Who for people: adding information about a person

1. Who attaches a person's description to a noun

A relative clause with who follows a word referring to a person and explains who they are. Instead of two separate statements, The woman lives next door. She is a doctor., you can say The woman who lives next door is a doctor.

Who belongs to the subordinate clause while also referring back to the preceding person. The listener therefore understands that the woman who lives next door is the same woman described by the main statement.

How to build it

word referring to a person + who + information about them

The woman who lives next door is a doctor.

Who lives next door identifies which woman is meant; the main message is is a doctor.

I know a man who repairs bicycles.

Who connects the action repairs with the person a man.

2. Who as subject: the verb follows directly

In person + who + verb, who itself is the subject, the performer of the action. In The nurse who called me, who means the nurse: the nurse made the call.

Do not add he, she or they after subject who. English does not repeat the same person twice in this position: who works, not who she works. The verb agrees with the person before who: a student who studies, students who study.

How to build it

word referring to a person + who + verb: the driver who waits

verb / V: A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.

The student who found the key gave it to reception.

Who is the subject of found; an extra he would make the construction ungrammatical.

The people who work here are very friendly.

People is plural, so the relative clause has work without -s and the main clause has are.

3. Who as object: another subject follows

Who can be the recipient rather than the performer of an action. In The colleague who I called, I is the subject of called, while who refers to the person I called.

In a defining clause, a description that helps identify the person, object who can often be omitted: The colleague I called. If who itself performs the action, keep it in this full pattern: The colleague who called me.

In formal style, object who can be replaced by whom. Who is normal in neutral conversation, and a preposition can remain at the end: the person who I spoke to.

How to build it

word referring to a person + who + another subject + verb: the tutor who I met

subject / S: The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
verb / V: A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.

The photographer who we met yesterday sent these photos.

We performs met, while who is the object and refers to the photographer.

The teacher I wrote to replied this morning.

The omitted who would be an object in a defining clause; the preposition to remains after wrote.

4. Who, which and that: people, things and an accepted alternative

In the basic contrast, who refers to people and which to things. We therefore say the woman who called but the phone which rang. This is a useful guide, not a claim that who can never refer to a beloved animal or a group of people in wider English usage.

That is possible in a defining clause about a person: the woman that called. If an exercise specifically asks for who, use it; a correct that in another situation does not become an error.

Which for an individual person in a standard construction such as the man which called is an error. Which naturally introduces information about an object instead.

How to build it

person → who; thing → which; a defining description can also use that

The chef who made this soup is from Odesa.

Chef refers to a person, so who introduces the description.

The chef that made this soup is from Odesa.

That is also grammatical in a defining clause; this is an important contrast, not an example of an error.

The oven which made that noise is off now.

Oven is a thing, so the neutral pronoun here is which, not who.

A defining clause helps identify the person

A defining relative clause contains information needed for identification. In The nurse who works nights can help you, who works nights distinguishes the relevant nurse from others.

In neutral writing, do not set this clause off with commas. It comes immediately after the word it describes, not in an arbitrary position at the end of the sentence.

It is in a defining clause that object who can be omitted when the clause already has its own subject: the nurse who I called or the nurse I called.

Ask the employee who speaks Spanish.

The description helps select one employee; no commas are needed.

The customer who you spoke to is waiting outside.

Who is an object in a defining clause; The customer you spoke to is also grammatical.

A non-defining clause adds a separate detail between commas

When a person is already clearly identified, who can add information that is supplementary rather than needed for identification: Marta, who works at a hospital, is visiting. In writing, set this clause off with commas on both sides if the sentence continues.

In a non-defining clause, do not omit the relative pronoun or use that. For a person, use who, or the more formal whom as an object. This lesson gives the basic boundary; a detailed treatment of all non-defining clauses belongs to a higher level.

Without commas, the description helps identify the brother: My brother who lives in Lviv. With commas, My brother, who lives in Lviv, presents his residence as an additional fact. Commas alone do not prove how many brothers the speaker has.

How to build it

already identified person, who + additional information, main clause continues

clause: A construction with a verb, often with its own subject: when I arrived. A non-finite clause may leave the subject unspoken: to get home.

My aunt Marta, who lives in Warsaw, is visiting us.

The name already identifies the person; who lives in Warsaw is an extra detail between commas.

Oleh, who I work with, knows the area well.

Who is an object, but it cannot simply be omitted in a non-defining clause.

7. Using the pattern: first the person, then the relevant description

To build a sentence, first name the person, add the who-clause immediately, then complete the main message. Check who performs the action inside the subordinate clause: if it is who, the verb follows directly; if I, we, Maya or someone else performs it, who is the object.

Do not try to insert who into every sentence about a person. It is needed when a clause describes a noun inside a larger sentence. The separate Who called? is a question, not a relative clause.

You may use real or invented people in your examples. Check meaning, the position of who, the absence of a redundant pronoun, verb agreement and commas when the information is genuinely supplementary.

The neighbour who found my keys left a note.

First comes neighbour, immediately followed by who found my keys, and then the main action left.

She's the colleague who I ask for advice.

I is the subject of ask and who is the object; the natural preposition for belongs to ask for advice, not to who.

Common mistakes

Incorrect:The man which called you is my manager.

Correct:The man who called you is my manager.

Man refers to a person; the standard relative clause here requires who, not which.

Incorrect:The woman who she lives upstairs is a pilot.

Correct:The woman who lives upstairs is a pilot.

Who is already the subject of lives, so the repeated subject she is unnecessary.

Incorrect:The nurse who I thanked her was very kind.

Correct:The nurse who I thanked was very kind.

Who is already the object of thanked and refers to the nurse; her repeats the same object.

Incorrect:The volunteer works on Fridays helped me.

Correct:The volunteer who works on Fridays helped me.

This full defining relative clause needs subject who before works.

Incorrect:My aunt Marta, that lives in Warsaw, is visiting us.

Correct:My aunt Marta, who lives in Warsaw, is visiting us.

A non-defining clause between commas cannot be introduced by that; use who for a person.

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