İngilizce Bağlaçları Ustalaştırın: Kim, Hangi, O ve Ne Zaman Kaldırılır

Let’s be honest — relative clauses are one of those things that sound scarier than they really are. You’ve probably been using them for years without even realising it. The confusion usually starts when you have to choose between who, which, and that, or when someone tells you a sentence sounds better “without the pronoun.”

This guide covers the basic rules, the grey areas, and — most importantly — when you can drop the relative word entirely.

The big three: who, which, that

Simple rule:

• Who refers to people.
• Which refers to things and animals.
• That does both — it works for people and things (though some style guides prefer who for people).

Here’s how they look in real sentences:

The woman who lives next door just started a bakery.
I lost the phone which I bought last month.
That’s the house that my grandfather built.

Most of the time, that’s all you need. But a few tricky spots can trip learners up.

When “that” sounds better than “which”

In everyday English, that is far more common than which in one particular case: when the information is essential to identify the noun. Compare:

The car that is parked outside is mine.
The car, which is parked outside, is mine.

The first sentence tells you which car we’re talking about. The second adds extra info — the listener already knows which car you mean.

So, if you need the clause to identify the noun, use that (or who for people). If you’re just adding a comment, use which with commas.

What about “whom”?

It’s fading fast in spoken English. You’ll still see it in formal writing.

Use whom when the relative pronoun is the object of the verb or a preposition:

The man whom I met yesterday is a lawyer.
The teacher to whom you spoke is retiring.

In casual speech, most native speakers would say who or that and drop the preposition to the end:

The man who I met yesterday is a lawyer.
The teacher that you spoke to is retiring.

My advice: understand whom for reading and formal exams, but don’t stress about using it in conversation.

The big trick: when you can remove the relative pronoun

This is where learners often hesitate. The rule is straightforward:

You can omit the relative pronoun (who, which, that) when it is the object of the clause.

Look at these two examples:

The book that I borrowed is excellent.
The book that is on the table is excellent.

In the first sentence, the book is the object of borrowed. You can drop that:

The book I borrowed is excellent.

In the second, the book is the subject of is. You can’t drop that:

The book is on the table is excellent. (Wrong)

Here’s a quick test: If a noun (or pronoun) follows immediately after who/which/that, you can probably omit it. If a verb follows, keep it.

Schema: When to Keep vs. Omit the Relative Pronoun

A few examples to lock it in

Try to guess if the pronoun can be dropped:

1. The pizza that we ordered arrived cold. → We ordered the pizza. Object. Drop it. → The pizza we ordered arrived cold.

2. The neighbour who always plays loud music moved out. → The neighbour plays music. Subject. Keep it.

3. The film which everyone was talking about finally came out. → Everyone was talking about the film. Object. Drop it. → The film everyone was talking about finally came out.

One last tip: prepositions at the end

In natural spoken English, we almost always put the preposition at the end of the relative clause, especially when we drop the pronoun:

This is the restaurant (that) I told you about.
He’s the guy (whom) she went to the cinema with.

In very formal writing, you might move the preposition to the front: the restaurant about which I told you. But in everyday speech, leave it at the end. It’s simpler and more natural.

Practice makes permanent

Relative clauses aren’t just a grammar exercise — they’re how we connect ideas smoothly. Start noticing them when you read or listen. Pay attention to which ones feel natural and which sound clunky.

And if you want to check where your English level stands — especially your understanding of grammar structures like these — try the full test at English Measure. It covers reading, listening, writing, and speaking, and it’s free.

👉 Take your free English level test now

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