Relative Pronouns

relative pronoun who which which whose whom use subject or object pronoun for people subject or object pronoun for animals and things referring to a whole sentence possession for people animals and things example I told you about the woman who lives next door. Do you see the cat which is lying on the roof? He couldnt read which surprised me. Do you know the boy whose mother is a nurse?

that

object pronoun for people, especially in nonI was invited by the professor defining relative clauses (in defining relative whom I met at the conference. clauses we colloquially prefer who) subject or object pronoun for people, animals I dont like the table that stands in and things in defining relative clauses (who or the kitchen. which are also possible)

Adjective Clauses
Here is a brief review of adjective clauses and relative pronouns. An adjective clause is used to describe a noun: The car, which was red, belonged to Young-Hee. A relative pronoun is usually used to introduce an adjective clause: Young-Hee, who is a Korean student, lives in Victoria.

The main relative pronouns are:

Pronoun Who Whom Which That Use used for humans in subject position used for humans in object position used for things and animals in subject or object position used for humans, animals and things, in subject or object position (but see below) Example Hans, who is an architect, lives in Berlin. Marike, whom Hans knows well, is an interior decorator. Marike has a dog which follows her everywhere. Marike is decorating a house that Hans designed.

Exercises The man was sick. He looked very pale. He was sitting in the emergency room. It was very crowded. A nurse was nearby. He called to her.

________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________ The nurse called a doctor. He came quickly. The doctor asked him to lie down. She looked very worried. She gave the man an injection. It made him go to sleep. ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Combine each of the following pairs of simple sentences into one complex sentence containing an adjective clause. 1. The theft was committed last night. The police has caught the man. ________________________________________________________________ 2. The French language is different from the Latin language. Latin was once spoken throughout Europe. ________________________________________________________________ 3. You are looking upset. Can you tell me the reason? ________________________________________________________________ 4. He had several plans for making money quickly. All of them have failed. ________________________________________________________________ 5. The landlord was proud of his strength. He despised the weakness of his tenants. ________________________________________________________________ 6. This is the village. I was born here. ________________________________________________________________ 7. You put the keys somewhere. Show me the place. ________________________________________________________________ 8. Paul was an old gentleman. He was my travelling companion. ________________________________________________________________ 9. A fox once met a crane. The fox had never seen a crane before. ________________________________________________________________ 10. The shop keeper keeps his money in a wooden case. This is the wooden case. ________________________________________________________________ Choose one of the following relative pronouns who, which or whose. 1) I talked to the girl _____________ car had broken down in front of the shop. 2) Mr Richards, ____________________ is a taxi driver, lives on the corner. 3) We often visit our aunt in Norwich _______________________ is in East Anglia. 4) This is the girl _______________________ comes from Spain. 5) That's Peter, the boy ____________________ has just arrived at the airport. 6) Thank you very much for your e-mail ____________________ was very interesting. 7) The man, ______________________ father is a professor, forgot his umbrella. 8) The children, _______________________ shouted in the street, are not from our school.

9) The car, ________________________ driver is a young man, is from Ireland. 10) What did you do with the money _______________________ your mother lent you?

a) The film had already started when we arrived. It was very romantic.
________________________________________________________________

b) My grandfather is a very optimistic man. His third wife died three years ago.
________________________________________________________________

c) I bought all the ingredients. I needed them to prepare a cake.

________________________________________________________________

d) Tom and Sara went to the cinema last weekend. They usually come to the pub.
________________________________________________________________

e) Alice went to the police station yesterday. Her handbag was stolen in Oxford Street.
________________________________________________________________

Answers 1. The police has caught the man who committed the theft last night. 2. The French language is different from the Latin language which was once spoken throughout Europe. 3. Can you tell me the reason why you are looking upset. 4. All the plans which he had for making money quickly have failed. 5. The landlord who was proud of his strength despised the weakness of his tenants. 6.This is the village where I was born. 7. Show me the place where you put the keys. 8. Paul who was an old gentleman was my travelling companion. 9. A fox which had never seen a crane before once met a crane. 10. This is the wooden case where the shopkeeper keeps his money.

1: The man was wearing a blue shirt. He witnessed the accident. 2: The boy was studying in the library. I talked to him very quietly.

3: The book is about the history of Mexico. I bought it yesterday. 4: The house is still standing. Abraham Lincoln was born there. 5: The man reported the accident. His car was damaged. 6: The research paper must be finished by Friday. David is working on it. 7: The church is very old. My grandparents were married there. 8: 1910 is the year. The revolution began then. 9: The people are very kind. I am staying in their house. 10: The students passed the exam. They studied hard.