B1 · Intermediate Chapter 9

Identifying People and Things

6 Total Rules
70 examples
6 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Unlock the power of relative clauses to connect your ideas and describe your world with precision.

  • Identify the correct relative pronouns for people and objects.
  • Construct defining relative clauses to clarify your meaning.
  • Apply the 'that' shortcut to sound more natural in conversation.
Connect your world with confidence.

What You'll Learn

Want to describe the world around you more smoothly? Get ready to master relative pronouns like 'who' and 'which', and even learn a clever shortcut for 'that'! You'll soon connect your thoughts effortlessly and sound much more natural.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Use relative pronouns to describe people and objects in a professional context.

Chapter Guide

Overview

Do you ever find yourself struggling to clearly identify people or describe objects when speaking English? Mastering how to connect your thoughts smoothly is a game-changer for B1 English grammar, especially when you want to sound more natural and confident. This guide will help you precisely identify people and things, making your descriptions effortless and your communication much clearer. You'll learn the specific uses of who, which, and that – these are your secret weapons for building more sophisticated sentences. We’ll also explore defining relative clauses, which act like essential "ID tags" for the nouns you're talking about, and even uncover a clever shortcut that native speakers use all the time! Get ready to polish your English identifying people and things skills and impress with your improved fluency.

How This Grammar Works

At the heart of identifying people and things smoothly are relative pronouns. They act like bridges, connecting extra information to a noun. For people, we almost exclusively use who. For example, "The woman who answered the phone was very helpful." Here, who connects "answered the phone" to "The woman," telling us exactly *which* woman. When you're talking about things or even animals, which is your go-to. "I found the book which you lent me yesterday." This tells us specifically *which* book.
Now, for a versatile option: that. You can use that for *both* people and things, but only in defining relative clauses. These clauses provide essential information about the noun; without them, the sentence’s meaning would change or be unclear. They *never* take commas. For instance, "The student that won the award studied very hard" (referring to a person). Or, "This is the car that needs to be repaired" (referring to a thing).
A key distinction comes with dropping these pronouns. When the relative pronoun (like who, which, or that) is the subject of the relative clause – meaning it performs the action – you cannot drop it. Look at "The chef who cooked our meal is famous." Who is the subject of "cooked," so it must stay. However, you *can* drop the relative pronoun when it's the object of the verb in the relative clause. This is the "that shortcut." For example, "This is the movie (that) I watched last night." Here, that is the object of "watched" (I watched *that* movie), so it can be omitted. This makes your English sound much more fluid and natural.

Common Mistakes

  1. 1✗ The person which called me was my sister.
✓ The person who called me was my sister.
*Explanation:* Remember to always use who when referring to people. Which is for things or animals.
  1. 1✗ The report I wrote was very long. (Intended as subject pronoun omitted)
✓ The report that I wrote was very long. OR The report which I wrote was very long.
*Explanation:* While you *can* drop object relative pronouns, you cannot drop a subject relative pronoun. If the pronoun is followed by a verb (e.g., "The car *that* *is* parked outside..."), it's the subject and cannot be omitted. In the corrected example, 'I' is the subject of 'wrote', so the relative pronoun 'that' or 'which' is the object and *can* be dropped (making "The report I wrote was very long" also correct, but the mistake here was thinking it was a subject pronoun drop). A better example of a subject drop mistake:
✗ The dog barked loudly chased the squirrel.
✓ The dog that barked loudly chased the squirrel.
*Explanation:* Here, "that" is the subject of "barked" and performs the action, so it cannot be dropped.
  1. 1✗ My new phone, that I bought yesterday, is very fast.
✓ My new phone, which I bought yesterday, is very fast.
*Explanation:* The pronoun that is typically used only in *defining* relative clauses (no commas). If the information is extra or non-essential (often indicated by commas), use which.

Real Conversations

A

A

Hey, do you know the student who just presented the project?
B

B

Yes, she’s the one that I mentioned yesterday, the one who helped me with my research.
A

A

Did you find the keys which you lost this morning?
B

B

Not yet! I’m looking for the bag that I took to the gym. I think they might be inside.
A

A

Have you met our new team member? She's the person who designed the new website layout.
B

B

Oh, yes! I heard about the fantastic work (that) she did. Her portfolio, which I saw online, was very impressive.

Quick FAQ

Q

When can I drop 'that' or 'which' in a sentence?

You can drop that or which when they are the object of the verb in the relative clause. For example, "This is the book (that) I read." Here, 'I' is the subject of 'read', so 'that' is the object and can be omitted.

Q

Is 'that' always interchangeable with 'who' or 'which'?

Not always! While that can often replace who or which in *defining* clauses, it cannot be used in *non-defining* clauses (those with commas). Also, who is exclusively for people, and which for things (especially in formal contexts or non-defining clauses).

Q

Do defining relative clauses need commas?

No, defining relative clauses never use commas. They provide essential information that identifies the noun, and the sentence's meaning would change or be unclear without them.

Q

Can I use 'which' for animals?

Yes, you can use which for animals, especially when you are referring to them as things rather than giving them human-like qualities. For example, "The dog which won the race was very fast."

