DescribingPeople & Things
Relative clauses · who · which · that · where · whose
Your level · You are here
Get Talking · Section 1
5 minStart the conversation
Think of a person who had a real influence on your life. Who was it, and what did they do?
Describe a place where something memorable happened to you.
Say two short facts about the same person or thing. Can you join them into one sentence?
Grammar · Section 2
8–10 minDefining and non-defining relative clauses
No commas + essential information = DEFINING. Commas + extra, removable information = NON-DEFINING.
- A relative clause adds information about a noun without starting a new sentence.
- There are two types, and confusing them is a classic mistake.
- (1) DEFINING relative clauses identify WHICH person or thing we mean — they're essential, no commas: 'The woman WHO called earlier left a message.' Remove the clause and the sentence loses its identity (which woman?).
- (2) NON-DEFINING relative clauses add EXTRA information about something already identified — they're optional, always with commas: 'My sister, WHO lives in Bristol, is visiting next week.' Remove it and the sentence still makes complete sense; we already know which sister — there's only one.
- Relative pronouns: WHO/THAT for people (subject or object), WHICH/THAT for things, WHERE for places, WHOSE for possession.
- In DEFINING clauses, when the relative pronoun is the OBJECT of the clause, you can OMIT it entirely: 'The film (which/that) we watched last night was brilliant.' You can never omit it in non-defining clauses, and you can never use THAT in non-defining clauses either.
- WHO / THAT: for people (subject or object of the clause).
- WHICH / THAT: for things or animals (defining clauses only).
- WHERE: for places — replaces 'in which/at which'.
- WHOSE: for possession — belongs to the noun before it.
- Omit the pronoun only when it's the OBJECT of a DEFINING clause.
e.g. The woman who answered the phone was very helpful.
| Type | Punctuation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Defining | no commas — essential | The man who called is my boss. |
| Non-defining | commas — extra, removable | My boss, who called this morning, is away next week. |
| Defining (object, can drop) | no commas | The film (that) we saw was long. |
| Non-defining (never drop) | commas | The film, which I'd already seen, was still enjoyable. |
The man who lives next door is a doctor. (defining — identifies which man)
My father, who is retired now, still gets up at six. (non-defining — extra fact)
This is the café where we first met.
That's the colleague whose email I never answered.
The book (that) I'm reading is set in Prague. (object pronoun omitted)
Not this
My sister, that lives in Bristol, is visiting.
Say this
My sister, who lives in Bristol, is visiting.
'That' cannot be used in non-defining clauses (the ones with commas). Use who/which instead.
Memory tip
Commas = extra information, easy to lift out with a spoon. No commas = glued in, can't be removed.
Natural English
In spoken English, native speakers drop the object pronoun constantly: 'the guy I met' not 'the guy who I met'. Both are correct, but dropping it sounds more natural in conversation.
Step 1 — Build the sentences yourself
Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.
1.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
3.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
4.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
Step 2 — Produce the form from memory
There isn't one "right" answer — write a natural version, then compare with the model.
Q1.Which is correct? (answer in a few words)
Step 3 — Check your choices
Question 1.Which sentence is a DEFINING relative clause?
Question 2.Which word CANNOT be used in a non-defining clause?
Question 3.Which sentence correctly omits the relative pronoun?
Question 4.Which word shows POSSESSION?
Vocabulary · Section 3
5–7 minWords & phrases to learn
Acquaintance
someone you know slightly, not a close friend
In context
"He's more an acquaintance than a friend — we've only met twice."
Now try it yourself
Describe an acquaintance you have using a relative clause.
Landmark
a well-known building or place used for orientation
In context
"The cathedral is a landmark that everyone in the city recognises."
Now try it yourself
Name a landmark where something interesting happened to you.
Mentor
a more experienced person who guides and advises you
In context
"She's the mentor who helped me plan my whole career."
Now try it yourself
Describe a mentor who influenced you, using 'who'.
Belonging(s)
the things that someone owns
In context
"The man whose belongings were stolen reported it immediately."
Now try it yourself
Use 'whose' to talk about someone's belongings.
Neighbourhood
the area surrounding where someone lives
In context
"This is the neighbourhood where I grew up."
Now try it yourself
Describe your neighbourhood using 'where'.
Reputation
the general opinion people have of someone or something
In context
"He's a lawyer whose reputation is excellent."
Now try it yourself
Describe someone whose reputation you admire.
Distinguish
recognise or point out the difference between things
In context
"It's hard to distinguish which twin is which."
