The relative pronoun that seems easy to use, and yet its use can sometimes be problematic. Even though relative pronouns can be used to connect clauses, they are not the same as conjunctions. Students will see relative pronouns more and more as they progress through their english studies so please dedicate plenty of time to this topic. Some of these pronouns have other uses, such as demonstrative or. This sentence includes a restrictive relative clause introduced by the pronoun whomever, which is the object of the verb recommends. A reflexive pronoun refers to a noun or pronoun mentioned earlier in the sentence. Relative pronouns english grammar today cambridge dictionary. Relative pronouns are used at the beginning of an adjective clause a dependent clause that modifies a noun. These pronouns occur in constructions called relative clauses. Like any pronoun, relative pronouns are substituted for nouns and other pronouns that functions as subjects or objects in a sentence. In this example, the pronoun he is referring back to the noun antecedent boy. Both that and which can be used in this relative clause and the pronoun can be left out because there is a subject. Subordinators and relative pronouns both begin dependent clauses common subordinators relative pronouns after since that although so that what whatever as than which whichever as if that who whoever as soon as though whom whomever as though unless whose because until before when even if whenever even though. For reasons of space, i will omit russian examples for a full set 374.
We are dedicated to creating and providing free, highquality english language learning resources. Relative pronouns rules download all the grammar lessons in one click. In american english, the relative pronoun whom is used rarely. Who, whom, what, which, and that are all relative pronouns relative clauses are also sometimes referred to as adjective clauses, because they. This feature makes relative pronouns an excellent tool for improving your writing. A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb. Click here for stepbystep rules, stories and exercises to practice all english tenses. A clause beginning with a relative pronoun is poised to answer questions such as which one. Rockowitz writing center, hunter college, city university of new york i will support whomever the committee recommends for the position. David, who has been with the company five years, is our new director. A relative clause is a phrase that modifies a noun or pronoun. Relative pronouns relative pronouns introduce relative clauses.
In this category, the relative pronoun is the subject of the sentence, therefore we do not repeat the subject after it has already been mentioned. Relative pronoun is a pronoun that connects a clause or phrase to the noun or pronoun. A list english pronouns list below is a list of english pronouns pronouns are words that are used as noun and noun phrase replacements. If the relative pronoun is not followed by a verb but by a noun or pronoun, the relative pronoun is an object pronoun. Robert is a king who rules the seven kingdoms the seven kingdoms which are ruled by different houses answers to him robert only trusts ned who is a friend of him. The relative pronoun that 1 introduces the dependent clause that you identified, 2 serves as the object of identified, and 3 refers to the noun fund in the main sentence. This paper aims to study the errors of relative words. Masc fem neut relative pronoun article relative pronoun article relative pronoun article nom sg. The apple which george lay on the table was put back into the basket. Antecedent pronoun personal pronouns are pronouns that refer to a specific person or thing in a sen. A relative pronoun works as a connector between two clauses. Nondefining relative clauses defining relative clauses these describe the preceding noun in such a way to distinguish it from other nouns of the same class. Object pronouns can be dropped in defining relative clauses, which are then called contact clauses.
Case, gender, and number gender and numbergender and number is based on. Introduction1 this paper argues that there must be two ways to derive relative clauses in. The relative pronouns who, which, whose, and that are used to introduce these clauses. The gym, which was very crowded today, is closed tomorrow. It is also a dependent or subordinate clause, meaning that it cannot stand on its own as a sentence. Relative pronouns make it possible to eliminate awkward repetition in writing. That is, the longer the distance between the antecedent and the relative pronoun, the longer is the relative pronoun to be used.
Relative pronoun use example who subjectobject pronoun for people thats the man who teaches. Relative pronouns used in defining relative clauses. Senior high school students errors on the use of relative. The compound relative pronouns may include or imply their own antecedents and hence may have a double construction. Join the sentence halves with where, who and which. Relative clauses and pronouns relative clauses are dependent clauses that modify nouns or noun phrases. Two types of relative clauses in slavic evidence from reconstruction and ellipsis adam szczegielniak harvard university 1.
Defining relative clauses these describe the preceding noun in such a way as to distinguish it from other nouns of the same class. Relative pronouns can be confusing for students to grasp as they are part of a more complex sentence structure. The relative pronoun that is required after certain words such as. If the relative pronoun functions as a means to show possession, use whose. Relative pronouns are mostly used when combining sentences in which a word or phrase is repeated. Two types of relative clauses in slavic evidence from.
This pronoun joins main clause to dependent clause. Compound relative pronouns, english grammar, advanced. The definite relative pronouns are who, which, and that. Instead we use that, or omit the relative altogether, if it is a direct object. Relative pronouns are also known as linking pronouns as they link the dependent relative clause of a sentence to its main clause. You may also check out exculpatory clause examples. They are used to refer to or to emphasize nouns or other pronouns. The relative pronoun in each example is italicized. Relative pronoun definition, examples and exercises. Relative pronouns exercises with answers click here to download this printable exercise in pdf. There is no circumstance in which the language requires a relative that and excludes use of a whrelativizer or null relativizer no relativizer that is preferred by some writers and most speakers when the relative clause is restrictive, and this preference has been elevated to a rule by some publishers and some writers on style.
