Identify relative pronouns

Key Notes:

Definition:

Relative pronouns are words that link clauses or phrases to nouns or pronouns. They introduce relative clauses and give more information about the noun.

Common Relative Pronouns:

• Who: Refers to people (e.g., “The teacher who helps us is kind.”)
• Whom: Also refers to people, but is used as the object of a verb or preposition (e.g., “The student whom the teacher praised was happy.”)
• Whose: Indicates possession (e.g., “The girl whose book is missing is here.”)
• Which: Refers to animals or things (e.g., “The book which is on the table is mine.”)
• That: Can refer to people, animals, or things (e.g., “The house that we bought is old.”)

Function:

Relative pronouns connect the relative clause to the main clause. They provide additional information about a noun (the antecedent) in the main clause.

Examples:

• Who: “The scientist who discovered the cure is famous.”
• Whom: “The person whom you met yesterday is my cousin.”
• Whose: “The artist whose paintings are displayed is coming to visit.”
• Which: “The movie which won the award was fantastic.”
• That: “The car that I bought is blue.”

Relative Clauses:

A relative clause is a part of a sentence that starts with a relative pronoun and provides more details about the noun. For example, “The cat that is sleeping on the sofa is mine.”

Position in Sentence:

Relative pronouns are placed at the beginning of the relative clause and are usually followed by a verb.

Punctuation:

When the relative clause provides essential information (restrictive clause), no commas are used (e.g., “The book that she lent me was great.”). If the relative clause adds non-essential information (non-restrictive clause), it is set off by commas (e.g., “My car, which I bought last year, is already old.”).