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Learning Objectives

2 minutes reading
✓
Use who for people, which for things, where for places
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Use that as an alternative to who/which
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Combine sentences for clearer, more professional writing
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Add essential details to descriptions and specifications
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Key for this lesson

Who = people. Which = things. That = both (informal). Where = places. Relative clauses add information!

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Grammar Explanation

4 minutes reading
Relative Pronouns

Connecting Information

Noun + who/which/that/where + clause

Who (people): "The manager who hired me is retiring."

Which (things): "The app which we launched is popular."

Where (places): "The office where I work is modern."

whowhichthatwhere
That vs Who/Which

When to Use Each

That = informal alternative for who/which

Formal: "The report which I sent..."

Neutral: "The report that I sent..."

Note: Don't use "that" after commas!

that (informal)who/which (formal)
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Combining Sentences

"I met the designer. She created the logo." → "I met the designer who created the logo." Much cleaner!

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Context & Professional Usage

5 minutes reading

People (who/that)

👤Colleagues: "The analyst who prepared the report..."
🤝Clients: "The client who called yesterday..."
👥Teams: "Staff who work remotely..."
💼Candidates: "Applicants who have experience..."

Things & Places (which/that/where)

📱Products: "The app that we launched last week..."
📄Documents: "The report which contains the data..."
🏢Locations: "The office where we held the meeting..."
💻Systems: "The software which manages our data..."
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Business English Examples

6 minutes reading
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Correct Relative Clause Usage

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"The app that we launched last week is already popular."

Thing + that + clause

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"Sarah, who leads the marketing team, will present."

Person + who + clause (with commas for extra info)

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"The building where we have our office is being renovated."

Place + where + clause

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"The software which we use for accounting is very reliable."

Thing + which + clause (formal)

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Common Mistakes

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"The manager which hired me..."

Use: "The manager who hired me..." (people = who)

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"The office who I work..."

Use: "The office where I work..." (place = where)

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"Sarah, that leads the team..."

Don't use "that" after commas. Use: "Sarah, who..."

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Professional Listening Exercise

6 minutes

Listen to a project briefing:

🎵Audio: Project Falcon Briefing
Ready
0:00 / 0:00
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Speed:

Marco: Hi Chloe, welcome to the team. Let's talk about Project Falcon, which is our main focus this quarter. It's a new productivity app that we're planning to launch in May. The main feature, which our developers are still testing, is AI-powered task management.

Our team lead is Anna, the person who you met this morning. She's the one whose vision guides the whole project. You'll be working closely with David, who is responsible for our social media campaigns. He's very creative. The office where he works is just down the hall.

We are targeting small businesses that need a simple project management tool. Last month, we conducted a survey which gave us some really valuable feedback. One key piece of feedback came from a client whose company has 50 employees. He told us that the most important feature is the one that allows for easy team collaboration. This is a crucial deliverable for us. We need to make sure every stakeholder is happy with the final product. The only issue that is causing a delay is a small bug in the notification system. I'm confident we'll fix it this week.

Question 1: What is Project Falcon?

💡 Hint: Listen for Marco saying "It's a new productivity app that we're planning to launch..."

Question 2: Who is Anna?

💡 Hint: Listen for Marco saying "Our team lead is Anna... She's the one whose vision..."

Question 3: What did the survey provide?

💡 Hint: Listen for Marco saying "we conducted a survey which gave us..."

Question 4: Fill in the gap: "The only issue that is causing a delay is a small ______ in the notification system."

💡 Hint: Listen for a word that describes a problem or error in software.
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Quick Comprehension Quiz

4 minutes
1

Correct relative pronoun for people:

AThe colleague which helped me...
BThe colleague who helped me...
CThe colleague where helped me...
2

Correct for places:

AThe office who I work...
BThe office which I work...
CThe office where I work...
3

"That" can replace which word?

AWhere
BWho and which
COnly which
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Professional Practice Exercises

7 minutes

Exercise A: Complete with who, which, that, or where

1. The manager _______ trained me is now the CEO.

2. The software _______ we use is very reliable.

3. The building _______ we have our meetings is near the station.

4. The report _______ I wrote was approved yesterday.

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Speaking Preparation

4 minutes
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Preparation for Class

Practice combining sentences using relative clauses.

👥 Task 1: Describe People (1 min)

Describe colleagues: "The person who... / My manager, who..."

💻 Task 2: Describe Things (2 min)

Describe tools you use: "The software which... / The app that..."

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Well Done!

Key pronouns: Who (people), Which (things), That (both), Where (places)
Next: Lesson 6.3 - Linking Ideas: Reasons and Purposes

Module Overview
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