The following examples demonstrate unclear pronoun references and potential revisions to improve clarity. Relative pronouns introduce a relative clause, a type of subordinate dependent clause that relates to the antecedent. These four relative pronouns are used depending on their length and the distance between them and the antecedent. We use a relative pronoun in english to describe a name or give us more information. Some people express their gender identity ambiguously, meaning you might not know which pronoun to use just by looking at them and have to make an assumption. Using pronouns correctly eliminates unnecessary noun repetition in your writing. A reflexive pronoun is necessary to the meaning of a sentence, but an intensive pronoun is not. Relative pronouns can refer to singular or plural, and there is no difference between male and female. Most common relative pronouns are who, which, whom, whomever, whose, whoever, whichever, and that. Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses, which are a type of dependent. However, a relative pronoun begins a relative clause.
Like all pronouns, they refer back to a noun which is called its antecedent. Senior high school students errors on the use of relative words. Look at these examples showing defining and nondefining relative clauses. Nominative personal pronouns can act as the subject of a sentence i. As the examples show, there are two types of autonomous relative clauses, one, 9, with a relative word alone again the relative pronoun qui, the other, 10, with a relative phrase that consists of the relative pronoun qui and the noun homo. Relative pronoun list, use and examples englishlamp. A clause of this kind is essential to clear understanding of the noun. Marie curie is the woman who she discovered radium. A relative pronoun relates to another noun preceding it in the sentence. The three most common relative pronouns are who, which and that who has two other forms, the object form whom and the possessive form whose who and whom are. Whenever you use a personal pronoun like she, it, or they, you first have to have an antecedent, the word that the pronoun is replacing. In each of these sentences, you can see that the relative pronoun introduces additional information about the noun. This handout explains the rules for using relative clauses and provides examples of correct use of relative clauses. A relative clause will begin with a relative pronoun such as who, whom, whose, which, or that or a relative adverb when, where, or why.
So, the word introduce the noun which we mentioned in previous sentence is relative pronoun it shows relation to the noun which we use in main clause. Next weekend im going to glasgow, where my sister lives. Heres a list of all the relative clause exercises on the site. Thank you for your letter, which i was very happy to get. Defining relative clauses 1 in pdf here defining relative clauses 2 in pdf here defining relative clauses 3 in pdf here defining relative clauses 4 in pdf here go to the main relative clauses explanation page here. A clause of this kind is essential to the clear understanding of the.
A relative pronoun is a word that introduces a dependent or relative clause and connects it to an independent clause. That cannot be used and even though there is a pronoun in the relative clause which cannot be left out because in nondefining relative clauses the pronoun can never be left out. The letter thatwhich peter has sent to you is in the drawer. Subject pronouns i first person singular subject pronoun you second person singular subject pronoun he third person singular subject pronoun she third person singular subject pronoun. Exercise 1 combine the two sentences using who, whose, which et where. The identity of the pronoun is made clear by the antecedent. Relative pronoun is used in the sentence to introduce a relative clause thus called as relative pronoun. Relative pronouns and relative clauses learnenglish. To easily identify that it is a noun clause, make sure that you take a look at the relative pronouns that are found at the beginning of this type of class. Subordinators and relative pronouns sierra college. Pronouns worksheets are free to download and easy to access in pdf format.
View relative pronoun worksheet 1 and relative pronoun worksheet 2on. Relative pronouns introduce an adjectives or noun clause in a sentence. The pronoun cannot be left out because it is the subject of the relative clause. An intensive pronoun is used directly after its antecedent to add emphasis. Who, whom, what, which, and that are all relative pronouns. You can also use relative pronouns to combine two sentences. Relative pronouns are used to connect a phrase or clause to a noun or pronoun. Here he, the antecedent of whoever, is the subject of must be admitted, and whoever is the subject of calls. The modified pronoun is called the head and it is coindexed with the empty position the gap, in the relative clause. Welcome to esl printables, the website where english language teachers exchange resources. The following sentences contain examples of relative pronouns. On the other hand, a conjunctions one and only role is to connect two clauses. The relative pronouns are who, whom, whose, which, that. Relative pronouns are a type of pronoun used to link different parts of a sentence.
In this sentence, who is the relative pronoun referring to the man. In this study, we examine relative pronoun choice in 943 relative clauses. In doing so, it connects a dependent clause to an antecedent noun, acting as the. Lets read some examples of the following pairs of sentences and observe how these are joined with the help of relative pronouns. In the english language, there are just a few relative pronouns. Grammar worksheets questions whowhich relative clauses using who, whose, which, where relative clauses using who, whose, which, where examples. Pronouns a pronoun is a word that replaces a noun or noun phrase. Relative pronouns give more information about the subject or object of the sentence. Pronouns a pronoun is a word that takes the place of one or more nouns. Here are two examples of how relative pronouns are.
Genderneutral pronouns when we use pronouns like she or he to identify a person, we might be making an assumption about that persons gender that differs from their gender identity. You may notice this in conversations, but it is best to use the term when writing to ensure that your work is grammatically correct. She was a distinguished public servant, whose reputation was impeccable. We drove past my old school, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. And these relative pronouns are also combined with a subject and predicate. English grammar relative clauses relative clauses introduction there are two types of relative clauses. Relative pronouns definition and examples grammar in.
Pdf on the choice of relative pronouns in english researchgate. Gustavo slowed to the speed limit when he saw the police cruiser in the rearview mirror. Relative clauses using who, whose, which, where esl. Relative pronoun relates with noun which we used in previous sentence. Such relative pronouns include how, which, who, or what. In fact, the relative pronoun is a clue word to let us know that the relative clause is beginning. Compound relative pronouns, english grammar, advanced english. In the examples, the relative pronoun is in brackets to show where it is not essential. Later, i provide support that in that the head noun in cocto relative clauses not only can but must reconstruct to a position inside the relative clause. A relative pronoun is a part of speech in that it is a word that replaces a noun.
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