Cultural Context

Native English speakers use these relative pronoun patterns constantly in daily communication. You'll often hear that used quite broadly for both people and things in informal speech, even when who or which would be grammatically "correct." The "dropping the pronoun" shortcut is extremely common in spoken English when the pronoun is the object – it makes sentences flow much more naturally and quickly. While formal writing might prefer who for people and which for things (especially in non-defining clauses), in casual conversation, don't be surprised to hear more flexibility.

Key Examples (8)

1

Do you know the student `who` sits in the front row?

Relative Pronouns: Using 'Who' for People
2

I just talked to the customer service rep `who` helped me with my order.

Relative Pronouns: Using 'Who' for People
3

The phone `which is ringing` is mine.

Relative Pronouns: 'Which' for Things
4

She bought a dress `which was on sale`.

Relative Pronouns: 'Which' for Things
5

This is the app that helps me learn Spanish.

Relative Pronouns: Using 'That' for People & Things
6

The student that asked the question got extra credit.

Relative Pronouns: Using 'That' for People & Things
7

The barista who made my coffee smiled.

Defining Relative Clauses: Identifying People & Things
8

I bought the shoes that were on sale.

Defining Relative Clauses: Identifying People & Things

Tips & Tricks (4)

💡

The 'He' Test

If you can replace the pronoun with 'he' or 'she' in a separate sentence, use 'who'. If you would use 'him' or 'her', consider 'whom' (or 'who' informally).
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronouns: Using 'Who' for People
💡

The Comma Test

If you can put the 'which' part in brackets () and the sentence still works, you need commas. If you can't, you don't.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronouns: 'Which' for Things
💡

The Finger Test

If you can point your finger at the specific noun you are talking about, 'that' is usually the right choice.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronouns: Using 'That' for People & Things
🎯

The 'Finger Test'

To see if you can omit 'who' or 'that', cover it with your finger. If there is a new subject (I, you, he, etc.) immediately after it, you can usually delete it!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Defining Relative Clauses: Identifying People & Things

Key Vocabulary (5)

Identify to distinguish Relative connected to Pronoun word replacing a noun Clause part of a sentence Omit to leave out

Real-World Preview

briefcase

Office Introduction

Review Summary

  • Person + who + verb
  • Thing + which + verb
  • Noun + (that/which) + Subject + Verb

Common Mistakes

Use 'who' for people, not 'which'.

Wrong: The man which lives there.
Correct: The man who lives there.

Don't repeat the object pronoun (it).

Wrong: The car that I like it is red.
Correct: The car that I like is red.

Avoid redundant pronouns in relative clauses.

Wrong: The person that I met him.
Correct: The person that I met.

Next Steps

You are doing amazing work! Keep practicing these structures and you will be a fluent speaker in no time.

Write a paragraph describing your favorite room.

Continue to: Describing Places, Times, and Ownership

Quick Practice (10)

Choose the correct relative pronoun.

The woman ___ lives next door is a doctor.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: who
We use 'who' for people.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronouns: Using 'Who' for People

Choose the correct sentence.

Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: The car that I bought is fast.
Defining relative clauses do not use commas.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Defining Relative Clauses: Identifying People & Things

Choose the best option.

It's the best movie ___ I've ever seen.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: that
'That' is preferred after superlatives like 'the best'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronouns: Using 'That' for People & Things

Fill in the blank with 'who' or 'which'.

I have a computer ___ works very fast.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: which
Use 'which' for things like computers.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Don't Drop the Subject: Relative Pronouns (who, which, that)

Can you drop the relative pronoun in this sentence?

The man who I saw yesterday is a doctor.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Yes, you can drop 'who'.
'Who' is the object because 'I' (a pronoun) follows it.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Dropping Relative Pronouns (the 'that' shortcut)

Fill in the blank with who, which, or whose.

The woman ___ lives next door is a famous singer.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: who
We use 'who' for people.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Defining Relative Clauses: Identifying People & Things

Fill in the blank with 'who' or leave it empty (Ø) if possible.

The woman ___ lives next door is a pilot.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: who
You must keep 'who' because it is the subject (followed by the verb 'lives').

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Dropping Relative Pronouns (the 'that' shortcut)

Fill in the blank with 'that'.

The phone ___ I bought is broken.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: that
'That' is used for things in defining clauses.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronouns: Using 'That' for People & Things

Fill in the blank with 'who' or 'which'.

I don't like movies ___ are too violent, but I like actors ___ perform their own stunts.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: which / who
Movies are things (which), actors are people (who).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronouns: Using 'Who' for People

Complete the sentence.

Is there anything ___ I can do to help?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: that
'That' is used after indefinite pronouns like 'anything'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronouns: Using 'That' for People & Things

Score: /10

Common Questions (6)

Yes, in informal English, that is very common for people. However, in formal writing or exams, who is preferred.
Use who for the subject (the person doing the action) and whom for the object (the person receiving the action). In modern speech, who is used for both.
No, 'which' is strictly for things, animals, and ideas. For people, always use who or whom.
Use a comma if the information is 'extra' (non-defining). If the information is essential to identify the object, don't use a comma.
Yes, in defining clauses, 'that' is very common for people in spoken English. Example: The girl that I saw.
Never use 'that' after a comma or after a preposition like 'in', 'on', or 'with'.
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Describing Places, Times, and Ownership
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