Pronouns · CEFR B1 · Independent
who / which / that — English pronouns
Adds information about a person or thing without a new sentence.
The shape
the person who… · the thing which / that…
Say which person or thing you mean.
In Hindi
नया वाक्य बनाए बिना किसी व्यक्ति या चीज़ के बारे में जानकारी जोड़ता है।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
The man which called you. | The man who called you. People take "who", things take "which" or "that". |
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
- Defining relative clausesB1Say exactly which person or thing you mean
- Non-defining relative clausesB2Add extra information without changing which one you mean
Questions people ask
- What is the who / which / that used for?
- Adds information about a person or thing without a new sentence. In practice: say which person or thing you mean.
- How do you form the who / which / that?
- the person who… · the thing which / that….
- What is the most common mistake with the who / which / that?
- Saying “The man which called you.” instead of “The man who called you.”. People take "who", things take "which" or "that".
Where who / which / that fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
who / which / that is a CEFR B1 structure — the independent band — and it belongs to pronouns. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
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