Relative Clauses 3: whose / whom / where
Using whose for possession, whom in formal contexts, and where for places in relative clauses
whose — Showing Possession
Use whose in a relative clause to show that something belongs to the person you are talking about. It replaces his, her, their, or a possessive noun.
- We contacted a supplier whose prices were lower than the competition. (= their prices were lower)
- That’s the manager whose team won the quarterly sales award. (= her team won)
- I spoke to a colleague whose brother works at our Tokyo office. (= his brother works there)
who vs. whose
Do not mix up who and whose. Who refers to the person directly. Whose refers to something that belongs to the person.
| Clause | Meaning |
|---|---|
| a colleague who speaks Mandarin | the colleague speaks Mandarin |
| a colleague whose wife speaks Mandarin | the colleague’s wife speaks Mandarin |
whose vs. who’s
These sound identical but are completely different.
| Word | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| whose | possessive | An employee whose contract ends in March. |
| who’s | short for who is or who has | An employee who’s leaving in March. (= who is leaving) |
If you can expand it to “who is” or “who has”, write who’s. Otherwise, write whose.
whom — Formal Object Pronoun
Whom can replace who when the person is the object of the verb in the relative clause.
- The recruiter whom I spoke to was very helpful. (I spoke to the recruiter — “the recruiter” is the object)
You can also place a preposition directly before whom:
- She’s a colleague with whom I’ve worked for five years. (= I’ve worked with her)
- The candidate to whom we offered the position has accepted. (= we offered the position to him)
whom is formal
In everyday English, especially in speech, people drop whom entirely or use who/that instead.
| Formal (written) | Everyday |
|---|---|
| the client whom I emailed | the client I emailed |
| a partner with whom we collaborate | a partner we collaborate with |
Both forms are correct. Use whom (especially preposition + whom) in formal reports, business letters, and professional writing. In casual emails or conversation, the everyday version is fine.
where — Talking About Places
Use where in a relative clause to refer to a place. It replaces there, in it, at that place, etc.
- The office where I work is on the 12th floor. (= I work there)
- We visited the factory where the components are assembled.
- Is there a meeting room where we can talk privately?
the day / the time / the reason — No Relative Word Needed
With time expressions like the day, the year, the last time, and with the reason, you can leave out the relative word entirely.
- Friday is the day we submit the weekly report.
- Do you remember the year the company went public?
- The last time I checked, the shipment hadn’t arrived.
- The reason I’m calling is to confirm tomorrow’s agenda.
You can also use that in these sentences:
- Friday is the day that we submit the weekly report.
- The reason that I’m calling is to confirm tomorrow’s agenda.
With reason, you may also hear why, but it is optional:
- The reason why she turned down the offer was the relocation.
Quick Self-Check
We hired a consultant _____ expertise is in supply chain management.
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The director _____ I reported to has retired.
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Is that the warehouse _____ they store the raw materials?
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I have a colleague _____ just been promoted to VP.
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The reason _____ the project was delayed was a shortage of materials.
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