When do I use who, which, or that?

Use 'who' for people (the woman who lives next door), 'which' for things (the book, which is new), and 'that' for either people or things in defining clauses (the book that you gave me).

Why is "The man who he called" wrong?

The relative pronoun 'who' already stands in for the subject, so you don't repeat it with 'he'. Just say "The man who called." Adding a second pronoun is the most common learner mistake.

What's the difference between where and which?

Use 'where' to talk about a place when you mean 'in/at which': "the town where I grew up." Use 'which' for things in general, including places when 'where' doesn't fit the meaning.

Can I leave out the relative pronoun?

Yes, when it is the object of the clause: "the book you gave me" is just as correct as "the book that you gave me." You can't drop it when it's the subject.

Word Order

Relative Clauses in English: Who, Which, That, Where, Whose

Level B1 Word Order

Key idea

A relative clause adds extra information about a noun, joining two short sentences into one richer one. Use 'who' for people, 'which' for things, and 'that' for either: "The woman who lives next door is a nurse" and "I read the book that you gave me." Use 'where' for places and 'whose' for possession, as in "This is the town where I grew up." The relative pronoun comes right after the noun it describes and acts as the subject or object of its clause, so don't add a second pronoun: say "The man who called," never "The man who he called."

Examples

The woman who lives next door is a nurse. describing the woman by what she does
I read the book that you gave me. identifying which book
This is the town where I grew up. describing the town by an event there

The full lesson

Everything in the video, in text.

who · which · that

relative clauses, made simple

The man who he called. Sounds almost right — but it's wrong. Let's fix relative clauses for good.
A relative clause describes a noun, right after it.

A relative clause adds information about a noun. Instead of two short sentences, you weave one into the other. That's how you start sounding fluent.
Pick by what you describe
people → who
the woman who…
the man who…
or use that
things → which
the book which…
the car which…
or use that
The trick is picking the right connecting word. Use who for people, which for things, and that for either one. Three words, one simple split.
The woman who lives next door is a nurse.
who — for people

Start with people. The clause comes straight after the noun it describes. The woman who lives next door is a nurse.
I read the book that you gave me.
that — for things

For things, use which — or that, which feels a little more casual. I read the book that you gave me.
This is the town where I grew up.
where — for places

For places, there's a special word: where. It replaces a clunky in which. This is the town where I grew up.
That's the boy whose dog ran away.
whose — possession

And for possession — when something belongs to the noun — use whose. That's the boy whose dog ran away.
✗ The man who he called. double subject — who + he

✓ The man who called. who is the subject already

Drop the extra pronoun — who, which and that replace it.

Now the number-one mistake. The relative word is already the subject — so don't add another pronoun after it. Not the man who he called. Just the man who called.
✗ The team which won. which for people

✓ The team that won. people → who / that

who & that for people; which & that for things.

Mistake number two: matching the wrong word to the noun. People take who, not which. Things take which, not who. That works for both if you're ever unsure.
Remember
- who/that → people · which/that → things
- where → places · whose → possession
- Don't repeat the subject pronoun
So: who for people, which for things, that for both, where for places, whose for possession — and never double the subject.

Examples

who · which · that

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