Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns are special words that connect two ideas about the same person or thing into one sentence. They help you write longer, more interesting sentences.

What You'll Learn

How to use who, which, and that to join two sentences into one
When to use who (for people) and which (for animals and things)
How that can be used for both people and things

When to Use

To tell more about a person: "The girl who sits next to me is my friend."
To tell more about a thing: "The book which I borrowed is interesting."
To tell more about an animal: "The cat which lives downstairs is very friendly."
To join two short sentences into one: "I have a neighbour. She is very kind." becomes "I have a neighbour who is very kind."

How to Form

Joining Two Sentences

Take two sentences that share the same person or thing, and connect them with a relative pronoun.

Two Sentences	Joined Sentence
I know the boy. The boy won the race.	I know the boy who won the race.
She bought a bag. The bag has many pockets.	She bought a bag which has many pockets.
We visited the park. The park has a big playground.	We visited the park that has a big playground.
My uncle is a chef. My uncle cooks delicious chicken rice.	My uncle, who cooks delicious chicken rice, is a chef.

Choosing the Right Relative Pronoun

Relative Pronoun	Used For	Example
who	People	The teacher who teaches us is kind.
which	Animals and things	The hamster which I keep is fluffy.
that	People, animals, and things	The food that she made was tasty.

Key Rules

Use "who" for people: When you are telling more about a person, use who. "The man who sold us the tickets was friendly."
Use "which" for animals and things: When you are telling more about an animal or a thing, use which. "The MRT train which I take goes to Jurong East."
"That" works for all: You can use that for people, animals, and things. "The song that she sang was beautiful."
The relative pronoun replaces the repeated word: When you join two sentences, remove the repeated noun and put the relative pronoun in its place. "I saw a dog. The dog was barking." becomes "I saw a dog that was barking."
Place the relative pronoun right after the noun it describes: The relative pronoun should come immediately after the person, animal, or thing it tells more about. "The boy who is tall is my brother." (not "The boy is my brother who is tall.")

Common Mistakes

Wrong	Right	Why
The boy which is running is Ali.	The boy who is running is Ali.	Use "who" for people, not "which"
The dog who barked is mine.	The dog which barked is mine.	Use "which" for animals, not "who"
The girl who she is smart passed the test.	The girl who is smart passed the test.	Do not add an extra pronoun after "who"
I like the cake. Which my mother baked.	I like the cake which my mother baked.	A relative pronoun joins clauses in one sentence
The book that is on the table it is mine.	The book that is on the table is mine.	Do not repeat the subject after the relative clause

Clue Words

Signals that you need a relative pronoun:

two short sentences about the same person, animal, or thing; a noun that needs more information; a sentence that can be made longer

Choosing the right one:

Person (boy, girl, teacher, uncle, doctor) --> who or that
Animal (cat, dog, hamster, bird, fish) --> which or that
Thing (book, bag, school, park, food) --> which or that

Tip: Ask yourself: "Am I talking about a person?" If yes, use who. If it is an animal or a thing, use which. Not sure? That works for all!

Practice Tips

The person-or-thing test: Before choosing, ask "Is it a person?" Use who for people and which for animals and things.
Try joining sentences: Take two short sentences from your composition and see if you can combine them with who, which, or that to make your writing smoother.
Read it back: After joining two sentences, read the new sentence aloud. It should still make sense and sound natural.
Check for extras: Make sure you have not left a repeated noun or an extra pronoun (like "he", "she", "it") after the relative pronoun.

Quick Reference

Relative Pronoun	Used For	Example
who	People	The girl who helped me is my classmate.
which	Animals and things	The storybook which I read was exciting.
that	All (people, animals, things)	The hawker stall that we like sells laksa.

What To Do	Example
Join two sentences about a person	Ali is a boy. Ali is hardworking. --> Ali is a boy who is hardworking.
Join two sentences about a thing	I lost the pen. The pen was new. --> I lost the pen which was new.
Remove the repeated noun	The cat is cute. The cat sleeps a lot. --> The cat that sleeps a lot is cute.

Relative Pronouns (P3) (Primary 3)