Relative Pronouns: Who, Which, That, Where, Whose

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Lead-In

Study the sentences below.
  1. I love complex strategy games, which I think are a lot of fun.
  2. I’m also a big fan of single-player games that have a strong narrative.
  3. People who don’t play online games often claim that they are a waste of time.
  4. You learn to think more quickly, especially in games where you have a lot going on.

Think!

What do the words in bold refer[explanation: refer [rɪˈfɜː(r)] – viitama] to in each sentence?
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Relative Pronouns Who, Which, That, Where and Whose

Relative Pronouns[explanation: relative pronoun [ˌrelətɪv ˈprəʊnaʊn] – siduv asesõna]

We use relative pronouns to introduce relative clauses[explanation: relative clause [ˌrelətɪv ˈklɔːz] – relatiivlause, siduv osalause]. Relative clauses give more information about something within the same sentence.

Compare:

I have a sister. Her name is Kate. (2 sentences)
​I have a sister whose name is Kate. (1 sentence)

who

Who refers to people and sometimes pet animals.

I have a friend who lives in London.
That’s the dog who often barks at me.​​

which

Which refers to things and animals.

My friend lives in Camden, which is a great place to go shopping.
Can you name any animals which have become extinct?​​​

that

That refers to people, things and animals.

He is the best friend that I have ever had.
​New York is the most interesting place that I have ever visited.​
That’s the dog that often barks at me.​​​

where

Where refers to places.

This is the city where my parents were born.

whose

Whose shows possession[explanation: possession [pəˈzeʃ(ə)n] – omamine; omandus ].

John is the musician whose latest single topped the charts.

Comma or no comma?

We use commas with non-defining relative clauses[explanation: non-defining relative clause [ˌnɒndɪˈfaɪnɪŋ ˌrelətɪv ˈklɔːz] – mitterestriktiivne ehk täpsustav kõrvallause (see tähendab, et ilma selle osalauseta saame aru, millest räägitakse)]. In other words, if we remove such clauses from a sentence, it will still make sense.

Compare:

The video game which I played last week is called Minecraft.

Minecraft, which I played last week, is really cool!

We use the relative pronoun that only in defining relative clauses.

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Let’s Practise!

  • I think that a good game gives you something unique.
  • My grandma, who is 85, still enjoys gardening.
  • The computer that I use for my studies is very fast.
  • Whose laptop is this?
  • This café, where we had brunch yesterday, is really cosy.
  • She has a friend whose father is a famous singer.
  • I don’t know where we are going.
  • Our dog, who likes playing fetch, is a Labrador.
  • Let’s decide which game we’re going to play.

Exercise 2

Choose the correct relative pronoun.
  1. I play a lot of multiplayer games,  are very social in my opinion.
  2. There is this one game  I really like.
  3. There is always a big problem  you need to solve.
  4. I like my teammates,  are all from different countries.
  1. I know someone  English is way better than mine.
  2. I was the second person in my family  got into video games.
  3. This is the museum  you can see amazing contemporary art.
  4. My father used to be obsessed with Super Mario,  is an old platform game.

There’s this new game  I bought a few days ago. It’s a game  story is absolutely mind-blowing,  is why I bought it. I first played it with my best friend,  had purchased the game a few weeks earlier.

In this game, there are ten different worlds  you need to collect jewels – or gems as they call them in tutorials. Each world has obstacles  you have to overcome. Once you get to the next world,  isn’t easy by the way, a new adventure is waiting for you. You can play this game with friends,  is really cool because teammates help you secure the jewels. When you help to protect a jewel  your friend has, you may enter a new world.

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Now You!

  1. This athlete has won two gold medals. He is from my hometown. → 
  2. This house is for sale. It has a beautiful garden. → 
  3. I bought this T-shirt online yesterday. It is too small. → 
  4. Hyde Park opened in 1637. We walk there every weekend. → 
  5. Sarah plays the guitar beautifully. Her brother is a singer. → 
  1. The name of the game is , which I think is .
  2. It takes place in , where .
  3. I first played it with , who .
  4. I like the game because  that .
  5. My friends, whose , really think that .
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How Am I Doing?

I can name five relative pronouns and say what they refer to.

I can tell the difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses.

I can use relative pronouns in my speech and writing.

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