here. (Don’t use which for people!) |
| The dog who barks a lot. | The dog which / that barks a lot. (Who is only for people!) |
| He is the boy that he won. | He is the boy that won. (Don’t repeat the pronoun ‘he’!) |
👉 Remember: who ➔ people | which ➔ things/animals | that ➔ everything!
📌 Final summary
- Who ➔ refers to people.
- Which ➔ refers to things or animals.
- That ➔ general pronoun for people, animals or things.
Practise by joining short sentences to make longer, natural ones! ✨
Gap Fill & Translation Exercises
Test yourself! In the first 15 sentences, type the correct relative pronoun (‘who’, ‘which’ or ‘that’). In the last 5, join the two short sentences into one.