🎯

Learning Objectives

2 minutes reading
✓
Use who for people, which for things, where for places
✓
Use that as an alternative to who/which
✓
Combine sentences for clearer, more professional writing
✓
Add essential details to descriptions and specifications
💡
Key for this lesson

Who = people. Which = things. That = both (informal). Where = places. Relative clauses add information!

📚

Grammar Explanation

4 minutes reading
Relative Pronouns

Connecting Information

Noun + who/which/that/where + clause

Who (people): "The manager who hired me is retiring."

Which (things): "The app which we launched is popular."

Where (places): "The office where I work is modern."

whowhichthatwhere
That vs Who/Which

When to Use Each

That = informal alternative for who/which

Formal: "The report which I sent..."

Neutral: "The report that I sent..."

Note: Don't use "that" after commas!

that (informal)who/which (formal)
🔑
Combining Sentences

"I met the designer. She created the logo." → "I met the designer who created the logo." Much cleaner!

🎯

Context & Professional Usage

5 minutes reading

People (who/that)

👤Colleagues: "The analyst who prepared the report..."
🤝Clients: "The client who called yesterday..."
👥Teams: "Staff who work remotely..."
💼Candidates: "Applicants who have experience..."

Things & Places (which/that/where)

📱Products: "The app that we launched last week..."
📄Documents: "The report which contains the data..."
🏢Locations: "The office where we held the meeting..."
💻Systems: "The software which manages our data..."
💡

Business English Examples

6 minutes reading
✓

Correct Relative Clause Usage

✓
"The app that we launched last week is already popular."

Thing + that + clause

✓
"Sarah, who leads the marketing team, will present."

Person + who + clause (with commas for extra info)

✓
"The building where we have our office is being renovated."

Place + where + clause

✓
"The software which we use for accounting is very reliable."

Thing + which + clause (formal)

✗

Common Mistakes

✗
"The manager which hired me..."

Use: "The manager who hired me..." (people = who)

✗
"The office who I work..."

Use: "The office where I work..." (place = where)

✗
"Sarah, that leads the team..."

Don't use "that" after commas. Use: "Sarah, who..."

🎧

Professional Listening Exercise

6 minutes

Listen to a product description:

🎵Audio: Software Demo
Ready
0:00 / 0:00
🔊
Speed:

Sales Rep: Let me show you our new project management tool.

Client: Great. I've heard good things about it.

Sales Rep: This is the dashboard that gives you a real-time overview of all projects.

Client: Nice interface. It looks clean.

Sales Rep: Thank you. The team who designed it focused on simplicity. You can see the tasks which are overdue highlighted in red.

Client: That's useful. Can multiple people use it?

Sales Rep: Absolutely. Team members who have access can collaborate in real time. There's also a chat feature which allows instant communication.

Client: Where is the data stored?

Sales Rep: The servers where we store data are located in Europe, so you're compliant with GDPR.

Client: That's important for us.

Sales Rep: I understand. The security features that we built in are industry-leading. Would you like to see the reporting module?

Client: Yes, please. The reports that we currently create take too long.

Question 1: What does the dashboard show?

Question 2: Where are the servers located?

Question 3: Complete: "The team _______ designed it focused on simplicity."

🧠

Quick Comprehension Quiz

4 minutes
1

Correct relative pronoun for people:

AThe colleague which helped me...
BThe colleague who helped me...
CThe colleague where helped me...
2

Correct for places:

AThe office who I work...
BThe office which I work...
CThe office where I work...
3

"That" can replace which word?

AWhere
BWho and which
COnly which
✏️

Professional Practice Exercises

7 minutes

Exercise A: Complete with who, which, that, or where

1. The manager _______ trained me is now the CEO.

2. The software _______ we use is very reliable.

3. The building _______ we have our meetings is near the station.

4. The report _______ I wrote was approved yesterday.

🗣️

Speaking Preparation

4 minutes
📚
Preparation for Class

Practice combining sentences using relative clauses.

👥 Task 1: Describe People (1 min)

Describe colleagues: "The person who... / My manager, who..."

💻 Task 2: Describe Things (2 min)

Describe tools you use: "The software which... / The app that..."

✨
Well Done!

Key pronouns: Who (people), Which (things), That (both), Where (places)
Next: Lesson 6.3 - Linking Ideas: Reasons and Purposes

Module Overview
Next lesson →