Relative pronouns
Join ideas with who, whom, whose, which and that.
You have learnt to join clauses and to use pronouns. Relative pronouns do both jobs at once: they replace a noun and join a clause to it.
A relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, which, that) refers back to a noun, called its antecedent, and joins a describing clause to it.
Examples
- The nurse who helped me was very kind.
- The cake which Mum baked is gone.
- I know a man whose son is a pilot.
- The guest whom you invited has arrived.
- Here is the book that you wanted.
How it works
Who and whom for people
Use who when the person does the action in the clause. Use whom when the person receives it; if him or her fits, choose whom.
The singer whom we heard was brilliant. (we heard her)
Whose for possession
Use whose to show that something belongs to the antecedent. It works for people and, in good usage, for things too.
That is the shop whose owner is my uncle.
Which for things and animals
Use which for things and animals, never for people.
The parrot which talks belongs to Ali.
That for people or things
That can refer to people or things in defining clauses. It is not used after a comma.
The medicine that the doctor gave worked.
Quick reference
| Pronoun | Refers to | Role in clause | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| who | people | subject | the girl who sings |
| whom | people | object | the girl whom we met |
| whose | people or things | possession | the girl whose cat ran off |
| which | things, animals | subject or object | the bus which broke down |
| that | people or things | subject or object | the bus that we took |
Common mistakes
✕The dog who barked all night is ours.
✓The dog which barked all night is ours.
Use which or that for animals in standard written English.
✕The boy which won the race is Sunil.
✓The boy who won the race is Sunil.
Use who for people.
✕The lady who's car was towed is upset.
✓The lady whose car was towed is upset.
Who's means who is; possession needs whose.
Worked example
Exercise 1
Tap the relative pronoun.
The boy who won is my cousin.
✓who
Who refers back to boy and joins the clause who won to it.
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