Guide to Relative Pronouns – TOEIC® Preparation

Relative pronouns allow you to connect two clauses in order to build more elaborate and more explicit sentences. They eliminate lexical redundancies and introduce what are called relative clauses. In French, their equivalents would be, for example, "qui", "que", "dont", "où".

A relative clause is a segment of a sentence that provides additional details about a noun. It can never stand alone, as it necessarily depends on a main clause.

The boy who is wearing a red shirt is my brother.
- "the boy" represents the main clause
- "Who is wearing a red shirt" constitutes the relative clause, which enriches the information about "the boy".

In English, the most frequent relative pronouns are:

Who / Whom
Which
That
Whose

Where, When, and Why are sometimes included in this family because they fulfill a comparable function by linking different parts of a sentence.

1. Defining and Non-Defining Relative Clauses

In English, the structure and punctuation of the relative clause play a decisive role. We distinguish between:

Defining relative clauses (restrictive)
Non-defining relative clauses (non-restrictive)

A. Defining Relative Clauses

A defining clause is a sentence element that provides essential information. Without it, the sentence becomes imprecise or loses its clarity.

For example:

The book that I borrowed is fascinating.

Here, "that I borrowed" is crucial to identify which book it is. Simply saying The book is fascinating is not enough, as it could refer to any book. A characteristic of defining clauses is that they are never separated by commas, as they form an integral part of the sentence.

Similarly, in the sentence:

The man who lives next door is a doctor.

The information "who lives next door" allows for the precise identification of which man is being discussed. Without this detail, the sentence "The man is a doctor" would be too general.

B. Non-Defining Relative Clauses

A non-defining clause provides additional detail, but it is not crucial for grasping the general meaning of the sentence. It simply serves to enrich the statement. This is why it is systematically enclosed in commas.

Let's look at this example:

This book, which I borrowed last week, is fascinating.

The information "which I borrowed last week" is relevant, but not mandatory. Even without this segment, the sentence This book is fascinating retains its full meaning. The presence of commas clearly signals that this information remains secondary.

Another example:

My neighbor, who is a doctor, helped me yesterday.

We already know who is being referred to: "my neighbor". The fact that he is a doctor is supplementary information, but the sentence would make sense even without this detail.

2. Essential Relative Pronouns: Who, Which, That, Whose

A. Who (and Whom)

Who generally refers to a person (or group of people).

The man who lives next door is a doctor.(The man who lives next door is a doctor.)
She's the teacher who helped me improve my pronunciation.(She is the teacher who helped me improve my pronunciation.)

B. Whom

Like who, whom is also used for people, but its usage is more formal and less frequent. It typically appears after a preposition or in formal registers.

The person whom I met yesterday was very kind.(The person whom I met yesterday was very kind.)
He is the colleague with whom I worked on the project.(He is the colleague with whom I worked on the project.)
The teacher whom I respect the most is Mr. Green.(The teacher whom I respect the most is Mr. Green.)

Nowadays, many English speakers substitute whom with who, especially in spoken language. Whom remains the form considered more correct in written or academic registers.

C. Which

Which generally refers to objects, animals, or abstract concepts. It introduces a relative clause that provides additional details about a non-human element.

The book which I borrowed from you is fascinating.(The book which I borrowed from you is fascinating.)
This is the car which won the race.(This is the car which won the race.)
He showed me the painting which he had bought at the auction.(He showed me the painting which he had bought at the auction.)

D. That

That is a relative pronoun that can substitute for who (for people) or which (for objects/animals). It is often favored in defining relative clauses.

The woman that called me yesterday is my aunt.(The woman that called me yesterday is my aunt.)
The movie that I watched last night was really good.(The movie that I watched last night was really good.)
I really love the music that you played at the party.(I really love the music that you played at the party.)

Sometimes, the relative pronoun that (or who / which) can be omitted in certain relative clauses. This is called the omission of the relative pronoun (ellipsis).

The book I read was interesting.(instead of The book that I read was interesting.)

That or Which?

In English, the choice between that and which mainly depends on the type of relative clause.

That is generally favored in defining clauses
- The car that I bought is red → The information is essential to determine which car
Which is used more in non-defining clauses
- My car, which is red, needs washing → the information about the color is purely supplementary.

Mandatory use of that after everything, anything, nothing, all

After these terms, it is imperative to use the relative pronoun that. It can neither be omitted nor replaced by which or who.

