A relative pronoun is a pronoun that marks a relative clause within a larger sentence. It is called a relative pronoun because it relates to the word that it modifies and is not specific. In English, relative pronouns are who, whom, which, whose, and that.

A relative pronoun links two clauses into a single complex clause. It is similar in function to a subordinating conjunction. Unlike a conjunction, however, a relative pronoun stands in place of a noun. Compare:

(1) This is a house. Jack built this house.(2) This is the house that Jack built.

Sentence (2) consists of two clauses, a main clause (This is the house) and a relative clause (that Jack built). The word that is a relative pronoun. Within the relative clause, the relative pronoun stands for the noun phrase it references in the main clause (its antecedent), which is one of the arguments of the verb in the relative clause. In the example, the argument is the house, the direct object of built. Note the word "that" appears twice in the prior sentence, but the first is a demonstrative pronoun.

Other arguments can be relativised using relative pronouns:

Subject: Hunter is the boy who kissed Monique.Indirect object: Hunter is the boy to whom Monique gave a gift.Adpositional complement: Jack built the house in which I now live. (and similarly with prepositions and prepositional phrases in general, eg These are the walls in between which Jack ran.)Possessor: Jack is the boy whose friend built my house.

In some languages, such as German and Latin, which have noun declensions, the relative pronoun will often agree with its antecedent in gender and number, while the case may indicate its relationship with the verb in the relative clause. In most other languages, the relative pronoun is an invariable word.

The words used as relative pronouns are often words which originally had other functions: for example, the English which is also an interrogative word. This suggests that relative pronouns might be a fairly late development in many languages. Some languages, such as Welsh, do not have relative pronouns.

In English and German, different pronouns are sometimes used if the antecedent is a human being, as opposed to a non-human or an inanimate object (as in who/that).

(5) This is a bank. This bank accepted my identification.(6) She is a bank teller. She helped us open an account.

With the relative pronouns, sentences (5) and (6) would read like this:

(7) This is the bank that accepted my identification.

(8) She is the bank teller who helped us open an account.

In sentences (7) and (8), the words that and who are the relative pronouns. The word that is used because the bank is a thing; the word who is used because "she" is a person.

Introduction and General Usage in Defining ClausesRelative pronouns are that, who, whom, whose, which, where, when, and why. They are used to join clauses to make a complex sentence. Relative pronouns are used at the beginning of the subordinate clause which gives some specific information about the main clause.

This is the house that Jack built.

I don't know the day when Jane marries him.

The professor, whom I respect, was tenured.

In English, the choice of the relative pronoun depends on the type of clause it is used in. There are two types of clauses distinguished: defining (restrictive) relative clauses and non-defining (non-restrictive) relative clauses. In both types of clauses the relative pronoun can function as a subject, an object, or a possessive.

Relative pronouns in defining clauses

Defining relative clauses (also known as restrictive relative clauses) provide some essential information that explains the main clause. The information is crucial for understanding the sentence correctly and cannot be omitted. Defining clauses are opened by a relative pronoun and ARE NOT separated by a comma from the main clause.

The table below sums up the use of relative pronouns in defining clauses:

Function in the sentence

Reference to

People Things / concepts Place Time Reason

Subject who, that which, that

Object (that, who, whom)* (which, that)* where when why

Possessive whose whose, of which

Examples

Relative pronoun used as a subject:

This is the house that had a great Christmas decoration.

It took me a while to get used to people who eat pop-corn during the movie.

Relative pronoun used as an object:

1) As can be seen from the table, referring to a person or thing, the relative pronoun may be omitted in the object position:

This is the man (whom / that) I wanted to speak to and whose name I'd forgotten.

The library didn't have the book (which / that) I wanted.

I didn't like the book (which / that) John gave me.

This is the house where I lived when I first came to the US.

2) whom:In American English, whom is not used very often. Whom is more formal than who and is very often omitted in speech:

Grammatically Correct: The woman to whom you have just spoken is my teacher.Common in Speech: The woman (who) you have just spoken to is my teacher.

However, whom may not be omitted if preceded by a preposition:

I have found you the tutor for whom you were looking.

Relative pronoun used as a possessive:

Whose is the only possessive relative pronoun is in English. It can be used with both people and things:

The family whose house burnt in the fire was immediately given a suite in a hotel.

The book whose author is now being shown in the news has become a bestseller.

General remarks: That, Who, Which compared

The relative pronoun that can only be used in defining clauses. It can also be substituted for who (referring to persons) or which (referring to things). That is often used in speech; who and which are more common in written English.

William Kellogg was the man that lived in the late 19th century and had some weird ideas about raising children. - spoken, less formal

William Kellogg was the man who lived in the late 19th century and had some weird ideas about raising children. - written, more formal

Although your computer may suggest to correct it, referring to things, which may be used in the defining clause to put additional emphasis on the explanation. Again, the sentence with which is more formal than the one with that: Note that since it is the defining clause, there is NO comma used preceding which:

The café that sells the best coffee in town has recently been closed. - less formal

The café which sells the best coffee in town has recently been closed. - more formal

Some special uses of relative pronouns in defining clauses

that / whoReferring to people, both that and who can be used. That may be used to refer to someone in general:

He is the kind of person that/who will never let you down.

I am looking for someone that/who could give me a ride to Chicago.

However, when a particular person is being spoken about, who is preferred:

The old lady who lives next door is a teacher.

