The company whose products I always buy has excellent customer service. Such as who and whom is used for people, which for things, that and whose for both, people or things. For example: The car which I bought last week is already having problems. (Whose refers to the woman and shows that the wallet belongs to her). [Comment: Dont bother about who, whom, etc. It functions as the object, not the subject, of the clause. You need to get detail information about relative pronoun provided above and check your skill by doing following exercises. And thats the relative pronoun in a nutshell. The people who were at the party were all my friends. The boyfriend wont lie to her. A relative pronoun is a type of pronoun that often introduces dependent (or relative) clauses in sentences. The relative pronoun whose can be used to refer to both people and things. This kind of clause gets a that. Whom do you ask for advice when youre stuck? Here are a few examples of how these pronouns might be used in sentences. For example; The president is 50 years old. There is another category of relative pronouns called compound relative pronouns, formed by the addition of -ever or -soever. (Note that a restrictive relative clause is an essential part of the sentence as it makes the noun specific; it comes without commas. It functions like a conjunction to combine parts of a sentence. (The clause whose policies I disagree with provides additional information about the noun politician and indicates that the politician owns the policies). In other words, if you removed a restrictive clause, the meaning of the sentence would change drastically, becoming much less specific. Interpretative dance, which I find a bit disconcerting, is all the rage. It tells us something about the noun. So lets rewind a bit and take a look at what relative clauses are. Relative pronoun that is used to refer to animals and things. This is used when referring to people in the subject noun phrase. When the text preceding the relative clause contains multiple nouns, make sure the last one is the one you intended the relative clause to modify. Do you know the person that lives next door to you? The use of a relative pronoun in the sentence provide clue that the relative clause is beginning. This is used to describe the subject, the paints. This relative clause is non-essential as the sentence could make sense without it: The paints are going to be used on wood.. They are: Who (Replaces the issue pronoun, including I, he, she, we, and that they) Whom (Replaces item pronouns, such as me, him, and her) Whose (Shows ownership or possession ) Which (Used in a non-defining clause approximately an animal or item, that means they offer . A pronoun can function as a subject, object, or complement in a sentence. Copyright White Planet Technologies Pvt. Relative pronouns add information; interrogative pronouns ask questions to gather more information. Where is used when referring to a place or location. The term compound relative pronoun sounds complex, but it really isnt. You have been successfully subscribed to the Grammarly blog. 10. It was the biggest cathedral [that] I had ever seen. Its never used for things. (2015). Following are the examples of relative pronouns: We have provided below some exercises in order to help you to improve your knowledge about relative pronoun. I went to the hospital. (These are what make it a clause .) Hence, you is the subject of the clause.]. As dependent clauses, relative clauses are often used to give additional information about something without starting a new sentence. In many cases, the relative pronoun can be left out of the sentence without affecting its meaning. A relative pronoun is a word that is used to introduce a relative clause, which is a type of dependent clause thats used to modify or describe a noun. The word which, on the other hand, should introduce a nonessential clause that can be removed from a sentence without changing the sentences meaning. The main English relative pronouns are which, that, who, and whom. The footballer people dont know much about played key role in todays match. [which is the subject of the clause, and the clause is non-restrictive. The relative pronoun whose is used for possessive forms of people and things. Register Now! [Relative pronoun can be dropped and for moved to after skills.]. Download Entri App! However, a more advanced step to make writing concisely is to reduce a relative clause to a phrase, a tool commonly used by professional writers. Greenhouse gases, which originate mainly from human activities such as transportation, electricity, and industry, are warming our planet to a dangerous level. The use of relative pronouns is divided accordingly for the persons, things, etc. Mr. Thompson, who is 60, has just retired from his job. Their roles in questions are similar to their roles in relative clauses: what and which are used to ask questions about things, who and whom about people, and whose about ownership. What as a relative pronoun - Home of English Grammar (2011). The relative pronoun is the word that introduces the relative clause so listeners or readers know whether the speaker or writer is referring to the subject or object noun phrase from the main clause. Lets take a closer look at each of these relative pronouns and how they are used in sentences: Its important to remember that, who is used when the pronoun is the subject of the clause, while whom is used when the pronoun is the object of the clause. Click here to learn more examples from