Relative Pronouns

• "Who", "whom", and "whose" stand for persons.
  
• "That" stands for both person and thing.
• "Which" stands for things. 

Relative Pronouns



• People who live in glass house should not throw stones at others. 
  

In the above sentence, "who" is a relative pronoun and "who live in glass house" is a relative clause or adjective clause. 

Use of Relative Pronouns

Who

"Who" as Subject

"Who" is a subject pronouns and it stands for persons. There is no difference between male and female. 

1. The girl who stood first is my sister. [who = the girl = female]
   
2. Milton who built this house has died. [who = Milton = male]

"That" can replace "who".

1. The girl that stood first is my sister. [that = who = the girl]
   
2. Milton that built this house has died. [that = who = Milton]

Whom

"Whom" is always objective. 

"Whom" as Object of Verb

1. This is the boy whom I saw in the room. [Here "whom" is the object of the verb "saw"; I saw whom] 
   
2. The girl whom you like is married. [Here "whom" is the object of the verb "like"; you like whom]

"That" can replace "whom".

1. This is the boy that I saw in the room. [Here "that" is the object of the verb "saw"; I saw that]
   
2. The girl that you like is married. [Here "that" is the object of the verb "like"; you like that]

We can omit the relative pronoun when it is used an object. 

1. This is the boy I saw in the room. [This is the boy whom I saw in the room.]
   
2. The girl you like is unmarried. [The girl whom you like is unmarried.]

"Whom" & "That" as Object of Preposition

"Whom" can be the object of prepositions. If you put the preposition before the relative pronoun, it must be "whom".

If you use the preposition at the end of the clause, you can use "whom", or "who", or "that", or no pronoun.

1. The man with whom you work is not honest. 
   
2. The man whom you work with is not honest. 
3. The man who you work with is not honest. 
4. The man that you work with is not honest. 
5. The man you work with is not honest. 

Whose

"Whose" is Possessive. 

"Whose" is the only possessive form of relative pronouns. "Whose" is most often used before the head noun it modifies. 

1. The man whose house has broken down now lives in the street. 
   
2. Roka whose car is red has come first. 
3. The girl whose name is Linda lost her bag. 
4. This is the bag whose owner is unknown. 

Which

'Which' stands for things. 

1. A drone is a robot which can fly in the sky. 
   
2. This is the car which ran over the dog.

We can replace 'which' with 'that'. 

1. A drone is a robot that can fly in the sky. 
   
2. This is the car that ran over the dog.

'Which' as Object of Verb

'Which' can be used as object. 

1. The book which I bought is lost. 
   
2. This is the dog which you bought from me.

 We can use "that" in replace of "which".  

1. The book that I bought is lost. 
   
2. This is the dog that you bought from me.

We can omit the pronoun when it is used as an object. 

1. The book I bought is lost. [The book which I bought is lost.]
   
2. This is the dog you got from me. [This is the dog which you got from me.]

"Which" as Object of Preposition

We can use "which" as object of preposition. We can put the preposition just before "which", or move it at the end of the clause.

1. The school in which he reads is very good. 
   
2. The school which he reads in is very good. 

We can use "that" in place of "which" only when the preposition is moved to the end of the clause.

Correct: The school in which he reads is very good.
Incorrect: The school in that he reads is very good.

Use of "what" as Relative Pronoun

Here are some cases where "what" can be used as a relative pronoun in specific constructions, although these instances are less common and more informal.

Antecedent

Remember that "what" is absolutely different from other relative pronouns. 

We use "what" when the antecedent is unknown, or we do not want to mention it. Read the following sentences.

1. Tell me what you want. 
   
2. I do what I like. 

If the antecedent is mentioned, we use "which" or "that" in place of "what".

1. Tell me what you want. = Tell me the thing which you want. 
   
2. I do what I like. = I do the things which I like.

Here, "what = something which"

"What" can be used in indirect questions that are reported speech or embedded within another sentence. For example:

1. He asked me what time it was.
   
2. She wondered what the weather would be like tomorrow.
3. I'm not sure what he wants for his birthday.

What Clauses

Many people do not accept "what" as a relative pronoun, because unlike a relative pronoun, "what" forms noun clauses, not adjective clauses. 

1. What she said made me angry. (subject)
2. I don't understand what you mean. (object)
3. His main concern is what others think of him. (complement)

Other Uses of "what"

Interrogative Pronoun

"What" is commonly used as an interrogative pronoun to ask questions about specific information or details. For example:

1. What is your name?
   
2. What time is it?
3. What did you eat for breakfast?

Interrogative Adjective

"What" can also function as an interrogative adjective, modifying a noun to ask about its nature or identity. In this case, it is followed by a noun. For example:

1. What book are you reading?
   
2. What color is your car?
3. What type of music do you like?

Exclamatory Sentences

"What" can be used in exclamatory sentences to express surprise, astonishment, or disbelief. This usage is followed by a noun or noun phrase. For example:

1. What a beautiful sunset!
   
2. What a great idea!
3. What a mess you've made!

"What" is not typically used as a relative pronoun in standard English. Instead, relative pronouns "which," and "that" are commonly used. Therefore, it's advisable to use the more common relative pronouns in formal writing or when aiming for a more standard form of English.