The woman who lives next door: relative clauses
who, which, that, whose and where to say exactly which person, thing or place you mean
What you'll be able to do
Describe people, things and places precisely, without starting a new sentence each time: the colleague who helped you, the app that you use, the café where you met.
The words
| Word | For | Example |
|---|---|---|
| who / that | people | The man who called you is my uncle. |
| which / that | things | The phone which I bought is great. |
| whose | possession | That's the student whose bag was stolen. |
| where | places | This is the café where we met. |
- The woman who lives next door is a nurse.which woman: the one next door
- I lost the book that you gave me.which book
- She's the colleague whose idea won the prize.her idea
- That's the hotel where we stayed last year.the place
Can you leave it out?
When the word is the object of the clause, you can leave it out: the book (that) you gave me. When it's the subject, you can't: the woman who lives next door.
Common mistakes
The man which called youFor people: who or that.The book what I read→ the book that / which I read.The hotel where we stayed in itDon't repeat the place: the hotel where we stayed.The woman lives next door is a nurse.The subject word can't go: The woman who lives next door…
Practice
- The man _____ fixed my car was very friendly.Options: who · which · what
Show the answer
who — For a person: who (or that).
- This is the restaurant _____ we had our first date.Options: where · which · who
Show the answer
where — For a place: where.
- That's the neighbour _____ dog barks all night.Options: whose · who's · which
Show the answer
whose — Possession: whose (who's means who is).
- Is this the laptop _____ you bought last week?Options: which · who · where
Show the answer
which — For a thing: which (or that).
- I've got a friend _____ speaks five languages.
Show the answer
who — A person, and the subject of speaks: who or that.
In the app, this lesson is taught one idea at a time with the examples read aloud, then practised with questions you answer by choosing or typing. It comes back for review on later days, until you can use it without help.
More on this topic: Relative clauses: who, which, that, whose