See how a noun becomes a pronoun.
Pronouns reduce repetition while keeping the reference clear.
Relative Pronoun – A Relation to a Noun
A relative pronoun relates to a noun that we used in the previous sentence. This pronoun joins the main clause to the dependent clause. So, the word that introduces the noun we mentioned in the previous sentence is a relative pronoun.
It shows the relationship to the noun in the main clause. It replaces the noun in the dependent clause. These pronouns describe a person, place or thing that we mention in the main clause.
English has very few relative pronouns. We will see which of those are.
List
Here is a list of the most common relative pronouns that we can use in everyday life.
- That
- What
- Who
- Whom
- Which
- Whose
- Whoever
- Whomever
- Whichever
Use of Relative Pronouns in Sentences
We have a list of these pronouns, and we can use
- Who / whom – when we speak about people.
- Whose – to speak about people, but instead of his, her or their.
- Which – when we speak about things.
- That – We can also use ‘that’ for ‘who’/‘which’.
Examples with Relative Pronouns
Here are some examples.
Those are in bold letters.
Have a look.
- She often visits the orphanage, which is in Mumbai.
- We have seen your photographs, which were taken in Delhi.
- This is the guy who is a perfectionist.
- A person who is a bus driver lives behind the tree.
- I saw the child whose tricycle broke down on the road.
- The student whose mother is a principal scored ninety per cent marks.
- What did you do with the notes which your friend lent you?
- Whichever path you take will lead you to school.
- I did what was asked to do for you.
- No one knows what happened to her.
- The ornaments that she bought for her sister are very beautiful.
- The designing course that he chose will give him success.
- I knew what she wanted.
- Students learn seriously what their teacher teaches.
Compounds
The compounds of who, which, and what are whoever, whosoever, whichever, whichsoever, and whatever, whatsoever, respectively.
We will take some examples. Have a look.
- Whosoever will be present may attend the meeting.
- Whichever design course you complete will help you survive better.
- Whatever you experience there, don’t tell anyone.
The compounds ending in so and soever are rarely used in modern English.
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