Everything that you said was true.(Everything that you said was true.)
There's nothing that we can do about it.(There's nothing that we can do about it.)
All that matters is your happiness.(All that matters is your happiness.)

E. Whose

Whose is the relative pronoun that expresses belonging or possession. It corresponds to "dont" or "de qui" in French.

I met a girl whose brother is a famous actor.(I met a girl whose brother is a famous actor.)
He's the writer whose books you love.(He is the writer whose books you love.)
The company whose employees went on strike is now negotiating.(The company whose employees went on strike is now negotiating.)

F. Whatever, Whoever, Whichever, Wherever, Whenever

These pronouns express a notion of indeterminacy or generalization:

Whatever (whatever it may be, no matter what)
- Do whatever you want.(Do whatever you want.)
Whoever (whoever it may be, anyone)
- Whoever wins will get a prize.(Whoever wins will get a prize.)
Whichever (whichever it is, no matter which one)
- Take whichever you prefer.(Take whichever you prefer.)
Wherever (wherever it may be, no matter where)
- Go wherever you like.(Go wherever you like.)
Whenever (whenever it may be, every time that)
- Call me whenever you need.(Call me whenever you need.)

G. Constructions with Prepositions and Relative Pronouns

Certain verbs or phrases require a preposition before a relative pronoun. In this case, you can use whom (for people) or which (for objects/animals).

To + whom/which : (To whom / to which)
- The professor to whom I spoke was very helpful.(The professor to whom I spoke was very helpful.)
- This is the solution to which I was referring.(This is the solution to which I was referring.)
With + whom/which : (With whom / with which)
- She's the colleague with whom I work.(She's the colleague with whom I work.)
- The method with which we succeeded was innovative.(The method with which we succeeded was innovative.)
Without + whom/which : (Without whom / without which)
- He is a friend without whom I wouldn't have made it.(He is a friend without whom I wouldn't have made it.)
- The tool without which we cannot work is missing.(The tool without which we cannot work is missing.)
By + whom/which : (By whom / by which)
- The method by which we solved the problem was innovative.(The method by which we solved the problem was innovative.)
- The process by which this wine is made is centuries old.(The process by which this wine is made is centuries old.)
From + whom/which : (From whom / from which)
- The teacher from whom I learned the most is retired.(The teacher from whom I learned the most is retired.)
- The country from which this tradition originates is unknown.(The country from which this tradition originates is unknown.)
About + whom/which : (About whom / about which)
- The author about whom we talked is famous.(The author about whom we talked is famous.)
- The theory about which we are learning is complex.(The theory about which we are learning is complex.)
On + which : (On which / on which)
- The topic on which he wrote is fascinating.(The topic on which he wrote is fascinating.)
- The table on which I placed my book is broken.(The table on which I placed my book is broken.)
None / all / some / neither / a few … + of whom / of which : (None / all / some / neither / a few... of whom / of which)
- The students, some of whom had already graduated, attended the ceremony.(The students, some of whom had already graduated, attended the ceremony.)
- The books, none of which I had read before, were very interesting.(The books, none of which I had read before, were very interesting.)

In spoken language or everyday English, the preposition is frequently moved to the end of the sentence and whom is often replaced by who: The professor I spoke to was very helpful. = The professor to whom I spoke was very helpful. The colleague I work with is very kind. = The colleague with whom I work is very kind.

3. Relative Adverbs: Where, When, Why

Although often called relative adverbs rather than relative pronouns, where, when, and why fulfill a similar function to relative pronouns. They refer to a place, a time, or a reason.

A. Where

Where is used to denote a place (concrete or abstract).

I love the city where I grew up.(I love the city where I grew up.)
This is the house where we spent our vacation.(This is the house where we spent our vacation.)

B. When

When is used to denote a point in time or a time period.

There was a time when people wrote letters instead of emails.(There was a time when people wrote letters instead of emails.)
I remember the day when we first met.(I remember the day when we first met.)

C. Why

Why is used to introduce the motive or justification.

Do you know the reason why he left so suddenly?(Do you know the reason why he left so suddenly?)
That's why I decided to travel alone.(That's why I decided to travel alone.)

Summary

Relative pronouns are essential for linking clauses and building richer, more natural sentences. They allow you to avoid unnecessary repetition and add information without weighing down the discourse. Mastering the distinction between defining and non-defining clauses helps to better structure sentences and communicate precisely what one intends to convey.

Other lessons on pronouns

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