Now try it yourself
Describe two similar things and how you distinguish them.
Vague
not clear or precise
In context
"The instructions, which were rather vague, confused everyone."
Now try it yourself
Describe something vague using a non-defining clause.
Pick at least three words from above and use each one in a sentence about your real life. Say each one aloud before you write.
Ask your teacher (or a partner) a question that uses one of today's words. They reply using a different word.
Rank today's words from most to least useful for you this week. Defend your top choice.
Finish: "Honestly, I'd say…" using one of today's words.
Tip: aim to reuse at least two of these words later in the Speaking and Writing tasks.
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Pronunciation · Section 4
3–4 minLinking with weak relative pronouns; no pause before defining clauses
In DEFINING clauses, there is no pause and the relative pronoun is weak and quick: 'the man who called' sounds like 'the man 'oo called' with 'who' almost disappearing into the flow. In NON-DEFINING clauses, the commas correspond to real pauses and slight pitch changes in speech: 'My brother — who lives abroad — called me.' Practise the contrast: rushing through defining clauses, pausing clearly around non-defining ones.
- • The WOman'oo ANswered was POlite. (defining, no pause)
- • My BROther, — 'oo lives aBROAD, — CALLED me. (non-defining, pauses)
- • This is the TOWN where I grew UP. (no pause, one flowing idea)
- • My BOSS, — who's on HOLiday, — will be BACK Monday.
Reading · Section 5
8–10 minThe stranger who became a story
Every family has one: the relative whose life became a kind of legend, retold slightly differently each time. In mine, it's my great-aunt Rosa, a woman who left her small village at nineteen with nothing but a suitcase and a train ticket, and who — depending on which cousin is telling the story — either ran a hotel in Lisbon or married a sea captain who later disappeared.
What's interesting isn't whether the details are true. It's how relative clauses do the actual work of storytelling. Notice how naturally the information stacks: 'a woman who left at nineteen', 'a suitcase that had belonged to her mother', 'a sea captain who later disappeared'. Each clause adds a layer without requiring a brand-new sentence, which is exactly why family stories, gossip and news reports lean on this structure so heavily.
Last year I visited the town where Rosa supposedly lived, a small port whose narrow streets still smell of salt and diesel. I found an old hotel register — the kind that clerks used to keep by hand — and there, in ink that had faded to brown, was a name that matched hers exactly. The hotel, which had closed decades earlier, was being restored by a young couple whose grandmother remembered an elderly Portuguese-speaking guest with a striking accent.
I still don't know if it was really her. But I noticed something about the way I told this story to my own children afterwards: I used almost the same relative clauses my grandmother once used with me — 'the aunt who ran away', 'the hotel where she may have lived', 'the sea captain whose ship never came back'. Perhaps that's what family stories actually are: the same clauses, passed down, filling in for facts we'll never fully confirm.
Step 1 — Read for the overall picture: true or false?
Q1.The text confirms with certainty that the guest in the hotel register was Rosa.
Q2.The writer noticed using similar relative clauses to the ones their grandmother once used.
Step 2 — Find the evidence and answer
Question 1.According to the text, who is Rosa?
Question 2.What did the writer find in the old hotel register?
There isn't one "right" answer — write a natural version, then compare with the model.
Q1.Why does the text say relative clauses are useful for storytelling? (answer in a few words)
Q2.What does the writer imply at the end about family stories? (answer in a few words)
Listening · Section 6
8–10 minTwo old friends describing people from their past
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Dan:Guess who I bumped into yesterday — the guy who used to sit behind us in maths.
Ellie:Which one? The one whose dad owned the bookshop, or the one who never did his homework?
Dan:The bookshop one. Marcus. The shop's gone now, the one where we used to buy comics.
Ellie:Oh, that place! I remember the owner, who always let us read for free if we bought at least one thing.
Dan:That's the same guy — Marcus's dad. Anyway, Marcus is a chef now, working at a restaurant where they only use ingredients from the local area.
Ellie:Wow. Is that the restaurant that opened last year near the old cinema?
Dan:Exactly. The cinema, which closed years ago, is being turned into flats, apparently.
Ellie:That's a shame. My cousin, whose flat is nearby, told me the whole street is changing.
Dan:Change happens. Anyway, Marcus asked about you — the friend who always beat him at chess.
Ellie:Ha! Tell him the friend who always beat him at chess says hello.
Dan:I will. We should organise a reunion — a proper one, not just the two people who bump into each other by accident.
