Relative pronounsintroduce relative clauses. The most common relative pronouns arewho, whom, whose, which, that. The relative pronoun we use depends on what we are referring to and the type of relative clause.
who | people and sometimes pet animals | defining and non-defining |
which | animals and things | defining and non-defining; clause referring to a whole sentence |
that | people, animals and things; informal | defining only |
whose | possessive meaning; for people and animals usually; sometimes for things in formal situations | defining and non-defining |
whom | people in formal styles or in writing; often with a preposition; rarely in conversation; used instead ofwhoifwhois the object | defining and non-defining |
no relative pronoun | when the relative pronoun defines the object of the clause | defining only |
(In the examples, the relative pronoun is in brackets to show where it is not essential; the person or thing being referred to is underlined.)
We don’t knowthe personwhodonated this money.
We drove pastmy old school,whichis celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
He went tothe school(that) my father went to.
The Kingfisher group,whosename was changed from Woolworths earlier this year, includes about 720 high street shops.Superdrug,whichlast week announced that it is buying Medicare, is also part of the group.
The parents(whom/who/that) we interviewed were all involved in education in some way.
See also:
Relative clauses: defining and non-defining
Relative clauses referring to a whole sentence
Relative pronouns:who
We usewhoin relative clauses to refer to people, and sometimes to pet animals. We use it to introduce defining and non-defining relative clauses:
I think there’d be a lot ofchildrenwho’d love to have a climbing wall in school.(defining)
That’sthe dogwhodoesn’t like me.(defining; referring to a pet animal)
There’sthis guy at work,who’s one of my friends, well he’s never been on a train.(non-defining)
Subjects and objects
Whocan act as the subject or the object of the relative clause:
She’s going out witha blokewho’s in the army.(whorefers to ablokeand is the subject ofisin the relative clause;blokeis an informal word for a man)
The womanwhoI saw yesterday was Sheila.(whorefers tothe womanand is the object ofsawin the relative clause)
Who+ prepositions
We can usewhoas the complement of a preposition:
It wasCathwhoIan gave the keys to. It wasn’t me.(whorefers toCathand is the complement of the prepositionto)
We put the preposition at the end of the relative clause, and not immediately beforewho:
Of all my friends, she’sthe onewhoI know I can rely on.
Not: …the one on who I know I can rely.
Whowith collective groups of people
We often usewhowith collective human nouns (e.g.committee,government,group,panel,police,team):
Nicola phonedthe fire brigade,whothen alerted the police and social workers.
We do not usewhofor things:
There aresome very good art bookswhichyou can get ideas from.
Not:There are some very good art books who you can get ideas from.
See also:
Relative pronouns:whom
Relative pronouns:whom
We usewhomin formal styles or in writing to refer to people when the person is the object of the verb. It is much more common in writing than in speaking:
The response of thosemanagerswhomI have consulted has been very positive and we are looking forward to meeting together.(whomrefers tothose managersand is the object ofconsultedin the relative clause)
She wasa celebrated actresswhomhe had known and loved, on and off, almost since her first appearance on the stage.
Whom+ prepositions
The most common use ofwhomis with a preposition. We can usewhomas the complement of a preposition:
The first book was a terrible historical novel for children which was turned down byevery publisherto whomit was sent.(whomrefers toevery publisherand is the complement of the prepositionto)
Drama in schools is particularly good forpupilsfor whomEnglish is a second language.
We put the preposition beforewhom.
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Relative pronouns:who
Relative pronoun:whose
We usually usewhoseas a relative pronoun to indicate possession by people and animals. In more formal styles we can also use it for things.
We usewhosebefore nouns instead of a possessive expression (my, your, his, her, its, our, their, x’s) in defining and non-defining clauses:
He’s marryinga girlwhosefamily don’t seem to like him.(The family of the girl he’s marrying don’t seem to like him.)
There was me and there wasKate,whoseparty it was, and then there were two other people.(It was Kate’s party.)
It is a rambling Tudorhouse,whosesitting room looks out over a wonderful walled garden.(The sitting room of the house looks out over …)
Whose+ prepositions
We can usewhose+ noun as the complement of a preposition:
Kate,whosesister I used to share a house with, has gone to work in Australia.(whose sisterrefers toKateand is the complement ofwith)
We can put the preposition immediately before the relative pronoun (more formal written styles) or at the end of the relative clause (more informal).
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Relative pronouns:which
We usewhichin relative clauses to refer to animals and to things. We use it to introduce defining and non-defining relative clauses. We always usewhichto introduce relative clauses when they refer to a whole sentence or clause:
You need to tickthe boxwhichsays yes.(defining)
He won’t have much time to prepare forthe meeting,whichis this afternoon.(non-defining)
She had to get up and walk all the way to the other side of the room,whichisn’t easy with a bad back.(whichrefers to the whole sentence before it)
We usewhichorthat, notwhat:
Anotheractivitywhich/thatI have chosen is photography.
