Relative Clauses: where, when, whose in English

Overview

Building on basic relative clauses with who, which, and that, this B1-level concept introduces three more relative words: where (for places), when (for times), and whose (for possession). It also covers the important distinction between defining and non-defining relative clauses, and the rule for omitting relative pronouns.

These additional relative words allow you to create more varied and natural sentences. Instead of saying "That is the city. I was born in that city," you can say "That is the city where I was born." This makes your English more fluent and sophisticated.

At this level, you will also learn about non-defining relative clauses -- clauses that add extra, non-essential information, set off by commas. Understanding the difference between defining and non-defining clauses is important for both clarity and correct punctuation.

How It Works

Where, When, Whose

Word	Used for	Example
where	Places	The city where I was born is small.
when	Times	The day when we met was special.
whose	Possession	The man whose car was stolen called the police.

Defining vs. Non-defining Relative Clauses

Type	Purpose	Punctuation	Example
Defining	Identifies which person/thing	No commas	The woman who lives next door is a teacher.
Non-defining	Adds extra information	Commas required	My sister, who lives in Paris, is visiting.

Key differences:

• Defining: You cannot remove the clause without losing essential meaning. "The man who called you" -- which man? The one who called.
• Non-defining: The clause adds bonus information. "My sister, who lives in Paris, is visiting" -- you already know which sister; the clause is extra.
• That cannot be used in non-defining clauses. Use who, which, where, when, or whose.

Omitting the Relative Pronoun

In defining clauses, when the relative pronoun is the object of the clause, it can be omitted:

• "The book (that) I read was good." (omitting that -- it is the object)
• "The man who called is here." (cannot omit -- who is the subject)

In non-defining clauses, the relative pronoun can never be omitted.

Examples in Context

English	Note
The city where I was born is beautiful.	Where for a place
The day when we met changed my life.	When for a time
The man whose car was stolen reported it.	Whose for possession
The book (that) I read was excellent.	Object pronoun omitted
My mother, who is 65, still works.	Non-defining (commas, extra info)
Paris, where I lived for two years, is lovely.	Non-defining with where
The year when I graduated was 2020.	Defining with when
The girl whose bag was lost was crying.	Whose with a person
The hotel where we stayed was fantastic.	Where replacing "at which"
July, when we usually go on holiday, was rainy.	Non-defining with when

Common Mistakes

Using "who's" instead of "whose"

• Wrong: The man who's car was stolen...
• Right: The man whose car was stolen...
• Why: Who's = who is / who has (contraction). Whose = belonging to whom (possession). These are different words.

Forgetting commas in non-defining clauses

• Wrong: My brother who lives in London is a doctor. (if you only have one brother)
• Right: My brother, who lives in London, is a doctor.
• Why: If you have only one brother, the clause is non-defining (extra information) and needs commas. Without commas, it implies you have multiple brothers and you are specifying which one.

Using "that" in non-defining clauses

• Wrong: My car, that is very old, needs repair.
• Right: My car, which is very old, needs repair.
• Why: That cannot introduce a non-defining relative clause. Use which for things and who for people.

Using "where" for non-place contexts

• Wrong: The situation where I need help is...
• Right: The situation in which I need help is... / The situation where I need help...
• Why: Strictly, where refers to physical places. For abstract situations, in which is more precise, though where is increasingly accepted in informal English.

Usage Notes

In everyday spoken English, when after time nouns is often omitted or replaced with that: "The day (when/that) we met" or simply "The day we met." All three forms are correct.

Similarly, where can sometimes be replaced with that or omitted entirely in informal speech: "The place (where/that) I work" or "The place I work."

Whose can refer to both people and things: "The house whose roof was damaged" is correct, though some people prefer "The house the roof of which was damaged" in very formal writing. In everyday English, whose for things is perfectly natural.

Non-defining relative clauses are more common in writing than in speech. In spoken English, people tend to use separate sentences instead: "My sister lives in Paris. She's visiting next week." In writing, the non-defining clause sounds more polished.

Practice Tips

• Combine sentences: Take two sentences and join them with where, when, or whose: "I visited a restaurant. The food there was amazing." -> "I visited a restaurant where the food was amazing."
• Comma test: For each relative clause you write, ask: "Can I remove this clause and still know what I'm talking about?" If yes, add commas (non-defining). If no, leave them out (defining).
• Whose practice: Describe people by their possessions: "The student whose phone rang during class felt embarrassed." This structure can feel awkward at first but becomes natural with repetition.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Relative Clauses: who, which, that -- you need the basics of relative clauses before adding where, when, and whose
• Next steps: Cleft Sentences -- uses relative clause structures for emphasis
• Next steps: Nominal Clauses -- explores other types of dependent clauses in English