Relative Clauses (Basic): who / which / that
- Join two sentences with defining relative clauses using who (people), which (things), that (both).
- TR: who/which/that ile iki cümleyi tek cümlede birleştirmek.
- Success check: join two sentences about your family with who.
Start the 8-question quizAdapts to your answers · every miss links back to the rule
Rule in 60 secondsThe one pattern to memorise.
- who = people: *the man who lives next door.*
- which = things/animals: *the book which I bought.*
- that = people OR things (informal, common): *the film that we watched.*
- The relative clause comes directly after the noun it describes.
- TR: who insanlar, which eşya/hayvan, that ikisi için de. İlgi cümlesi ismin hemen arkasına gelir.
- Comma rule: A2 defining clauses take no commas.
FormsHow it looks in sentences.
| Pattern | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| who + verb | noun (person) + who + verb | The girl who called is my sister. |
| which + verb | noun (thing) + which + verb | The car which broke down is mine. |
| that + verb | noun + that + verb | The film that won was great. |
| who(m) + subject + verb | noun + who/that + subj + verb | The man who I met is a doctor. |
| which + subject + verb | noun + which/that + subj + verb | The book which I read was long. |
| negative relative | noun + who/which/that + don't/doesn't… | A shop that doesn't open Sundays. |
- No extra subject pronoun: ❌ *the man who he came* → ✅ *the man who came*.
- A2 level = defining clauses only (no commas): they tell WHICH one.
- TR: Tanımlayan cümlecikte virgül yok: the house that I bought. Fazladan zamir koyma.
- "whose" (possessive) is B1 — at A2 just recognise it: *the boy whose bag…*.
- "where" for places appears here as preview: *the city where I was born.*
- Omitting the pronoun (object position) is B1 preview: *the book (that) I bought.*
- which vs that in defining clauses: both OK at A2 — *the car which/that broke down.*
- TR: Nesne konumunda that düşebilir — detayı B1'de: the book I bought.
- Object drop preview: the book (that) I bought — full rule at B1.
3 classic trapsWhere Turkish speakers slip.
- who for things: ❌ *the book who I like* → ✅ *the book which/that I like.* (TR: Eşya için who olmaz.)
- Double subject: ❌ *the woman who she works here* → ✅ *the woman who works here.* (TR: who'dan sonra tekrar she/he koyma.)
- Commas in defining clauses: ❌ *The man, who came, is my uncle.* (A2) → ✅ *The man who came is my uncle.* (TR: A2'de tanımlayan cümlecikte virgül yok; virgüllü yapı B1'dir.)
10 example sentencesRead aloud, twice.
- The man who lives next door is a teacher. — Yan kapıda yaşayan adam öğretmendir.
- The woman who called you is my aunt. — Seni arayan kadın halamdır.
- The book which I bought is very interesting. — Aldığım kitap çok ilginç.
- The film that we watched was fantastic. — İzlediğimiz film harikaydı.
- That's the restaurant that serves cheap pizza. — Ucuz pizza servis eden restoran işte bu.
- People who smoke here must pay a fine. — Burada sigara içenler ceza öder.
- The bag which she lost was black. — Kaybettiği çanta siyahtı.
- I know a shop that sells old coins. — Eski para satan bir dükkân biliyorum.
- The dog that barks all night is ours. — Bütün gece havlayan köpek bizimdir.
- She is the friend who helped me yesterday. — Dün bana yardım eden arkadaş işte bu.
Quick checkCover the answers, say yours first.
- Q1: Fill in: The boy ___ sits next to me is Ali.
- Q2: Fill in: The phone ___ I bought is slow.
- Q3: Correct the error: *The car who is red is mine.*
- Q4: Correct the error: *The girl who she sings is famous.*
- Q5: True or false: "The house that Jack built" is a defining clause with no commas.
- Q6: Join: "The man is my uncle. He came yesterday." (use who)
<summary>Answers</summary> - A1: who / that (person → who) - A2: which / that (thing → which or that) - A3: The car which/that is red is mine. (things → which/that) - A4: The girl who sings is famous. (no double subject) - A5: True. - A6: The man who came yesterday is my uncle.