Not:Another activity what I have chosen is photography.
Subjects and objects
Whichcan act as the subject or the object of the relative clause:
The new sports complex,whichwill be built on the site of the old power station, will provide facilities for cricket, soccer, bowls and badminton.(whichrefers tothe new sports complexand is the subject ofwill be builtin the relative clause)
It wasthe same picturewhichI saw at the National Gallery.(whichrefers tothe same pictureand is the object ofsawin the relative clause)
Which+ prepositions
We can usewhichas the complement of a preposition:
Early in the Autumn Term there isa receptionat whichyou can meet current staff and students.(whichrefers toa receptionand is the complement ofat)
Close by, in the churchyard, isthe famous Rudston stone,from whichthe village takes its name.(whichrefers tothe famous Rudston stoneand is the complement offrom)
We can put the preposition immediately before the relative pronoun (more formal) or at the end of the relative clause (more informal).
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Whichreferring to a whole sentence
Relative clauses referring to a whole sentence are always introduced bywhich:
There’s going to be a new headteacher in September,whichis good. It’s time for a change.
[talking about a playschool for young children]
A:It’s lovely and clean there, and there are lots of toys that he can play with andhe’s so happy.
B:Whichis much more important.
Relative pronouns:that
We usethatinstead ofwho, whomorwhichin relative clauses to refer to people, animals and things. We use it to introduce defining clauses only.Thatis more informal thanwho, whomorwhich:
We metsomebodylast nightthatdid the speech therapy course two years after you.(refers to a person)
The 8.30 isthe trainthatyou need to get.(refers to a thing)
She blamed herself foreverythingthathad happened.
Subjects and objects
Thatcan act as the subject or the object of the relative clause:
He finally remembers one lessonthathis mum had taught him early – Don’t takemoneythatdoesn’t belong to you.(thatrefers tomoneyand is the subject ofbelongin the relative clause)
It’sthe same cookerthatmy mother has.(thatrefers tothe same cookerand is the object ofhasin the relative clause)
Thatafter superlatives
We often usethatafter superlatives:
The Wimbledon men’s final wasthe best game of tennisthatI’ve ever seen.
That+ prepositions
Thatcan refer to the complement of a preposition:
We’ve gotsome tennis ballsthatyou can playwith.(thatrefers tosome tennis ballsand is the complement of the prepositionwith)
Unlikewhich, whomandwhose, we can’t usethatwith the preposition immediately before it:
Not:We’ve got some tennis balls with that you can play.
No relative pronoun
In informal styles, we often leave out the relative pronoun. We only do this in defining relative clauses, and when the relative pronoun is the object of the verb. We don’t leave out the relative pronoun when it is the subject of the verb nor in non-defining relative clauses:
German isa languagewhichI’ve found hard to learn.(orGerman is a language I’ve found hard to learn.) (defining relative clause:whichis the object)
She’sthe singerwhoI heard on the radio.(orShe’s the singer I heard on the radio.) (defining relative clause:whois the object)
There’sa hillwhichbegins three miles after the start of the race.(defining relative clause:whichis the subject)
Not:There’s a hill begins three miles after the start of the race.
Sir James,whosebirthday is on February 26, plans to lay on a big party.(non-defining relative clause)
No relative pronoun + preposition
In defining relative clauses, we can also leave out the relative pronoun when it is the complement of a preposition. When we do this, we always put the preposition at the end of the relative clause:
She was atthe garden partywhichI was telling youabout.(orShe was atthe garden partyabout whichI was telling you. orShe was atthe garden partyI was telling youabout.) (defining relative clause:whichis the complement ofabout)
Relative pronouns: when,whereandwhy
In informal language, we often usewhere,whenorwhyto introduce defining relative clauses instead ofat which,on whichorfor which.
where | places |
(…a restaurant at which the food is excellent) |
when | times |
(… a day on which I don’t feel rushed …) |
why | reasons |
(… the reason for which the shop is closed …) |
Relative pronouns: typical errors
We can’t usethatinstead ofwho, whomorwhichin non-defining relative clauses:
It gives me a good chance to improve my Italian,whichhas become a little bit rusty.
Not:It gives me a good chance to improve my Italian, that has become a little bit rusty.
We don’t usewhatas a relative pronoun:
So, he can make himself easily understood in the two languages,whichhelps a lot.
Not:So, he can make himself easily understood in the two languages, what helps a lot.
We don’t usewhofor things:
She’s writtensome great cookery bookswhichhave got pictures of delicious-looking recipes.
Not:She’s written some great cookery books who have got pictures of delicious-looking recipes.
Take care to spellwhichcorrectly: not ‘wich’.
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Relative pronouns:that