The girl who wore a red dress attracted everybody's attention at the party.

that / whichThere several cases when that is more appropriate than and is preferred to which:

After the pronouns all, any(thing), every(thing), few, little, many, much, no(thing), none, some(thing):

The police usually ask for every detail that helps identify the missing person. - that used as the subject

Marrying a congressman is all (that) she wants. - that used as the object

After verbs that answer the question WHAT? For example, say, suggest, state, declare, hope, think, write, etc. In this case, the whole relative clause functions as the object of the main clause:

Some people say (that) success is one percent of talent and ninety-nine percent of hard work.

The chairman stated at the meeting (that) his company is part of a big-time entertainment industry.

After the noun modified by an adjective in the superlative degree:

This is the funniest story (that) I have ever read! - that used as the object

After ordinal numbers, e.g., first, second, etc.:

The first draft (that) we submitted was really horrible. - that used as the object

If the verb in the main clause is a form of BE:

This is a claim that has absolutely no reason in it. - that used as the subject

Contributors:Purdue OWL.Summary:

This handout provides detailed rules and examples for the usage of relative pronouns (that, who, whom, whose, which, where, when, and why).

Relative Pronouns in Non-Defining ClausesNon-defining relative clauses (also known as non-restrictive, or parenthetical, clauses) provide some additional information which is not essential and may be omitted without affecting the contents of the sentence. All relative pronouns EXCEPT "that" can be used in non-defining clauses; however, the pronouns MAY NOT be omitted. Non-defining clauses ARE separated by commas.

The table below sums up the use of relative pronouns in non-defining clauses:

Function inthe sentence

Reference to

People Things / concepts Place Time Reason

Subject who which

Object who, whom which where when why

Possessive whose whose, of which

a. Relative pronoun used as a subject:

The writer, who lives in this luxurious mansion, has just published his second novel.

b. Relative pronoun used as an object:

The house at the end of the street, which my grandfather built, needs renovating.

c. Relative pronoun used as a possessive:

William Kellogg, whose name has become a famous breakfast foods brand-name, had some weird ideas about raising children.

Some Special Uses of Relative Pronouns in Non-Defining Clauses

a. whichIf you are referring to the previous clause as a whole, use which:

My friend eventually decided to get divorced, which upset me a lot.

b. of whom, of whichUse of whom for persons and of which for things or concepts after numbers and words such as most, many, some, both, none:

I saw a lot of new people at the party, some of whom seemed familiar.He was always coming up with new ideas, most of which were absolutely impracticable.

Contributors:Purdue OWL.Summary:

This handout provides detailed rules and examples for the usage of relative pronouns (that, who, whom, whose, which, where, when, and why).

Defining vs. Non-Defining and ESL TipsDefining vs Non-Defining Clauses: Difference in Meaning

There is a difference in meaning between defining and non-defining clauses that depends on the presence or absence of the comma. For example:

They have two sons who are doctors.

Defining clause; the meaning is that there are more sons in the family, e.g.:

They have two sons who are doctors and one who is an architect.

Compare:

They have two sons, who are doctors.

non-defining clause; the meaning is that there are no more sons in the family.

ESL Tips on the Use of Relative Pronouns

Although there is no one single rule to cover all the cases, the following summary may be helpful if you need to make a quick decision:

1. Use that if the main clause poses the question WHAT? answered by the relative clause;

2. Do not use that presenting non-essential, additional information (that is, in non-defining relative clauses); use who or which instead;

3. Use who to refer to people;4. Use which to refer to things or to refer to the previous clause as a whole;5. If you choose between who or that, use who in writing;6. If you choose between which and that, use which in writing;7. Do not put a comma before that.

Relative Adverbs

Adjectival clauses are sometimes introduced by what are called the relative adverbs: where, when, and why. Although the entire clause is adjectival and will modify a noun, the relative word itself fulfills an adverbial function (modifying a verb within its own clause).

The relative adverb where will begin a clause that modifies a noun of place:

My entire family now worships in the church where my great grandfather used to be minister.

The relative pronoun "where" modifies the verb "used to be" (which makes it adverbial), but the entire clause ("where my great grandfather used to be minister") modifies the word "church."

A when clause will modify nouns of time:

My favorite month is always February, when we celebrate Valentine's Day and Presidents' Day.

And a why clause will modify the noun reason:

Do you know the reason why Isabel isn't in class today?

We sometimes leave out the relative adverb in such clauses, and many writers prefer "that" to "why" in a clause referring to "reason":

Do you know the reason why Isabel isn't in class today? I always look forward to the day when we begin our summer vacation. I know the reason that men like motorcycles.

Instructions

Find the common words that function as relative adverbs. "Where," "when" and "why" are the big three, and sometimes "in which" is used.

1. 2 Use the relative adverb after the noun in a clause. Here is a common example. "This is the shop WHERE I bought the jacket."

2. 3 Utilize relative adverbs with inanimate subjects. With people as your subject, your sentence will have a relative pronoun (who) instead of a relative adverb.

3. 4 End your sentence after your relative clause. Run-on sentences are a problem you can avoid by keeping your sentences short and to the point.

4. 5 Vary sentence structure. Use relative adverbs once in a while. Add other kinds of sentences into your writing. The education system values your ability to write with different sentence types, and you should practice this often if you want to be a good writer.