Relative pronouns (relative pronouns) in English connect the relative clause in the sentence. They are called 'relative' because they connect (relate) the words they define.
For example:
- The person who phoned me last night is my teacher.
In this example, 'who'
- refers to the person ('person') it defines and
- introduces the relative clause 'who phoned me last night'.
The relative pronouns in English are five:
- who;
- whom;
- whose;
- which;
- that.
Who (subject) and whom (object) are for people.
Whose is for possession.
Which is for inanimate objects.
In non-defining relative clauses, that is used for inanimate objects.
In defining relative clauses, that can be used for both inanimate objects and people.
Relative Pronoun |
Use |
Example |
who |
subject or object pronoun for people |
I told you about the woman who lives next door. |
which |
subject or object pronoun for animals and things |
Do you see the cat which is lying on the roof? |
which |
referring to a whole sentence |
He couldn't read which surprised me. |
whose |
possession for people animals and things |
Do you know the boy whose mother is a nurse? |
whom |
object pronoun for people, especially in non-defining relative clauses (in defining relative clauses we colloquially prefer who) |
I was invited by the professor whom I met at the conference. |
that |
subject or object pronoun for people, animals and things in defining relative clauses (who or which are also possible) |
I don't like the table that stands in the kitchen. |
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