Grammar: B1 - ✨ Grammar Essentials: 🧩 Parts of Speech & 🏗️ Sentence Structure - Lesson 1: Defining Relative Clauses with "who" (for people)

Grammar: Defining Relative Clauses

B1 Lesson 18: Identifying People with 'Who'

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use defining relative clauses with 'who' to give essential information about people.

What is a Defining Relative Clause?

At the B1 level, we learn to connect ideas to make our sentences more detailed. A defining relative clause is a powerful tool to do this. Its job is to give essential information that identifies exactly which person or thing we're talking about.

Think of it this way: "The man is a tour guide." This sentence is like a blurry photo. We don't know which man. A defining relative clause makes the photo clear: "The man who speaks French is a tour guide." Now we know exactly who he is.

How to Build the Sentence 📖

The Recipe for Joining Sentences

We use the relative pronoun 'who' to connect two sentences about a person.

Sentence 1: The man is a tour guide. Sentence 2: He speaks French.

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Replace 'He' with 'who' and place the clause after the noun ('The man'):

Result: The man who speaks French is a tour guide.

A Note on Informal English

💡 Using 'That' Instead of 'Who'

In everyday conversation and informal writing, you will often hear native speakers use 'that' instead of 'who' for people. This is very common and not incorrect, but 'who' is always the best choice for people in formal writing.

Example: The man that speaks French is a tour guide. (Informal)

Practice Your Grammar 🎯

Exercise: Join the Sentences

Combine the two sentences into one using a defining relative clause with 'who'.

1. The girl is very smart. She won the competition.
   → The girl who won the competition is very smart.
2. I spoke to the man. He works at the hotel reception.
   → I spoke to the man who works at the hotel reception.
3. The tour guide was excellent. He showed us the best photo spots.
   → The tour guide who showed us the best photo spots was excellent.

Your Grammar Mission ⭐

Describe People You Know

Think about your friends, family, or colleagues. Write three sentences that use a defining relative clause with 'who' to identify someone.

Example: I have a friend who lives in Phnom Penh.

Key Vocabulary

• Relative Clause (Noun) | ឃ្លាភ្ជាប់
  A clause that gives more information about a noun in the main sentence.
• Essential (Adjective) | ចាំបាច់
  Absolutely necessary or extremely important.
• Identify (Verb) | កំណត់អត្តសញ្ញាណ
  To say or show who or what something is.