CEFR B2

    Relative Pronoun Omission

    Learn when you can drop who, which, and that in defining relative clauses. Practice creating natural, fluent contact clauses that sound like a confident native speaker in everyday English.

    Learning Objectives

    Understand when and how to omit relative pronouns in English sentences correctly.
    Differentiate between subject and object relative pronouns to avoid common mistakes.
    Use relative pronoun omission appropriately in informal speech and understand when to include them in formal writing.
    Finish the lesson by confidently using natural, fluent English in both spoken and written contexts!

    What Is Relative Pronoun Omission?

    In English, we often use relative clauses to give extra information about a noun. Normally, we use relative pronouns such as who, which, or that. However, in certain cases—especially in informal speech or writing—we can omit the relative pronoun when it is the object of the clause, making your English sound more natural and fluent.

    When Can We Omit the Pronoun?

    We can leave out who, which, or that when they refer to the object of the verb in the relative clause. This creates more natural-sounding English, especially in spoken contexts.

    ✓ The book (which) I bought is really interesting. → "The book I bought is really interesting."

    ✓ The person (who) you met yesterday is my cousin. → "The person you met yesterday is my cousin."

    Structure and Rules

    1. Object Pronoun Omission

    The pronoun can be omitted if it is not the subject of the relative clause. This is the most common and natural usage in spoken English.

    • Example: 'The film (that) we watched was amazing.' → 'The film we watched was amazing.'
    • Example: 'The friend (who) I visited lives in Paris.' → 'The friend I visited lives in Paris.'

    2. Subject Pronoun Cannot Be Omitted

    If the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause, you must keep it. Omitting subject pronouns creates ungrammatical sentences.

    • ✗ Incorrect: 'The woman lives next door is friendly.'
    • ✓ Correct: 'The woman who lives next door is friendly.'

    3. Informal vs. Formal English

    Omitting the pronoun is common in spoken and informal English but less common in formal writing where clarity is prioritized.

    • Informal: 'The report I sent yesterday was approved.'
    • Formal: 'The report that I sent yesterday was approved.'

    4. Prepositional Phrases

    When relative pronouns follow prepositions, they usually cannot be omitted in modern English.

    • ✓ Correct: 'The house in which I grew up was sold.'
    • ✓ Alternative: 'The house I grew up in was sold.' (more natural)

    Common Mistakes to Avoid

    ❌ Wrong: Omitting subject pronouns - 'The woman lives next door is friendly.'

    ✓ Correct: 'The woman who lives next door is friendly.' (keep subject pronouns)

    ❌ Wrong: Omitting pronouns after prepositions - 'The city I come from is large.' (awkward)

    ✓ Correct: 'The city that I come from is large.' or 'The city from which I come is large.' (formal)

    ❌ Wrong: Overusing omission in formal writing

    ✓ Correct: Use relative pronouns in formal contexts for clarity and precision

    ❌ Wrong: Confusing object and subject positions

    ✓ Correct: Always identify if the pronoun is the subject or object before omitting

    Learning Tips

    • Check if the relative pronoun is the subject or object of the clause - only omit object pronouns
    • Use omission naturally in spoken English and informal writing to sound more fluent
    • Include relative pronouns in formal writing and academic contexts for clarity
    • Practice by taking sentences with relative pronouns and deciding when you can omit them naturally
    • Listen to native speakers in movies and conversations to hear how relative pronoun omission sounds in natural speech
    • When in doubt, include the relative pronoun - it's never wrong to include it, but omitting incorrectly creates errors

    Speaking Practice:

    To practice your pronunciation, listen to the native speaker audio first. Then 'Record' yourself repeating what you heard, then use the 'Playback' button to compare your pronunciation with the native speaker. If you want to record yourself again, simply click 'Delete'!

    ✓ The book I bought yesterday is really fascinating. (omitted 'that/which')

    ✓ The person you met at the conference is our new manager. (omitted 'who/that')

    ✓ The restaurant we went to last night had amazing food. (omitted 'that/which')

    ✓ The project she completed won an award for innovation. (omitted 'that/which')

    ✓ The movie you recommended was absolutely brilliant. (omitted 'that/which')

    Your exercises are loading!

    Your exercises are loading!

    Your exercises are loading!

    Continue Your Learning Journey

    Keep building your English skills with these carefully selected next steps

    Help Other People Just Like You Improve Their English!

    Share Free Daily English With Them Today!