Mohammad Abdullah                    

                            Relative Pronouns

Definition:-

A relative pronoun is a type of pronoun used to connect a relative clause (also known as an adjective clause) to the main clause in a sentence. Relative clauses either help clarify who or what a sentence is talking about (known as the antecedent), or else give extra information about it.

Here are the five most commonly used relative pronouns:

• that
• which
• who
• whom
• whose

Less commonly used relative pronouns include the following:

• where
• when
• whoever
• whosoever
• whomever
• whichever
• wherever
• whatever
• whatsoever

Functions of the relative pronoun:-

Subjects, objects, and possession

In a relative clause, the relative pronoun functions in one of three ways: as the subject, the object, or a possessive pronoun (though whose is the only possessive relative pronoun). The usage of a relative pronoun ultimately depends on its antecedent and the relative clause it introduces.

We can use this table as a quick guide:

Let’s look at how each of these can be used in a sentence:

Subject

• “The woman who came to my house was a salesperson.” (Who is the subject of the relative clause who came to my house, which describes the antecedent the woman.)
• “The male birds danced and sang, which attracted nearby females.” (Which is the subject of the non-restrictive relative clause which attracted nearby females that describes the antecedent danced and sang.)
• “I have to go mend the fence that is broken.” (That is the subject of the restrictive relative clause that is broken, describing the antecedent the fence.)
• “I want a computer which can download a lot of games.” (Which is the subject of the relative clause which can download a lot of games and describes the antecedent a computer.)

Object

• “I don’t know if I passed the test that I took yesterday.” (That is the object of relative clause that I took yesterday and describes the antecedent the test.)
• “The new employee whom I hired is a dedicated worker.” (Whom is the object of the relative clause whom I hired and describes the antecedent the new employee.)

Possession

The relative pronoun whose is unique in that it is the only one that can describe possession. It comes before a noun in a sentence, modifying it like an adjective to indicate that it belongs to the antecedent.

• “She tried to help the student whose lunch money had been stolen.” (Whose modifies lunch money and introduces the relative clause whose lunch money had been stolen, which describes the antecedent the student.)

Substituting relative pronouns

Most relative pronouns are capable of multiple functions and usages, meaning they can be used in place of one another in certain circumstances. The table below gives a quick breakdown of when it is acceptable to use each relative pronoun:

Relative pronouns that can be replaced:-

• “The woman who/that came to my house was a salesperson.” (Who and that are interchangeable when describing people.)
• “The new employee whom/who/that* I hired is a dedicated worker.” (In addition to whom, who and that can also be used as an object in informal English when describing a person in a restrictive relative clause.)
• “The mailman, whom/who* my father knew in high school, is running for the state senate.” (When whom is the object of a non-restrictive relative clause, it can only be replaced by who)
• “I want a computer that/which** can download a lot of games.” (Which and that can both describe things.)

(*Usage note 1: Traditionally, whom is considered the only correct relative pronoun when functioning as the object of a relative clause, but nowadays who is also acceptable (as is that in restrictive relative clauses). In fact, most people these days only use who, while whom tends to be reserved for formal English.)

(**Usage note 2: In general, the relative pronoun that is preferable to which in restrictive relative clauses; however, which is largely considered acceptable, especially in informal writing. We will discuss the differences between restrictive and non-restrictive clauses in more detail later.)

Relative pronouns that cannot be replaced

• “The male birds danced and sang, which attracted nearby females.” (Since which is the subject of a non-restrictive relative clause describing a thing (the act of dancing and singing), it cannot be replaced by any other relative pronoun.)
• “She tried to help the student whose lunch money had been stolen.” (Only whose can be used as a possessive relative pronoun, whether it describes a person or a thing.)

Source:- The Farlex English Grammar Book By Peter Herring.