Two tools that stop you repeating yourself: A pronoun is a small word that stands in for a noun so you don't have to repeat it: instead of "Tom called Tom's sister because Tom missed Tom's sister," you write "Tom called his sister because he missed her."
A relative clause is a piece of extra information about a noun, joined on with a relative pronoun (who, which, that, whose, where): "the book that I lent you", "my aunt, who lives in Rome". Both tools make your English flow, link your ideas, and sound less childish — which is exactly what examiners reward.
- pronoun
- a word used in place of a noun (I, you, he, it, them, mine, herself)
- subject pronoun
- the pronoun that does the action (I, you, he, she, it, we, they)
- object pronoun
- the pronoun that receives the action (me, you, him, her, it, us, them)
- possessive adjective
- shows ownership before a noun (my, your, his, her, its, our, their)
- possessive pronoun
- shows ownership but stands alone (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs)
- reflexive pronoun
- refers back to the subject (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves)
- relative clause
- a clause that adds information about a noun, introduced by a relative pronoun
- relative pronoun
- the linking word that starts a relative clause (who, which, that, whose, where)
Why it carries the marks: Accurate pronouns (no "me and him went", no "the woman which…") and well-built relative clauses are pure Criterion A (Language) range and accuracy. Combining two short sentences into one with a relative clause is one of the fastest ways to lift a piece of writing from basic to fluent.
The pronoun grid + the relative words: First learn the pronoun families by person. Then learn which relative pronoun matches which kind of noun: who/that for people, which/that for things, whose for possession ("the girl whose bag…"), and where for places ("the town where I grew up").
| Person | Subject | Object | Possessive adj. | Possessive pron. | Reflexive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | I | me | my | mine | myself |
| you (sing.) | you | you | your | yours | yourself |
| he | he | him | his | his | himself |
| she | she | her | her | hers | herself |
| it | it | it | its | — | itself |
| we | we | us | our | ours | ourselves |
| they | they | them | their | theirs | themselves |
| Relative pronoun | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| who | people (subject/object) | the teacher who helped me |
| which | things and animals | the phone which broke |
| that | people OR things (defining clauses) | the song that I love |
| whose | possession (people or things) | a writer whose books sell millions |
| where | places | the café where we met |
Two traps to fix now: 1. its vs it's — its is the possessive ("the dog wagged its tail"); it's is short for "it is" and is NEVER a possessive. 2. who vs which for people — people take who (or that), never which: write "the man who called", not "the man which called".
Get feedback like a real examiner
Submit your answers and get instant feedback — what you did well, what's missing, and exactly what to write to score full marks.
Try AI Tutor Free7-day free trial • No card required
Defining vs non-defining — and when to drop the word: A defining relative clause tells you which one you mean and has no commas: "The student who sits next to me is from Brazil" (it identifies the student). A non-defining clause adds extra, non-essential information and is wrapped in commas: "My brother, who is a doctor, lives in Leeds" (you already know which brother). In non-defining clauses you cannot use that, and you can never leave the relative pronoun out.
The key choices
- Defining (no commas) — identifies the noun: "the keys that I lost".
- Non-defining (commas) — adds extra info: "my keys, which I lost yesterday, are red".
- Use 'that' only in DEFINING clauses, never after a comma.
- You can OMIT who/which/that when it is the OBJECT of the clause: "the film (that) I saw".
- You CANNOT omit it when it is the SUBJECT: "the film that won" — 'that' must stay.
Defining (no commas)
- Students who arrive late lose marks. (which students? the late ones)
- This is the bag that I bought in Italy.
- The town where I was born is tiny.
Non-defining (commas)
- My grandmother, who is 90, still swims daily. (extra info)
- Paris, which is on the Seine, is the capital. (extra info)
- Our school, where I have studied for five years, is closing.
The comma test: Ask: "If I delete this clause, do I still know which noun is meant?" If yes, the clause is extra → use commas (non-defining). If no, the clause is essential → no commas (defining).
A paragraph built from both tools: Here is a short, personal paragraph built one sentence at a time. Watch how pronouns (she, her, it, myself) stop the repetition, and how relative clauses (who lives in Madrid, whose students adore her, where she works, that she had made) pack two ideas into one smooth sentence. Read it once for meaning, then study each sentence.
IB-style task — pronouns & relative clauses in action
A paragraph, sentence by sentence
- My cousin Leila, who lives in Madrid, is the person I admire most in my family.
- She is a teacher whose students adore her, and the school where she works is famous for its art projects.
- Last year she sent me a painting that she had made herself.
- I hung it on the wall above my desk, and now I look at it every morning.
- Whenever I feel tired, I remind myself of her energy — she never gives up, and neither will I.
Steal this for your writing: Take any two short sentences and join them: "I have a friend. She speaks four languages." → "I have a friend who speaks four languages." Do this two or three times in any written task and your sentences instantly look more advanced — that is range for Criterion A.
Learn what examiners really want
See exactly what to write to score full marks. Our AI shows you model answers and the key phrases examiners look for.
Try AI Feedback Free7-day free trial • No card required
The slips to watch for: Four mistakes dominate. Using "which" for a person ("the man which…"). Confusing its / it's and your / you're / their / they're. Mixing subject and object pronouns ("between you and I", "me and him went"). And doubling the subject in a relative clause ("the book that I read it was good"). Compare the right version with the typical mistake and the fix becomes obvious.
Correct
- The woman who lives upstairs is a vet.
- The dog hurt its paw. / It's raining again.
- Give the tickets to him and me.
- The film that I watched was scary.
Common error
- The woman which lives upstairs is a vet. (use 'who' for a person)
- The dog hurt it's paw. (it's = it is; possessive is 'its')
- Give the tickets to he and I. (after a preposition use object pronouns: him, me)
- The film that I watched it was scary. (don't repeat the object: drop 'it')
Two quick checks before you write: 1. Person → who/that; thing → which/that; place → where; possession → whose. 2. If the relative pronoun is already the object, do not add another object pronoun ("the song that I like", never "the song that I like it"). And after a preposition or "and", use the object form: him, her, me, us, them.