Linking Ideas with Relative Pronouns

Khan Academy

In this concise grammar tutorial, the narrator introduces relative pronouns—who, whom, whose, that, and which—and explains their primary function: linking independent and dependent clauses. The video breaks down the specific usage rules for each pronoun, distinguishing between those used for people (who, whom, whose, that) and those used for inanimate objects or concepts (whose, that, which). Key grammatical rules are demonstrated through clear, handwritten examples on a blackboard style background. The video specifically highlights the flexibility of the word "that" (usable for both people and things) while cautioning against the common error of using "which" to refer to people. Through examples like "The man who sold the world" and "The salad that I bought," viewers see practical applications of these rules in sentence construction. This resource is highly valuable for English Language Arts classrooms as it addresses a specific, common pain point in student writing: sentence variety and correct pronoun usage. It provides a foundational understanding that helps students combine simple sentences into complex ones, improving the flow and sophistication of their writing while clarifying the often-confused distinction between "who," "that," and "which."