Where Did These Connecting Words Come From?
People have been putting sentences together for thousands of years. Long ago, writers noticed that short, choppy sentences didn't sound very smooth. They wanted a way to glue two ideas into one longer, more interesting sentence. That is exactly why relative pronouns and relative adverbs were invented!
Here's the big question this lesson answers: How do you pick the right connecting word, and where does it go in a sentence? Let's find out!
What Are Relative Pronouns & Relative Adverbs?
A relative pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun and connects an extra piece of information to the main sentence. The five relative pronouns you need to know are who, whose, whom, which, and that.
A relative adverb works in a similar way, but instead of replacing a noun, it tells about a place, a time, or a reason. The three relative adverbs are where, when, and why.
Both kinds of words start what we call a relative clause—a group of words that gives extra details about something already mentioned in the sentence.
Who
Whose
Whom
Which
That
Where / When / Why
Visual Map: Choosing the Right Word
The flowchart below helps you decide which connecting word to use. Start at the top and follow the arrows!
Look at the flowchart above. First, ask yourself: Am I adding information about a person, a thing, a place, a time, or a reason? Your answer points you to the right word. If you're talking about a person, you have three choices—who, whom, or whose—depending on the person's role in the sentence. If it's a thing or animal, choose which or that. And if you need a place, time, or reason, reach for where, when, or why.
How Relative Clauses Work
A relative clause is the group of words that starts with a relative pronoun or adverb and adds extra information. It always comes right after the noun (or idea) it describes. Let's see how two short sentences become one smooth sentence.
Notice that the relative clause that loves to swim comes right after the word dog. It tells us which dog we're talking about. This is the most important rule: the relative clause should sit as close as possible to the noun it describes.
Here is a handy way to remember the three relative adverbs. Where always answers "In what place?" When always answers "At what time?" And why always answers "For what reason?"
A Closer Look at Each Word
Now let's look at every connecting word side by side. The table below shows what each word does and gives you an example you can try reading aloud.
| Word | Type | Used For | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| who | Relative Pronoun | People (subject) | The girl who won the race smiled. |
| whose | Relative Pronoun | Ownership (people or things) | The boy whose bike is red is my neighbor. |
| whom | Relative Pronoun | People (object) | The friend whom I called came over. |
| which | Relative Pronoun | Things or animals | The puzzle which was hard took an hour. |
| that | Relative Pronoun | People or things | The song that I like is playing now. |
| where | Relative Adverb | Places | This is the park where we play soccer. |
| when | Relative Adverb | Times | I love the moment when school ends. |
| why | Relative Adverb | Reasons | That's the reason why I study hard. |
The diagram below shows how a sentence is built when you add a relative clause. The blue part is the main clause, and the pink part is the relative clause that adds more detail.
Here's a good test. If you can remove the relative clause and the sentence still makes sense on its own, then you placed it correctly. In the example above, "The cat is named Whiskers" is a complete thought. The clause that sleeps on my bed just adds a helpful detail.
Worked Example
Let's walk through a complete example step by step. We will start with two sentences and combine them using the best connecting word.
Now let's try one with a relative adverb. Suppose you have: "I love summer." and "We go to the beach in summer." The shared idea is about a time (summer), so we use when. The combined sentence is: I love summer, when we go to the beach.
Relative Pronouns vs. Relative Adverbs
Students sometimes mix up these two groups. Let's compare them so you can see the difference clearly.
| Feature | Relative Pronouns | Relative Adverbs |
|---|---|---|
| Words | who, whose, whom, which, that | where, when, why |
| What they replace | A noun (person or thing) | A place, time, or reason phrase |
| Example pair | "The dog that barked is mine." | "The yard where it barked is big." |
| How many? | 5 words | 3 words |
| Can you remove the clause? | Yes — the main sentence still works | Yes — the main sentence still works |
Here is a tip for telling them apart. If the clause answers "Who?" or "What?", you used a relative pronoun. If it answers "Where?", "When?", or "Why?", you used a relative adverb.
What Comes Next?
Now that you know about relative pronouns and relative adverbs, you are ready for some bigger ideas you will learn in 5th grade and beyond. Here is a sneak peek!
| What You Know Now | What You'll Learn Later |
|---|---|
| You can combine two sentences with a relative pronoun or adverb. | You'll learn about restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses—knowing when to use commas around a clause. |
| You know who is for subjects and whom is for objects. | You'll practice using whom in formal writing and learn when it's okay to skip it in casual speech. |
| You use that and which for things. | You'll learn that that usually starts a restrictive clause (needed info) and which starts a nonrestrictive clause (extra info). |
| You use where, when, and why as relative adverbs. | You'll see these words used in even fancier sentence structures called adverbial clauses. |
Don't worry about those bigger ideas right now. The skills you're building in this lesson are the building blocks. Every strong writer started exactly where you are today!
Practice Problems
Try these five problems on your own. When you're ready, click "Show Answer" to check your work. Good luck!
Lesson Review
In this lesson you learned about two families of connecting words. The first family is the relative pronouns—who, whose, whom, which, and that—which take the place of a noun and start a relative clause that gives extra details about a person, animal, or thing. The second family is the relative adverbs—where, when, and why—which do the same job for places, times, and reasons.
To pick the right word, first decide whether you are adding information about a person (use who, whose, whom), a thing or animal (use which or that), a place (use where), a time (use when), or a reason (use why). Then place the relative clause right after the noun it describes. You can always double-check by removing the clause—if the main sentence still makes sense on its own, you've done it right. Keep practicing, and soon these connecting words will feel as natural as tying your shoes!