Defining relative clauses: who, which, that, where

• We use defining relative clauses to give essential information about a person, thing, or place. They help us explain exactly who or what we are talking about in sales conversations.
• Relative Pronoun
• Use
• Example
• who
• for people
• The sales rep who works in Boston calls clients every morning.
• which / that
• for things
• This is the new catalog which shows our prices.
• where
• for places
• Seattle is the city where our main office stands.
• Remember
• Use 'who' for people instead of repeating he, she, or they.
• Use 'which' or 'that' for products, services, and other things.
• Use 'where' to talk about locations and offices.
• Do not put a comma before or after the relative clause.
• Examples
• I need a manager who understands our market.
• She has a brochure that contains all product details.
• Apex Ergonomics is a company which sells great office desks.
• Common mistakes
• This is the manager which helps me with deals.
• This is the manager who helps me with deals.
• That is the showroom where sells coffee machines.
• That is the showroom where we sell coffee machines.

Complete the sentences

• Mark is the client ___ (who) ____ buys our best-selling coffee machines in Chicago.
• This is the price list ___ (which) ____ shows all costs for Seattle businesses.
• We want a brochure ___ (that) ____ explains every feature clearly.
• Boston is the city ___ (where) ____ our regional sales team meets every Monday.
• She is the account manager ___ (who) ____ handles the big accounts in New York.
• Here is the sample ___ (which) ____ demonstrates the new model.

Sources: photo by Vitaly Gariev on Pexels