Relative Pronouns Explained

There seems to be a perpetual confusion in usage of relative pronouns among students. If one finds pronouns a tough ball game then relative pronoun seems totally out of the league. I guess, after going through the following post on usage of relative pronouns, life could be little smooth than it was earlier, in context to relative pronouns.

A relative pronoun links two clauses into a single complex clause.Now look at the following examples:

1. I met Akil who had just returned from Kerela.
2. I have found the book which I had lost.
3. Here is the bag that you lent me.

‘ who’ joins or connects two statements as well as does the work of a pronoun. ‘who’ relates to some noun ( here,akil) which is called its antecedent.

Similarly ‘which’ and ‘that’ are also relative pronouns.

Difference between ‘conjunction’ and a ‘relative pronoun’:

Conjunction just joins two clauses or sentences but relative pronouns joins two clauses and is used in place of a noun.

This is a house.
Jack built the house.

This is the house that Jack built.

Different pronouns are used for human and non human antecedents.

Relative prounouns can of 2 types:

(i) Simple relative pronouns: which, who, whom, that
(ii) Compound relative pronouns: whichever, whoever, whomever.


Simple relative pronouns

WHO Vs WHOM:

Who/ whom is used for human antecedents.

Who is used in subjective case.e.g.

This is the boy who works hard.
‘who’ is used for the subject( boy here).

Whom is used in objective case.e.g.

This is the boy whom all praise.
‘whom’ is used in the place of objective case in the sentence, note that the object in the sentence is ‘the boy’.

Relative pronoun is generally marked in its form. This survives only in who, which has a possessive case form whose and an objective case form whom.

Which and that have no possessive forms.

When a preposition is used the pronoun must be either whom or which and never that.


WHICH Vs THAT:

Which and that both takes non human antecedents and hence a frequent point of dispute.

That is used for restrictive clause and on the other hand which is used for non restricitve clause.

The actual job of identifying restrictive and non restrictive clauses.

A non restricitve clause is normally preceeded by a comma where as restrictive clause is not.e.g.

The builder,who erects very fine houses,will make a large profit.
( this is an example of non restrictive clause, a specific builder is referred here.)

The builder who erects very fine houses will make a large profit.
(this is an example of restricitve clause, refers to any builder who builds such houses will make profits.)

Compound relative pronouns

1.You may invite whomever you like to the party.
The relative pronoun ‘whomever’ is the direct object of the verb ‘may invite’.

2.Whoever broke the window will have to replace it.
‘whoever’ functions as the subject of the verb ‘ broke’.

3.I will read whichever manuscript arrives first.
‘whichever’ modifies the noun ‘amnuscript’ which functions as the direct object.


Read the above and relative pronouns would be definitely smooth sailing.