16 Relative Pronouns of People and Things

Advertising

Introduction

Pronouns are words used to avoid repetitions of a noun {see Subject Pronoums, A1 Level}.

Relative pronouns are used to introduce relative clauses. They refer to people or things by replacing the subject expressed in the main clause to avoid the repetition of it in the relative clause {see  Relative Pronouns, A1 level}.

Form

[See Relative Pronouns, level A1]

Other relative pronouns of people and things are whom, whose, whomever, whoever and whichever.

Example

Whom

  • I called the salesman from whom I bought this watch.
  • This is the hairdresser to whom I wanted to speak.
  • The people, for whom they were waiting, have arrived.

Whose

  • Helen, whose father is a baker, lives in an industrial city.
  • This is the painter whose statue is in the main square of the city.
  • This is my cousin whose clothes shop has the most expensive clothes.

Whoever

  • Whoever was there I don’t care.
  • She’s a kind woman, whoever her friends might be.
  • Hana, whoever comes to the party we have enough cake.

Whomever

  • We will accept in our team whomever you recommend.
  • Give the gifts to whomever you have missed.
  • He will invite whomever we decide in our last week here.

Whichever

  • May I go to whichever theater I want?
  • Pick whichever picture you woud like to edit.
  • I will drink whichever wine you buy.

Use

[See Relative Pronouns, level A1]

We use relative pronouns to identify people and things and to add secondary/additional information about them. We use:

  • Whom to discover which person receives an action;
  • Whose to find out which person something or somebody belongs to;
  • Whoever to express the subject that doesn’t matter who it is;
  • Whomever to express the object that doesn’t matter who it is;
  • Whichever to express something that doesn’t matter what it is.

Summary

Relative pronouns are used in order to avoid repetition of a noun in the relative clause. They are used after nouns.

The most commonly used relative pronouns are: whom (object) is used for people, whose for possession, whoever (subject) when it doesn’t matter who, whomever (object) when it doesn’t matter who, whichever when it doesn’t matter which thing.

For example:
— “I am dating the girl whom I met at the restaurant.” = Whom refers to the girl.
— “The girl, whose brother owns this restaurant, is Italian.” = Whose refers to the girl.

Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.

Exercises


The exercises are not created yet. If you would like to get involve with their creation, be a contributor.



Ambassadors

Open TextBooks are collaborative projects, with people from all over the world bringing their skills and interests to join in the compilation and dissemination of knowledge to everyone and everywhere.

Become an Ambassador and write your textbooks.

Online Teaching

Become a Books4Languages Online tutor & teacher.

More information here about how to be a tutor.

Translations


Contributors

The Books4Languages is a collaborative projects, with people from all over the world bringing their skills and interests to join in the compilation and dissemination of knowledge to everyone, everywhere.

License