the Relative Pronoun exercise questions. Of these, whom cant be the subject of the clause and whose can be the subject in association with other nouns. "Who" as a Relative Pronoun | Editor's Manual [Relative pronoun can be dropped. (Ed.). Second, knowing how to drop relative pronouns, wherever possible, makes your writing concise and smoother to read. The robots, which were made in Japan, work well. Remember, a clause has to have at least a subject and a verb. My brother, who hates flying, took an hour to get onto the plane. (the relative pronoun who refers to the noun woman already mentioned), The dog whose collar was found in our yard must be lost. Yes, that is normally classified as a relative pronoun when its used in a phrase like the house that I live in or the train that departs at 4 p.m.. The key is knowing what they are and how to use them correctly (and they wont even judge your lifestyle choices). (2016). [Preposition about precedes relative pronoun whom. Relative pronouns are different from conjunctions. Combining such sentences adds another tool to vary your sentences. The truth is, this sentence is perfectly fine. Yes, even a word less matters. I dont like people is much different from I dont like people who interrupt me.. adds detail to a noun or pronoun in non-essential clauses. I love the ukulele. Heres a tip: Want to make sure your writing shines? We just sent you an Email. Mary liked the actress who was playing Scarlett. There, I met Dr Johnson, who attended the same school as I did. Step-by-step process. Someone who gossips to you about someone else will, sooner or later, gossip about you to others. Whichever train you take from here, you will end at Charing Cross station. We replaced he with a relative pronoun who to form the relative clause who attended the same school as I did and attached it to the first sentence. (The clause whose paintings I admire the most provides additional information about the noun artist and indicates that the artist owns the paintings). These relative pronouns function exactly like adjectives, and so the clauses they form can also be called adjective clauses. Examples: In the modern workplace, the metaphor for ideal skillset is T-shaped skillset, which means deep expertise in one field and shallow knowledge of few related fields. The woman whose wallet I found turned out to be my neighbour. The relative pronouns are "that," "which," "who," "whom," and "whose." Here are two examples: I know the boy who found my wallet. These words can also function as other parts of speechthey aren't exclusively used as relative pronouns. When those words ask a question, theyre functioning as interrogative pronounswhich replace nouns in interrogative sentences. The house, the owner of which is on vacation, has an unsightly garden. Relative pronoun. The parasite only takes and takes from a friend. He is a friendly a man. The politician whose policies I disagree with is unpopular. What are some examples of relative pronouns? Oxford University Press. 3: Keep pronouns and antecedents close, An antecedent is the noun that a pronoun refers to. The truth is, this sentence is perfectly fine. 8. Remember, who is always the subject of a sentence or clause, whereas whom is always the object. Possessive Pronoun Place an antecedent exactly before the relative pronoun that refers to it to guarantee clarity. We saw leaving out relative pronouns as a way to make writing concise. The noun the pronoun refers to is called the antecedent: However, it is generally avoided the use of 'that' for people especially in the formal writing. 2. Only one condition met. The wardrobe, which contains several fur coats, leads to Narnia. Non-essential clauses (also known as non-defining or nonrestrictive clauses) add information that's nice to have but isn't essential to the sentence's overall meaning. They can describe people, things (including animals), places, abstract ideas, or just about any noun as long as they refer to the subject or object contained in the main clause. (Which refers to the dog and provides additional information about it). That and which are two relative pronouns whose functions are often confused. (That refers to the book and provides more information about it). Federer, whose illustrious tennis career has inspired many, is struggling with injuries of late. The house whose owner is on vacation has an unsightly garden. Sid is my brothers friend. Real-world examples. He moved to New York last year. Words that are relative pronouns include which and who. Learn more about this type of pronoun and how to teach them in our handy teaching wiki! It even proofreads your text, so your work is extra polished wherever you write. To some, the following sentence may sound incorrect. The most common relative pronouns are who, whom, whose, which, and that. You should, however, consider the possibility that your readers will disagree. Wherever possible, we omit relative pronouns to make sentences more concise. This means that a relative clause cant function as a sentence by itself and only makes sense when paired with the main clause. The word pronoun comes from its function of pointing to a noun Dr Johnson. In the above example, "who": relates to "The person", which "who phoned me last night . My sister, who lives in New York, is coming to visit next week. Explore the topic further on this dedicated resource page: Find more posts on clause and learn the topic in-depth: Anil is the person behind content on this website, which is visited by 3,000,000+ learners every year.