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Teacher cue
B1 · English Grammar

Defining
Relative Clauses

The clause that tells us which one we mean.

who which where when
The idea

What is a defining relative clause?

It gives essential information about a noun. Without it, we don't know which person, thing, place or time we mean.

Examples

She's the teacher who helped me most.

This is the city where I was born.

The structure

noun + relative pronoun + rest of clause

No commas around the clause.

The choice

Which pronoun do I use?

For a person
whothat
The woman who called left a message.
For a thing
whichthat
The phone which does everything is expensive.
For a place
where
The café where we met is closed now.
For a time
when
There are times when I want to switch off.
💡 Handy shortcut

You can use that instead of who or which.

The inventors that are creating new things…

The device that does everything…

In real sentences

See them in action

person

There are inventors who are creating amusing things.

thing

The invention that is most worrying is the 3-D printer.

place

I'm on a street where young people hang out.

time

If there's a time when people make their own products, it's now.

⚠ Watch out

Common mistakes

She's the person which called.

She's the person who called.

That's the place who I grew up.

That's the place where I grew up.

I remember the day which we met.

I remember the day when we met.

She's the woman who she helped me.

She's the woman who helped me.

Now it's your turn

Let's
practice.

Say the answer out loud — then tap to check.

Practice 1
tap the blank to reveal

Choose the pronoun

The woman(a person)called left a message.
The phone(a thing)does everything is expensive.
The café(a place)we met is closed now.
There are times(a time)I just want to switch off.
She's the teacher(a person)helped me most.
Practice 2
tap a sentence to reveal the error

Spot the mistake

I met a woman at the conferenceA whichB speaks five languages andC works asD a translator.

Bwhich → who

✓ who for people, which for things

The book thatA I borrowed fromB the library wasC fascinating, but the pages isD falling out.

Dis → are

✓ the pages is plural → are

The film that we watched itA last night wasB much longer thanC I expectedD.

AThe film that we watched it → The film that we watched

✓ no extra object pronoun in the relative clause

Practice 3
tap to reveal a model answer

Complete the sentence

This is the house
He's the doctor
Summer is the season
It's the app
Speak & write

Your turn — finish each one

Answer in a full sentence using who, which, where or when.

Describe a person who has influenced you.
Tell me about an app that you use every day.
Name a place where you feel relaxed.
Describe a moment when you felt proud.
Recap

Remember this

People
who / that
Things
which / that
Places
where
Times
when

No commas · and never repeat the subject.

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