B2 relative clauses: who, which, whose and where
B2 relative clauses add information about a noun with who, which, that, whose, where, when or whom. At B2 you need to know the difference between defining and non-defining clauses, when you can leave out the pronoun, and where to put prepositions. Relative words are frequent answers in the open cloze. This guide is part of our B2 grammar guide.
By Eleanor BennettLast updated:
Two kinds of relative clause
A relative clause gives more information about a noun. There are two kinds, and the difference matters for both meaning and punctuation.
Defining relative clauses tell us which person or thing we mean. Without them, the sentence is incomplete or means something different. There are no commas.
- The teacher who helped me with my essay has left the school. (Which teacher? The one who helped me.)
- Is this the charger that came with your laptop?
Non-defining relative clauses add extra information about something we have already identified. You could remove them and the sentence would still make sense. They always have commas, and you cannot use that.
- My grandmother, who is eighty-five, still swims every morning.
- We stayed at the Hotel Mira, which had a view of the harbour.
Non-defining clauses are more typical of writing than speech, so they are an easy way to show range in an article or review. A sentence like The museum, which reopened last spring, is now free for students packs two ideas into one smooth sentence.
In the open cloze, relative words are some of the most common answers. The gap usually comes straight after a noun, and you need to decide whether the next word is a person (who), a thing (which), a possession (whose) or a place (where). Relative clauses also overlap with other topics: the passive often appears inside them (the bridge, which was built in 1890), and comparatives and superlatives often take a defining clause (the best film I've ever seen). For time clauses in stories, see narrative tenses.
Relative pronouns and adverbs
| Use it to… | Phrases |
|---|---|
| who: people (subject or object) |
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| which: things and animals; also a whole previous clause |
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| that: people or things, defining clauses only |
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| whose: possession (people and things) |
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| where / when / why: place, time, reason |
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| whom: formal object pronoun, especially after prepositions |
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| Leaving out the pronoun (defining clauses, object only) |
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| Prepositions in relative clauses |
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Typical B1 to B2 mistakes with relative clauses
Trap: The book which I read it was boring. Greek and Polish speakers sometimes repeat the object, as their languages allow a pronoun inside the clause (Greek που το διάβασα).
Fix: The relative pronoun replaces the object, so don't repeat it: The book which I read was boring.
Trap: My sister, that lives in Madrid, is a nurse. Using that in a non-defining clause, often because Spanish and Italian use que / che for everything.
Fix: After a comma, use who or which: My sister, who lives in Madrid, is a nurse.
Trap: The film what we saw was great.
Fix: What means "the thing that" and cannot follow a noun: The film that / which we saw. Use what without a noun: What we saw was great.
Trap: The man who's car was stolen. Confusing who's and whose.
Fix: Who's = who is / who has. For possession, write whose: the man whose car was stolen.
Trap: Missing commas: My father who is a pilot travels a lot (it sounds as if you have several fathers).
Fix: If the noun is already clear, add commas: My father, who is a pilot, travels a lot.
Trap: This is the hotel where we stayed in. German speakers sometimes keep the preposition after where, as in wo… drin.
Fix: Where already includes the preposition: the hotel where we stayed, or the hotel (which) we stayed in.
Worked example: relative words in an open cloze
The task
Read this short text and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap.
Our town has a small cinema (1) ______ has been showing films since 1952. The owner, (2) ______ family has run it for three generations, refuses to sell popcorn because it is too noisy. Last winter, the roof was damaged in a storm, (3) ______ meant the cinema had to close for two months. Local people, many of (4) ______ had never visited before, raised the money to repair it.
- 1.
Gap 1 comes straight after a noun (cinema) and before a verb (has been showing). The gap is the subject of a defining clause about a thing: which or that. Both are correct.
- 2.
Gap 2 is in a non-defining clause (there are commas), and the next word is a noun: family. When a noun follows the gap, think of possession: the owner's family = whose. Who is wrong because who family has no meaning.
- 3.
Gap 3 follows a comma and refers to the whole previous situation (the roof being damaged), not to the storm. That is which. That is impossible after a comma, and what cannot refer back to a clause.
- 4.
Gap 4 comes after the preposition of in the quantifier pattern many of ___. After a preposition, people take whom, so the answer is whom. Who is a very common wrong answer here.
Answer
(1) which / that (2) whose (3) which (4) whom
Practice · Reading & Use of English Part 2
Open cloze 1: Never too late to swim
B2 relative clauses: frequently asked questions
What is the difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses?
A defining clause tells you which person or thing we mean and has no commas: the girl who sits next to me. A non-defining clause adds extra information about something already clear, has commas and cannot use that: Ana, who sits next to me, is from Seville.
When can I leave out the relative pronoun?
Only in defining clauses, and only when the pronoun is the object of the clause: the shoes (that) I bought. If the pronoun is the subject (the shoes that cost 200 euros), you must keep it. In non-defining clauses, never leave it out.
Can I use that instead of which?
Yes, in defining clauses: the bus that / which goes to the airport. No, in non-defining clauses after a comma. After superlatives and words like everything, nothing and all, that is the more natural choice.
Do I need to use whom?
You need to recognise it and use it after prepositions in formal English (to whom, with whom) and after quantifiers (some of whom, both of whom). In everyday speech, who is normal as an object.
How are relative clauses tested in B2 First?
Mostly in the open cloze, where which, who, whose, where and whom are common answers. They can also appear in key word transformations, and using non-defining clauses in Writing shows a good range of grammar.