Grammar Worksheet

Defining Relative Clauses

B1 who which that where
Explanation

Defining relative clauses tell us exactly which person, place, or thing we mean. They are essential to the meaning of the sentence — without them, the sentence is unclear or incomplete.

Use WHO for people, WHICH for things, WHERE for places, WHOSE to show possession, and THAT for people or things (especially in informal English).

In defining relative clauses, the relative pronoun can be omitted when it is the object of the clause: "The book (that) I bought yesterday was excellent."

Form
PronounUseExample
who / that people The woman who works here is very kind.
which / that things The film which we watched was boring.
where places The café where we met has closed.
whose possession The student whose essay won is in my class.
that (object) can omit The book (that) I read was excellent.

⚠ Use 'who' or 'that' for people — NOT 'which': ✗ the man which called → ✓ the man who called

⚠ No comma before the relative pronoun in a defining clause: ✗ The dog, that bit me → ✓ The dog that bit me

Examples
  1. The woman who lives next door is a doctor.
  2. The film that we watched last night was amazing.
  3. Do you know the city where he grew up?
  4. The student whose project won the prize is in my class.
  5. I've lost the book that you lent me.
  6. The restaurant where we had dinner has closed down.
  7. She's the manager who hired me two years ago.
  8. The phone (that) I bought last week already has a problem.
Common Mistakes
Exercises
1 Choose the correct pronoun

Choose the correct relative pronoun to complete each sentence.

  1. The man _____ (who / which) called this morning is my uncle.
  2. Is this the bus _____ (who / that) goes to the city centre?
  3. I love the village _____ (where / which) my grandparents live.
  4. She's the artist _____ (whose / who) paintings are in the gallery.
  5. The keys _____ (which / who) I lost were under the sofa.
2 Correct the mistake

Each sentence contains a mistake with a relative pronoun. Find the mistake and rewrite the sentence correctly.

  1. The woman which helped me was very kind.
  2. I need a flat where it has two bedrooms.
  3. He's the doctor whose he treated my father.
  4. She's the manager which hired all of us.
3 Complete with your own idea

Complete each sentence with a defining relative clause. Use your own ideas.

I know a café where _____. → I know a café where you can get great coffee.

  1. I have a friend who _____.
  2. Do you know a place where _____?
  3. She's the kind of person who _____.
  4. The film that _____ is one of my favourites.
  5. He lives in a town where _____.
4 Join the sentences

Join the two sentences using a relative pronoun to make one sentence.

She's a teacher. She works at my school. → She's a teacher who works at my school.

  1. I have a neighbour. She bakes bread every morning.   
  2. We visited a town. It was completely rebuilt after the war.   
  3. He's reading a book. It won the Booker Prize.   
  4. I took the bus. It goes directly to the airport.   
  5. She grew up in a small village. Everyone knew each other there.   
5 Gap fill

Complete each sentence with who, which, that, where, or whose.

  1. The house _____ I grew up in has been demolished.
  2. Is this the café _____ they filmed that TV series?
  3. The man _____ wallet I found was very grateful.
  4. I'm looking for a mechanic _____ can fix this quickly.
  5. That's the company _____ offers free language lessons to staff.
  6. The film _____ we saw last week was much better than I expected.
  7. She works with someone _____ brother is a famous chef.
  8. Is there a quiet room _____ we can have a private conversation?
Speaking Activity

Discuss these questions with a partner. Use relative clauses in your answers.

Try to use 'who', 'which', 'where', and 'whose' at least once each. Ask follow-up questions to keep the conversation going.

Answer Key

Defining Relative Clauses

Exercise 1 — Choose the correct pronoun

1. who    2. that    3. where    4. whose    5. which

Exercise 2 — Correct the mistake

  1. The woman who helped me was very kind.
  2. I need a flat that / which has two bedrooms.
  3. He's the doctor who treated my father.
  4. She's the manager who hired all of us.

Exercise 3 — Complete with your own idea

Students' own answers. Check: correct pronoun for the noun it refers to (who = person, which/that = thing, where = place).

Exercise 4 — Join the sentences

  1. I have a neighbour who bakes bread every morning.
  2. We visited a town that / which was completely rebuilt after the war.
  3. He's reading a book that / which won the Booker Prize.
  4. I took the bus that / which goes directly to the airport.
  5. She grew up in a small village where everyone knew each other.

Exercise 5 — Gap fill

  1. that / which
  2. where
  3. whose
  4. who
  5. that / which
  6. that / which
  7. whose
  8. where