Joining two sentences into one
Imagine you have two short sentences. A relative clause lets you join them into one longer, more natural sentence. The relative pronoun replaces the repeated word.
"I met a man. The man is a doctor."
"I met a man who is a doctor."
"I lost a phone. The phone was new."
"I lost a phone which was new."
| Pronoun | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| WHO | People | "The woman who called me was friendly." |
| WHICH | Things & Animals | "The car which I bought is red." |
| WHERE | Places | "The café where we met is closed." |
| THAT | People or Things (informal) | "The man that helped me." / "The car that broke." |
| WHOSE | Possession (= his / her / their) | "The girl whose bag was stolen." |
Replaces: his / her / their / its
We use WHOSE when something belongs to the person or thing we are describing. It is the relative pronoun for possession. Ask yourself: could I replace it with "his" or "her"? If yes → use WHOSE.
"I met a woman. Her daughter is a doctor."
"I met a woman whose daughter is a doctor."
| Original phrase | Replace with WHOSE |
|---|---|
| "The man — his wallet was stolen." | "The man whose wallet was stolen." |
| "The company — its offices are in London." | "The company whose offices are in London." |
| "A candidate — her CV was impressive." | "A candidate whose CV was impressive." |
| "The dog — its leg was broken." | "The dog whose leg was broken." |
Can replace WHO or WHICH — but not always
In everyday spoken English, we often use THAT instead of WHO or WHICH. Both are correct — THAT is simply more casual. However, THAT has two important restrictions you must remember.
When can you remove who / which / that?
Sometimes the relative pronoun can be silently removed — it becomes a "ghost". This is very common in natural spoken English. The key is to ask: who is the subject of the verb in the clause?
The pronoun IS the subject of the verb. Remove it and the sentence breaks.
Another word is the subject — the pronoun is just an object. You can remove it.
| Sentence | Subject of clause | Delete? |
|---|---|---|
| "The book which/that I read." | I (not the pronoun) | ✅ YES |
| "The book which/that was on the table." | which/that itself | ❌ NO |
| "The colleague who she introduced me to." | she (not the pronoun) | ✅ YES |
| "The colleague who works here." | who itself | ❌ NO |
| "The place where we met." | — | ❌ NEVER (WHERE stays) |
A very common mistake to avoid
WHERE already contains the meaning of "in". If you use WHICH for a place, you must add the preposition yourself at the end. The mistake is mixing them up — adding "in" when you use WHERE, or forgetting it when you use WHICH.
| Sentence | Correct? | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| "The hotel where we stayed." | ✅ | WHERE = in which — preposition already included |
| "The hotel which we stayed in." | ✅ | WHICH + preposition added at the end |
| "The hotel which we stayed." | ❌ | WHICH without preposition — in is missing |
| "The hotel where we stayed in." | ❌ | WHERE + extra in — double preposition |
Last Tuesday, James lost the phone which he had bought only two weeks earlier. It was an expensive device that contained all his photos, contacts, and work documents. He immediately went back to the café where he had eaten lunch. A member of staff, who had found it under a table, handed it back to him straight away. The woman whose shift it was during the incident saved James a great deal of trouble. James was so relieved that he left a large tip. He later wrote a review for the café, which he described as "a place where honest people work."
1. When did James buy the phone?
2. Where was the phone found?
3. In "the phone which he bought" — can we delete WHICH?
4. What did James do to show his gratitude?
The National Gallery in London, which is one of the most famous museums in the world, reported a strange incident last month. A painting that had hung on the wall for over fifty years was missing on Monday morning. The curator, who arrives at seven o'clock every day, noticed immediately. Security staff reviewed the CCTV footage, which showed a stranger entering through a side door. The man, whose face was partly hidden, walked calmly through the gallery and left with a large bag. Police are looking for a witness who may have seen something. The room where the painting hung is currently closed to the public.
1. How long had the painting been in the gallery?
2. Who noticed the painting was missing?
3. In "the curator, who arrives at seven" — can we delete WHO?
4. What is the current status of the room where the painting hung?
Margaret, who has lived on Elm Street for thirty years, recently got a new neighbour. The man, whose name is apparently Patrick, moved into the house which had been empty for two years. Margaret first saw him on a Monday morning, carrying boxes into the building that used to belong to the Clarks. Patrick, who seems to work from home, keeps unusual hours. The lights in the upstairs room, which faces the street, are sometimes on at three in the morning. Margaret has noticed a large vehicle that is never parked in the same spot twice. She is unsure what to think about the stranger who has moved next door — but she is watching carefully.
1. How long has Margaret lived on Elm Street?
2. How long had the house been empty before Patrick moved in?
3. What is unusual about Patrick's lights?
4. In "the house which had been empty" — why can we NOT delete WHICH?
Nina applied for a job at a company whose headquarters are in Edinburgh. It was a role that she had been working towards for several years. On the morning of the interview, she took the train to the building where the company was based. She was greeted by a receptionist, who gave her a visitor's badge and a glass of water. The interview panel, which consisted of three senior managers, asked her detailed questions. One manager was particularly impressed by the portfolio she had prepared — notice the Ghost Rule: "which/that" has been deleted because "she" is the subject. Nina received a phone call the following week, offering her the position which she had always wanted.
1. Where is the company's headquarters?
2. Who greeted Nina when she arrived?
3. In "the portfolio she had prepared" — which word has been deleted (Ghost Rule)?
4. What happened the following week?
Yesterday I had to visit the police station (1) my friend works as a detective. The building, (2) was built in the 1960s, is quite old and grey from the outside.
I was met by an officer (3) asked me to sign in. The receptionist, (4) desk was covered in papers, told me to wait. I sat in a room (5) there were several other people waiting.
After about ten minutes, my friend arrived. She is the detective (6) is working on a case involving a stolen painting. The painting, (7) is worth over a million pounds, disappeared from a gallery last month. The witness (8) they interviewed gave a useful description. (Gap 8: Ghost Rule — "they" is the subject, so the pronoun is deleted.)
The thief is described as a man (9) face was not clearly visible on the CCTV. He drove a vehicle (10) had false number plates. The police are looking for anyone (11) might have seen something in the neighbourhood (12) the gallery is located.
The reward (13) the gallery is offering is ten thousand pounds. (Gap 13: Ghost Rule again — "the gallery" is the subject.) It is a case (14) has attracted a lot of media attention. My friend, (15) is one of the most experienced detectives in the city, is confident they will find the answer.