Ellie:Good idea. I still have the number of the teacher who used to organise the school trips — she might know how to reach everyone.
Dan:Perfect. Let's start there.
Step 1 — Listen and notice the language
Step 2 — Listen again and complete the notes
Question 1.Who does Dan say he bumped into?
Question 2.What is happening to the old cinema, according to Dan?
There isn't one "right" answer — write a natural version, then compare with the model.
Q1.What can we infer about the bookshop Ellie remembers? (answer in a few words)
Q2.Why does Ellie mention the teacher who organised school trips? (answer in a few words)
Exam tip · Section 7
5 minSpeaking & Writing — Cambridge B1 Preliminary / B2 First, describing people and places
Task
Describe three people or places from your life in under 2 minutes, using at least 5 relative clauses (mix of defining and non-defining), correct punctuation in writing, and at least one omitted pronoun.
Strategy
Examiners reward complex, natural sentence-joining over strings of short sentences. (1) Plan two facts about each person/place, then join them with a relative pronoun instead of 'and'. (2) Use commas correctly if writing — this is checked closely. (3) Vary your pronouns; don't rely only on 'who'. (4) In speech, practise omitting the object pronoun for a natural sound. (5) Add one non-defining clause for extra detail — it signals higher-level control.
Example
My grandmother, who taught me to cook, grew up in a village where everyone knew everyone. The recipe (that) she gave me is still the one I use today. The kitchen where she taught me no longer exists, but the neighbour whose garden backed onto hers still lives on that street.
Practice · Section 8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Step 1 — Retrieve it from memory first
There isn't one "right" answer — write a natural version, then compare with the model.
Q1.Describe a friend using a defining relative clause with 'who'.
Q2.Add extra information about a family member using a non-defining clause.
Q3.Describe a place using 'where'.
Q4.Use 'whose' to describe possession.
Step 2 — Now check your choices
Question 1.The man ____ called earlier left his number.
Question 2.My office, ____ is on the third floor, has a great view.
Question 3.This is the village ____ my grandfather was born.
Question 4.That's the colleague ____ report I read yesterday.
Question 5.The film ____ we watched last night was excellent.
Writing · Section 9
5 minPut it in writing
Your task
Write a 130–160 word description of a person and a place that matter to you. Include at least 4 relative clauses (a mix of defining and non-defining, with correct comma use), one clause with 'whose', one with 'where', and at least one omitted object pronoun.
Your answer
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Show model answer
My uncle Tomasz, who moved to Manchester thirty years ago, is the relative I admire most. He's the kind of person who remembers everyone's birthday, and the advice he gives is always practical rather than sentimental. The house where he lives is small but full of life — a place whose walls are covered with photographs from every country he's visited. His neighbour, whose garden he helps look after, once told me that Tomasz is the reason the whole street still talks to each other. The last time I visited, he showed me an old photo that I'd never seen before: him as a teenager, standing outside the factory where he had his first job. It's the kind of story he tells slightly differently every time, which somehow makes it better each time I hear it.
Speaking · Section 10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
Interview your partner about three people who matter to them (a friend, a family member, a mentor or colleague) and one place that matters to them. You must ask and answer using relative clauses — at least 6 in total across the conversation — and correctly distinguish defining from non-defining.
Useful phrases
- • Tell me about someone who…
- • Is that the person whose…?
- • Where's the place where…?
- • So this is someone/somewhere that…
- • Ah, so it's not… but rather the one who…
Speaking reflection & notes
Your work saves automatically0 words
- ATell me about your best friend.
- B_______________
- AAnd where did you two meet?
- B_______________
- ADoes she have a big family?
- B_______________
Homework · Section 11
Take-homeTake it home
Write 8 sentences describing people you know, using a different relative pronoun each time (who, which, that, where, whose).
Record yourself describing your hometown for 1 minute, using at least 3 relative clauses naturally, with correct pausing for non-defining ones.
Find 5 relative clauses in a news article or book. Copy them and label each as defining or non-defining.
Homework notes
Your work saves automatically0 words
Recap · Section 12
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- Defining clauses identify essential information — no commas.
- Non-defining clauses add extra, removable information — always commas.
- WHO/THAT for people, WHICH/THAT for things, WHERE for places, WHOSE for possession.
- THAT is never used in non-defining clauses.
- You can omit the relative pronoun only when it's the object of a defining clause.
Extra Practice
Need more practice?
Practise the grammar, vocabulary and speaking from this lesson.