Listen to these two sentences:
🎙 Speak: Can you tell me something about a person you know? Use the pattern: "I know a person who..."
When you describe someone or something, you need ways to add extra information. Instead of saying two short sentences, you can connect them with "who" or "which." It makes your English flow better and sound more natural.
And when you describe places or quantities, you use special words like "where" and "some," "any," "no." This lesson teaches you all of that.
A relative clause adds extra information about a noun. It starts with: who, which, that
Main noun + relative pronoun + extra information
"I have a friend who works in a bank."
The relative pronoun (who, which, that) connects the noun to the extra information.
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| WHO For people |
"The woman who lives here is a doctor." |
| WHICH For things |
"The car which is red is fast." or "The car that is red is fast." |
| THAT For people and things (informal) |
"The teacher that helped me was kind." or "The book that I read was interesting." |
Important: WHO and THAT are different from WHICH. WHO and THAT can sound more informal and direct. WHICH is slightly more formal.
Two short sentences: "I have a friend. She is a teacher."
One smooth sentence: "I have a friend who is a teacher."
WHO connects the two ideas.
Two short sentences: "I like the book. I bought it last week."
One smooth sentence: "I like the book that I bought last week."
THAT (or WHICH) connects the ideas about the book.
Two short sentences: "He's the person. He helped me."
One smooth sentence: "He's the person who helped me."
WHO connects because we're talking about a person.
🎙 Speak: Do you see how combining sentences makes them flow better?
1. "I know a man. He is a pilot."
2. "She has a dog. It is very friendly."
3. "He's my teacher. I like his lessons."
🎙 Speak: Say each combined sentence out loud. Use WHO, WHICH, or THAT.
When you describe a place, use WHERE instead of who, which, or that.
Place + WHERE + description
"The school where I studied is modern."
WHERE means "at which place" or "in which place."
| Place Noun | Sentence with WHERE |
|---|---|
| Restaurant | "The restaurant where we eat is in the city." |
| City | "The city where I live is beautiful." |
| Office | "The office where she works is busy." |
| House | "The house where my grandparents live is old." |
Both can be correct, but they sound different:
At A2 level, use WHERE for places. It's simpler and more natural.
"The school is big. I study there."
"The school WHERE I study is big."
School is a place, so use WHERE.
"The hotel was nice. We stayed there."
"The hotel WHERE we stayed was nice."
Hotel is a place, so use WHERE.
🎙 Speak: Can you think of a place you know? Describe it using WHERE.
1. "I like the café. I go there every day."
2. "The city is modern. I was born there."
3. "The beach is near my house. We go there on weekends."
🎙 Speak: Say the combined sentences out loud.
These words tell you how much or how many of something. They're very common in everyday English.
| Word | When to Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| SOME | Positive statements. You have at least a few. | "I have some friends." (I have a few friends.) |
| ANY | Questions and negative statements. | "Do you have any questions?" "I don't have any money." |
| NO | Negative statements (instead of "not any"). | "I have no money." (= I don't have any money.) |
| NONE | When the noun is already mentioned, or alone. | "How many are left?" "None." or "None of the students came." |
NO: Comes before the noun.
NONE: Stands alone or comes with "of."
1. "Do you have free time this weekend?"
Options: SOME or ANY
ANY — It's a question, so use ANY.
2. "I have suggestions for the project."
Options: SOME or NO
SOME — It's a positive statement, so use SOME.
3. "She has children."
Options: NO or NONE
NO — Use NO before the noun: "She has no children."
4. "How many cookies are left?" " are left."
Options: NO or NONE
NONE — Use NONE when the noun is already mentioned or when answering alone.
🎙 Speak: Can you explain the difference between SOME and ANY?
1. "Do you want tea?"
2. "I have problems with this exercise."
3. "How many mistakes did you make?" " at all!"
4. "I bought fresh fruit at the market."
🎙 Speak: Say the complete sentences out loud.
Now you'll use relative clauses, WHERE, and SOME/ANY/NO/NONE together.
1. "The friend I trust is very honest."
Fill in: WHO, WHICH, or THAT?
WHO — "The friend WHO I trust is very honest." (Person, so WHO)
2. "I have idea about what to do."
Fill in: SOME or ANY?
SOME — "I have some idea..." (Positive statement)
3. "The beach we went last summer was beautiful."
Fill in: WHERE, WHO, or WHICH?
WHERE — "The beach WHERE we went..." (Place, so WHERE)
4. "I have experience with that software."
Fill in: SOME or NO?
NO — "I have no experience..." (Negative statement with NO)
🎙 Speak: Say all four sentences out loud with the correct words filled in.
Pick one of these. Describe it using relative clauses, WHERE, and SOME/ANY. Speak for about one minute.
Speak about your choice. Try to include:
🎙 Speak: Go ahead. Describe your choice naturally.
...use relative clauses to describe people and things, use WHERE for places, and use SOME/ANY/NO/NONE correctly.
1. When do you use WHO vs. WHICH?
WHO is for people. WHICH is for things. THAT works for both, and is more informal.
2. When do you use WHERE?
Use WHERE for places. "The school WHERE I study..." means "the school in which I study."
3. What's the difference between SOME and ANY?
SOME is for positive statements. ANY is for questions and negatives.
4. When do you use NONE vs. NO?
NO comes before a noun: "no time." NONE stands alone or with "of": "None of them" or just "None."
🎙 Speak: Describe a room in your house. Use WHO or WHICH for objects, WHERE for places, and SOME/ANY/NO/NONE for quantities. One minute.