Relative Pronouns: Who, Whom, That, Which, or Whose

When the SUBJECT of the sentence is a person, this relative pronoun is ALWAYS used.

• Which

• That

• Who

• Whom

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An airplane is a machine ___ flies.

• who

• which

• that

• whom

Answer explanation

Rule: Use “that” when talking about things. Use “who” or “whom” when talking about people.

Why “that” works here: An airplane is a thing, not a person — so we don’t use “who” or “whom.”

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The lady __ lives next door to me is very kind.

• that

• who

• which

• whom

Answer explanation

Rule: Use “who” when talking about people. Use “that” or “which” when talking about things.

Why “who” works here: The lady is a person, so we use “who” to describe her.

Quick Trick: If it’s a person, go with “who.” If it’s a thing, go with “that.”

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It is storming, _____prevents me from playing soccer with my best friends, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

• that

• who

• which

• whom

Answer explanation

Rule: Use “which” to add extra information about a thing when there’s already a complete sentence. Put a comma before “which.”

Why “which” works here: We’re adding more info about the storm. Since we’re talking about a thing (the storm) and adding extra info, we use “which” with a comma.

Quick Trick: If you’re adding extra info about a thing after a full sentence, use a comma + “which.”

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The bracelet, ______ my grandmother gave me, is worth $5,000.

• which

• whose

• whom

• that

Answer explanation

Rule: Use “which” to add extra information about a thing when the sentence already makes sense without it. Always put a comma before “which.”

Why “which” works here: We’re adding extra info. Since it’s a thing and we’re adding extra info, we use “which” with commas.

Quick Trick: If it’s a thing and you’re adding extra info, use comma + “which.”

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Tim Tebow is the player __________ autograph I just got!

• who

• that

• whose

• who's

Answer explanation

Use “whose” to show something belongs to a person — like “Tim Tebow is the player whose autograph I just got!”

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I can’t decide with ____ I should take that perfect selfie—my dog or my Starbucks cup.

• who

• whom

• which

• that

Answer explanation

Use “whom” after a preposition like “with” when you're talking about a person or thing being acted on — like “I can’t decide with whom I should take that perfect selfie—my dog or my Starbucks cup.”

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The boy ______ lives next door thinks he will play for the Chicago Cubs one day.

• who

• whom

• whose

• who's

Answer explanation

Use “who” when the person is doing something — like “The boy who lives next door thinks he will play for the Chicago Cubs one day.”

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This relative pronoun is used when the clause or information (object, item, condition, or animal) is ESSENTIAL to the sentence.

• Who

• Whom

• That

• Which

Answer explanation

Use “that” when talking about a thing and the info is essential to the sentence — like “Choose the option that makes the most sense.”

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Sponge Bob is the television show _____ won all those awards.

• that
• who
• whom

• which

Answer explanation

Use “that” when talking about a thing doing something — like “SpongeBob is the television show that won all those awards.”

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