Relative Pronouns! What is a relative pronoun? Learn relative pronoun definition, useful grammar rules with examples sentences and ESL printable infographic.
Contents
Relative Pronouns
What is a Relative Pronoun?
Relative Pronouns are used to join or relate two different clauses together by referring to the noun in the previous clause using the pronouns – Who, Whom, Whose, Which and That.
Relative Pronouns Rules
Which and That are generally used for objects; while Who and Whom are used for people, and Whose is used to show possession.
- She will choose the colour which looks good on everyone.
Here, which is joining the two related clauses about choosing a colour and a colour which would look good on everyone.
- She is complaining to whoever she comes across nowadays.
Here, the “whoever” is the object of the verb ‘complaining’ and it is linking the two clauses about someone complaining and the frequency of their complaints.
- There is a car in the parking lot that someone has painted a bright pink.
That is joining the two sentences related to the object and its location in the first and its appearance in the second.
- She needs to know by tomorrow who will be accompanying her on the trip.
Who here stands for the unknown person and it also joins the two different clauses together.
- Is there anyone here whose mobile phone has a signal?
Whose is used here to ask if anyone has possession of something that the speaker needs.
Relative Pronouns Examples
|
Relative Pronouns |
Usage |
Example |
| Who | Used for people(Subject) | Who are all those people? |
| Whom | Used for people(Object) | To whom do you wish to speak? |
| Which | Used for objects | Which of your parents do you feel closer to? |
| Whose | Used to show possession | Whose keys are on the kitchen counter? |
| Where | Refers to places | Where is my T-shirt? |
| When | Refer to time | When are you going? |
| Why | Refer to reason | Why did you choose me? |
| What | Relates to things | What size shoes do you take? |
| That | Relates to people, animals and things | Is this the train that goes to Braintree? |
Relative Pronouns | Infographic
But these are interrogative pronouns, not relatives in some of the examples.