Lesson: Relative Pronouns
Welcome to the EngDrive lesson on relative pronouns! In this lesson, we’ll explore how relative pronouns help connect ideas and make sentences more fluid and meaningful.

What Are Relative Pronouns?
Relative pronouns are words that link a dependent clause to a main clause. They help provide more information about a noun in the sentence.
Common relative pronouns:
- Who: Refers to people
- Whom: Formal version of “who” (often replaced by “who”)
- Whose: Shows possession
- Which: Refers to animals, things, or ideas
- That: Can refer to people, animals, or things
Examples:
- Who – The teacher who teaches English is very friendly.
- Who connects the teacher with the description of the teacher.
- Whom – The student whom I met yesterday is my classmate.
- Whom is used here to describe the student in a more formal way.
- Whose – The artist whose paintings are displayed in the gallery is famous.
- Whose shows possession, meaning the paintings belong to the artist.
- Which – The book which I borrowed from the library is interesting.
- Which refers to a thing (the book).
- That – I like the car that you bought.
- That can refer to both people and things. In this case, it refers to a thing (the car).
How Do You Use Relative Pronouns?
Relative pronouns help combine two ideas into one sentence to avoid repetition. Instead of saying:
- I have a dog. The dog is friendly. You can combine the sentences like this:
- I have a dog that is friendly.
Grammar Tips:
- Who is used for people (subject of the verb).
- Whom is used for people (object of the verb), but it’s more formal and less common in spoken language.
- Whose shows possession and can refer to both people and things.
- Which is often used for animals and things.
- That can refer to people, animals, or things and is often used in defining relative clauses.
Conclusion:
Relative pronouns allow you to connect ideas, reduce repetition, and create more complex sentences. Remember to practice using them in your writing to make your English sound more natural and fluent!
What Are Relative Clauses?
A relative clause is a part of a sentence that gives us more information about a noun. There are two main types:
- Defining Relative Clauses
- Non-Defining Relative Clauses
1. Defining Relative Clauses
A defining relative clause gives essential information about a noun. Without it, the sentence would be incomplete or lose its meaning.
Key Features:
- No commas are used.
- It tells us which person or thing is being talked about.
- Uses relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, that.
Examples:
- The car that I bought is red.
- Essential information: We need to know which car is being referred to.
- “The student who won the competition is very talented.”
- Essential information: We need to know which student.
Simplified Rule:
If you remove the clause, the sentence doesn’t make sense or loses important details.
2. Non-Defining Relative Clauses
A non-defining relative clause adds extra, non-essential information about a noun. The sentence would still make sense if this clause were removed.
Key Features:
- Separated by commas.
- It gives extra information, not critical to identifying the noun.
- Uses relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which (but not “that”).
Examples:
- My car, which I bought last year, is red.
- Extra information: The fact that it was bought last year is additional; the car is already identified.
- Sarah, who is my best friend, loves painting.
- Extra information: We already know Sarah; the clause adds more detail.
Simplified Rule:
If you remove the clause, the sentence still makes sense.
Comparison Table
Feature | Defining | Non-Defining |
---|---|---|
Purpose | Essential information | Extra information |
Commas | No commas | Uses commas |
Relative Pronouns | who, whom, whose, which, that | who, whom, whose, which (not “that”) |
Example Sentence | “The book that I read is amazing.” | “This book, which I read yesterday, is amazing.” |