A relative pronoun substitutes for a noun to introduce a subordinate (dependent) clause, which is one that must be joined with an independent (main) clause to complete the sentence in which it appears.<\/p>\n
A dependent clause led by a relative pronoun is also referred to as a relative clause. You might hear it called an adjective clause as well because it tells us more about a noun\u2014 the pronoun\u2019s antecedent\u2014in the main clause.<\/p>\n
The relative pronouns are that, which, who, whom, <\/em>and whose<\/em>. They typically refer to people, places, animals, things, or ideas.<\/p>\n Examples<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n He has a daughter who<\/u> is a talented ice skater.<\/p>\n I want the car that<\/u> gets the best mileage per gallon.<\/p>\n Sheila held tightly to the dog whose<\/u> companionship had never waned.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Each sentence has a subordinate clause marked by a relative pronoun that further describes a noun (daughter > who, car > that, dog > whose<\/em>).<\/p>\n Some relative pronouns do not modify a noun antecedent; rather, they operate as indefinite relative pronouns that introduce a clause functioning as a subject or object noun. Indefinite relative pronouns include words such as what, where, whoever, whomever, whichever, <\/em>and whatever. <\/em><\/p>\n Examples<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n What<\/u> she wants is fine with me.<\/p>\n Carla asked Tanille where<\/u> she went for dinner.<\/p>\n Aaron wants the boat so much he said he\u2019s willing to pay whatever<\/u> they ask for it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In the first sentence, what <\/em>subordinates the clause what she wants<\/em>. The entire relative clause what she wants <\/em>is the subject of the sentence.<\/p>\n In the second sentence, where <\/em>subordinates the clause where she went for dinner<\/em>. The entire relative clause where she went for dinner <\/em>is the direct object of the sentence.<\/p>\n In the third sentence, whatever <\/em>subordinates the clause whatever they ask for it<\/em>. The entire relative clause whatever they ask for it <\/em>is the object of the infinitive to pay<\/em>.<\/p>\n Relative pronouns help us write content that is less choppy and more smooth and united.<\/p>\n Choppy:<\/strong> Wanda has a son. Her son is a superior athlete. Choppy:<\/strong> I’m looking for a baseball bat. The bat can’t have pine tar on it. Choppy:<\/strong> You’ll find my sweaters in the closet. All of my sweaters are green. We see in each example that including a subordinate clause with a relative pronoun modifying an antecedent results in shorter sentences and often greater movement.<\/p>\n When writing with relative pronouns, keep in mind the difference between essential and nonessential clauses.<\/p>\n An essential (restrictive) clause is one that includes information that is important to clarity and understanding. A nonessential (nonrestrictive) clause is one that adds information that is descriptive but not necessary.<\/p>\n Compare the following sentences.<\/p>\n The box that<\/u> Priscilla gave me contained the classified bank codes.<\/em><\/p>\n The box, which<\/u> Priscilla gave me, contained the classified bank codes.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In the first sentence, we refer to a specific box; there could be others, but this is the one containing the bank codes. We establish this essential information by using the relative pronoun that <\/em>without surrounding punctuation (commas).<\/p>\n In the second example, the relative clause is set apart from the rest of the sentence in a parenthetical way. The relative pronoun which <\/em>surrounded by punctuating commas tells us this is extra information about only one box being referred to; there are no others. Removing the relative clause would not alter the core information we need to clearly convey.<\/p>\n When we\u2019re using relative pronouns in subordinate clauses, it\u2019s important that we keep the relative pronoun as close to its antecedent as possible. In many cases, this means using the relative pronoun right after the noun it is describing.<\/p>\n Example<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I handed the book to the policeman that<\/u> Janelle gave me.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Could Janelle have given away a policeman? Maybe. The likelier scenario involved the giving of the book. Keeping the relative pronoun, that, <\/em>close to its antecedent, book,<\/em> results in a clearer sentence: I handed the book<\/u> that<\/u> Janelle gave me to the policeman.<\/em><\/p>\n In other instances, simply rewriting the sentence will ensure proper clarity.<\/p>\n Example<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The vanity mirror in the bathroom, which<\/span> is an antique, has been with my family for generations.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In this sentence, the relative pronoun which <\/em>appears to modify the word bathroom<\/em>. Was the bathroom an antique? We probably meant that the vanity mirror was an heirloom. We can revise the sentence effectively without a relative pronoun: The antique vanity mirror in the bathroom has been with my family for generations.<\/em><\/p>\n English includes different kinds of pronouns, such as personal, demonstrative<\/a>, reflexive<\/a>, possessive<\/a>, indefinite<\/a>, and interrogative<\/a> pronouns. In this review, we\u2019ve taken a closer look at relative pronouns.<\/p>\n Subordinating Conjunctions<\/a> Identify the relative pronoun in each sentence. Also indicate if the relative pronoun is in an adjective clause or a noun clause.<\/p>\n 1. Rosie is a dog that loves to greet people.<\/p>\n 2. The committee will reward whoever leads the effort to clean the public park.<\/p>\n 3. Jonas plays a guitar whose strings haven\u2019t been changed in a decade.<\/p>\n 4. The hospital needs a nurse who can begin working right away.<\/p>\n 5. We will travel whichever route is required.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1. Rosie is a dog that<\/strong> loves to greet people. adjective clause<\/strong><\/p>\n 2. The committee will reward whoever<\/strong> leads the effort to clean the public park. noun clause<\/strong><\/p>\n 3. Jonas plays a guitar whose<\/strong> strings haven\u2019t been changed in a decade. adjective clause<\/strong><\/p>\n 4. The hospital needs a nurse who<\/strong> can begin working right away. adjective clause<\/strong><\/p>\n 5. We will travel whichever<\/strong> route is required. noun clause<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A relative pronoun substitutes for a noun to introduce a subordinate (dependent) clause, which is one that must be joined with an independent (main) clause to complete the sentence in which it appears. A dependent clause led by a relative pronoun is also referred to as a relative clause. You might hear it called an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[74,8,42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-clauses-sentences","category-pronouns","category-who-vs-which-vs-that"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5467"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5467"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5476,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5467\/revisions\/5476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Indefinite Relative Pronouns<\/h2>\n
Relative Pronouns: Tighter, Smoother Writing<\/h2>\n
\nRevised:<\/strong> Wanda has a son who<\/em> is a superior athlete.<\/p>\n
\nRevised:<\/strong> I’m looking for a baseball bat that<\/em> doesn’t have pine tar on it.<\/p>\n
\nRevised:<\/strong> You’ll find my sweaters, which<\/em> are green, in the closet.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nRelative Pronouns: Essential vs. Nonessential Clauses<\/h2>\n
Relative Pronouns: Keep Them Close<\/h2>\n
Related Topic<\/h3>\n
\nThat vs. Which<\/a>
\nWhat Are Subordinate Clauses?<\/a><\/p>\nPop Quiz<\/h2>\n
Pop Quiz Answers<\/h3>\n