Relative pronouns
Definition
of relative pronoun:
a
relative pronoun is a pronoun that introduces a relative clause. It is called a
"relative" pronoun because it "relates" to the word that it
modifies. There are five relative pronouns: who, whom, whose,
which, that.
Who (subject) and whom
(object) are generally only for people. Whose is for possession. Which
is for things. In non-restrictive relative clauses, that is used
for things. In restrictive relative clauses (clauses that are essential
to the sentence and do not simply add extra information) that can be
used for things and people.
Examples |
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Restrictive
(defining )
relative clauses
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Subject
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- The girl who/ that
sent a letter last week is my sister.
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people
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- The dog which/ that
bit me was black.
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things
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Object
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- The girl whom/ who/
that I sent a letter last week is my sister.
- The person I phoned last night is my teacher. |
people
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- The book which/ that
I am reading is boring.
- The book I am reading is boring. |
things
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Possessive
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- The man whose
car is new is my teacher.
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people
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- The police are looking for the car whose
driver was masked.
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things
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Non-restrictive
(non-defining) relative clauses
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Subject
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- James, who
has helped my sister with maths for years, has left school.
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people
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- Fruits, which
are really cheap in Morocco, can be bought now for a reasonable
price.
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things
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Object
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- The professor, whom/who
I respect, has just retired.
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people
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- The sculpture, which
he admired, was moved into the basement of the museum.
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things
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Possessive
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- My brother, whose phone you just heard, is a doctor.
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people
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- The chair, whose
leg was broken, was stolen by a student.
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things
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