Relative pronouns are important words in grammar. They are used to join two different parts of a sentence. You may recognize some of them like “who,” “which,” and “that.” They are used to point to the thing or person you’re talking about. Relative pronoun examples include, “The cat that ran away is mine.” Here, “that” is being used to point to the cat. These words make sentences clearer by providing more information about something. They’re like small assistants that are used to link thoughts together. Understanding them helps make sentences make more sense. So, knowing how to use them can make your writing better and easier to understand.
Relative Pronouns in English with Examples, List, and Usage
What are Relative Pronouns?
Relative pronouns are a type of pronoun that are mainly used to give introduction of relative clauses, which provide extra information about a noun in the main clause of a sentence. Relative pronouns join a dependent clause (the relative clause) to the noun or pronoun it modifies in the main clause. For Examples..
- The person who called me is my friend.
- To whom did you give the book?
- The car that is parked outside is mine.
Types of Relative Pronouns:
- Subject Relative Pronouns
- Object Relative Pronouns
- Possessive Relative Pronouns
- Zero Relative Pronouns
Subject Relative Pronouns:
These pronouns act as the subject of the relative clause. They are used only when the relative clause describes the subject of the main clause. For Examples..
Who, Whose, That, Which, Whom
Object Relative Pronouns:
These relative pronouns act as the object of the relative clause. They are used when the relative clause describes the object of the main clause. For Examples..
Who, Which, That, Whom
Possessive Relative Pronouns:
These pronouns are used to indicate ownership within the relative clause. The most common possessive relative pronoun is “Whose.” For Examples..
- He found a dog whose tail was wagging.
- I have a friend whose car is spotless.
- She met a woman whose daughter is an artist.
Zero Relative Pronouns:
In some situation, particularly in informal English or in limiting relative clauses, the relative pronoun can be missed out completely, leaving a gap or “zero” relative pronoun. The role of these relative pronouns is totally understood from the context. For Examples..
- The house Jack built is very old.
- The car she drives is red.
- The dog chased the cat.
Common Relative Pronouns List:
- Who: Refers to people.
- Whom: Also refers to people, usually used in formal contexts or after prepositions.
- Which: Refers to animals or things.
- That: Refers to people, animals, or things.
- Whose: Indicates possession and can refer to people, animals, or things.
- What: Refers to things or situations, often used in place of “that which” or “the thing(s) which.”
- Where: Refers to a place or location.
- When: Refers to a time or period.
- Why: Refers to a reason or cause.
- Whoever: Refers to any person, usually used when the specific person is unknown or not stated.
- Whomever: Refers to any person, usually used in formal contexts or after prepositions when the specific person is unknown or not stated.
- Whichsoever: Indicates any of a specified type of thing or things.
- Whatsoever: Indicates any of a specified type of thing or things.
- Whomsoever: Indicates any specific time or period.
- Wherever: Indicates any specific place or location.
- However: Refers to any specific manner or way.
- Whatever: Refers to any specific thing or things.
- Whichever: Refers to any specific choice or option among several.
- The one(s) that: Used to specify one or more particular things or people.
- The one(s) who: Used to specify one or more particular people.
Pronoun Usage Example Who Refers to people The person who helped me was kind. Whom Formal/people/prepositions To whom did you give the book? Which Animals or things The book, which is on the table, is mine. That People/animals/things The cat that lives here is friendly. Whose Possession The man whose car was stolen is upset. What Things/situations What you said surprised me. Where Place/location Do you know where he lives? When Time/period Tell me when the party starts. Why Reason/cause I wonder why she left early. Whoever Any person Whoever finds the key can keep it. Whomever Formal/any person/prep. Give it to whomever you choose. Whichsoever Any specified type of thing Choose whichsoever you like. Whatsoever Any specified type of thing He’ll eat whatsoever is on his plate. Whomsoever Any specific person Whomsoever you appoint will lead. Wherever Any specific place/location He’ll go wherever you ask. However Any specific manner/way She can solve it however she wants. Whatever Any specific thing/things I’ll eat whatever you make. Whichever Any specific choice/option Whichever route you take, be careful. The one(s) that Specific things/people This is the one that I like. The one(s) who Specific people He’s the one who will help us.
Relative Pronoun Examples:
- Who ate my sandwich?
- The house which Jack built is very old.
- I know a person who can help us.
- The book that you recommended was fantastic.
- She is the one whose dog ran away.
- Tell me what you want for dinner.
- The place where we met is now a coffee shop.
- Do you remember the time when we went hiking?
- That’s the reason why I couldn’t come to the party.
- Whoever wins the race gets a trophy.
You May Also Like this
