Relative Clauses: The Extra Information
Who, which, that, whose: the bridge words that attach extra information — the woman who lives next door, the book which I bought, the boy whose dog ran away.
Relative Clauses
The bridge to extra information
A relative clause is a small sentence glued onto a noun by a bridge word. The bridge word tells you what the clause is about.
Who — people
the person does or did somethingThe woman who lives next door is a doctor
Which — things
the thing does or did somethingThe book which I bought is great
That — people or things
the all-rounder bridgeThe phone that I lost was new
Whose — possession
the owner joins the clauseThe boy whose dog ran away is crying
⚠️ Who for people, which for things, that for both, whose for possession.
The Formula
noun + bridge word + clause
The bridge word starts the clause and the clause travels with the noun. One sentence, one noun, one extra story.
The womanwho lives next dooris a doctor
The bookwhich I boughtwas cheap
The phonethat I lostwas new
The boywhose dog ran awayis crying
Common Mistakes
Four bridge slips
The bridge collapses when a second pronoun sneaks in, when who and which swap places, or when who’s tries to do whose job.
The woman who she called me is here.
The woman who called me is here.
💡 No extra pronoun after who — who already carries the person.
The book which I bought it is great.
The book which I bought is great.
💡 Which already carries the object — drop it.
The man which lives here is kind.
The man who lives here is kind.
💡 People take who (that is also fine).
The girl who's bag is lost is crying.
The girl whose bag is lost is crying.
💡 whose = possession. who's = who is.
Quick Quiz
Test what you just learned
Three minutes, five questions — check what stuck. No essay questions, we promise.
The man ___ fixed my car is my uncle.
💡 Extra info2 sections
Who, Which, or Whose?
One question picks the bridge
The noun decides the bridge word. Ask what the clause is about.
The Bridge Words
Match the bridge with its job
Four bridge words, four jobs. Learn the pairings and the clause builds itself.
⚠️ Who for people, which for things, that for both, whose for owners.