Grammar · From lesson 12
TOEIC Grammar: Relative Clauses (who, which, that, whose)
A relative clause describes a noun (the antecedent) and begins with a relative pronoun or adverb. Choose the word by two facts: what the antecedent is (person, thing, place, time) and what role the word plays inside its own clause (subject, object, possessive).
Free extract from the Noto Tracks TOEIC course
| Word | Antecedent | Role in its clause | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| who | person | subject (also object in informal English) | the technician who installed the system |
| whom | person | object, and after prepositions | the candidate whom we interviewed; the person to whom you spoke |
| whose | person or thing | possessive, + noun | a supplier whose prices are low |
| which | thing | subject or object; after prepositions | the software which we bought; the room in which we met |
| that | person or thing | subject or object; defining clauses only | the plan that the board approved |
| where | place | adverb (= in/at which); followed by a complete clause | the plant where the parts are made |
| when | time | adverb (= on/in which) | the week when the audit took place |
| why | reason | adverb | the reason why sales fell |
How to check the role
- If the verb comes right after the blank (the client ------- called), the word is the subject of the clause: who/which/that.
- If a subject + verb come after the blank but the verb's object is missing (the client ------- we visited), the word is the object: whom/which/that (or nothing).
- If a noun comes right after the blank and the clause is complete (the client ------- order was late), use whose.
- If a complete clause follows (subject, verb and object all present) and the antecedent is a place or time, use where/when: the warehouse where we store our inventory. Compare: the warehouse which we rent (object missing → which).
Defining and non-defining clauses
A defining clause identifies which noun we mean and has no commas: Employees who work night shifts receive extra pay. (only those employees). A non-defining clause adds extra information about a noun already identified and is set off by commas: Ms. Reyes, who works night shifts, receives extra pay.
- That is not used in non-defining clauses: after a comma, use who or which.
- That is not used directly after a preposition: the project on which she worked, not on that.
- In non-defining clauses, which can refer to a whole previous clause: The flight was canceled, which caused many complaints.
- Quantity + of + whom/which: We interviewed ten candidates, three of whom spoke Mandarin.
The award will go to the employee ------- suggestions have saved the company the most money this year.
(A) who (B) whom (C) whose (D) which
Answer: (C) — the noun suggestions follows the blank, and the clause suggestions have saved the company the most money is complete; the suggestions belong to the employee, so whose. (A) who would need a verb right after it.
Quick check: (a) The conference center, (that / which) opened last year, seats 900. (b) This is the hotel (where / which) we stayed. (c) The supervisor (whom / whose) we contacted was helpful. — Answers: (a) which, (b) where, (c) whom.
More grammar points from this lesson
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This page is one section of a full lesson
Lesson 12, "Grammar course 3: Prepositions, conjunctions and clauses", is in the Noto Tracks TOEIC course. The rest of it covers:
- 4. Fixed combinations with prepositions
- 8. Noun clauses
- 9. Adverb clauses
- 10. Inversion after negative and restrictive adverbs
- 11. Connectors for Part 6
Also in the full lesson
- Practice questions
- Answer key with explanations
- One-page summary
50 questions, free, with an estimated score.
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