Definition: We use the relative pronouns to refer to a noun mentioned before and of which we are adding more information.

They are used to join two or more sentences and forming in that way what we call "relative sentences". Relative pronouns : who,whom,that,which,whoever,whomever,whichever. For example: y People who speak two languages are called bilingual. * In this example, the relative "who" introduces the relative sentence "speak two languages" that describes or gives more information about the noun "people". Relative pronouns: Subject or Object As the relative pronouns relate to another noun preceding it in the sentence, they connect a dependent clause to an antecedent (a noun that precedes the pronoun.) Therefore, relative pronouns acts as the subject or object of the dependent clause. For example: y The chef who won the competition studied in Paris. * Here, "who" relates back to (or is relative to) the noun "Chef". "Who" also acts as the subject of the dependent clause and the verb "won". => The dependent clause: who won the competition. => The independent clause: The chef studied in Paris. The shirt that Carl bought has a stain on the pocket. * Here, "that" relates back to (or is relative to) the noun "shirt". "That" is also the object of the verb "bought". => The dependent clause is: that Carl bought. => The independent clause: The shirt has a stain on the pocket.

Referring to people: Who, Whom, Whoever, Whomever These pronouns take a different case depending on whether the relative pronoun is a subject or an object in the dependent clause. Subjective case Use the subjective case when these relative pronouns are the subject (initiating the action) of the dependent clause: Who, Whoever .For example:  Negotiations were not going smoothly between the two leaders, who made no bones about not liking each other. * "Who" relates back to the noun "leaders" and is the subject of the dependent clause and the verb "made".  Most workers, whoever was not employed by the auto manufacturer, toiled at one of the millions of little minnow companies. * "Whoever" relates back to the noun "workers" and is the subject of the dependent clause and the verb "was employed". Objective case Use the objective case when these relative pronouns are the object (receiving the action) of the dependent clause: Whom, Whomever .For example:  This is the approach taken by journalists, whom some consider to be objective. * "Whom" relates back to the noun "journalists" and is the object of the verb "consider". The subject of the dependent clause is "some".  The three representatives, whomever the committee chooses, should be at the meeting tomorrow. * "Whomever" relates back to the noun representatives and is the object of the verb "chooses". The subject of the dependent clause is "Committee". Referring to a place, thing or idea: Which, That When using relative pronouns for places, things or ideas, rather than determining case, the writer must decide 1.

whether the information in the dependent clause is essential to the meaning of the independent clause or simply additional information. When information is critical to the understanding of the main clause, use That as the appropriate relative pronoun and do not set the information off by commas. For example: y Russian generals have delivered a message that is difficult to ignore. * "That" relates back to the noun "message" and is necessary for the reader to know what "message" the sentence is about.

There is another factor that obviously boosts the reputation of both of these men. * "That" relates back to the noun "factor" and is necessary for the reader to know what "factor" the sentence is about.

When information is not critical to the understanding of the main clause, use "Which" as the appropriate relative pronoun and set the information off by commas. For example: y The toughest intramural fight of all for Clinton was the North American Free Trade Agreement, which he undertook a full year before the 1994 election. * "Which" relates back to the noun "agreement" and the information following it is not necessary for the reader to know what "agreement" the sentence is about.

Clinton refused to head toward the center on affirmative action and abortion, which are the two most sacred issues to the traditional liberal wing of the party. * "Wich" relates back to the noun "affirmative action and abortion" and the information following it is not necessary for the reader to know what "affirmative action and abortion" the sentence is about.

When referring to more than one place, thing or idea use these relative pronouns: Whatever, Whichever For example: y The three approaches, whichever works is fine, produce a more ambiguous picture of a man. * "Whichever" relates to the noun "approaches" and the information contained within the commas is additional, not critical information. Any excessive profits, whatever exceeded accepted limits, would attract the notice of representatives. * "Whatever" relates to the noun "profits" and the information contained within the commas is additional, not critical information.

Relative pronouns adalah kata ganti yang menunjuk pada kata benda yang mendahuluinya (antecedent) yang berfungsi sebagai penghubung dalam kalimat. Relative pronouns biasa diletakkan di awal subordinate clause atau anak kalimat yang menunjukkan relasi terhadap keseluruhan kalimat. Kata ganti yang digunakan adalah: who, whom, whose, which, dan that. Contoh: - The man who is sitting in the corner is my friend. - The boy whom we visited is her boyfriend. - The girl whose car was sold will go to study abroad. - The filing cabinet, which we purchase last week, is very well built. - The book that describes about behaviour of animal is expensive. Kata who, whom, whose, which, dan that pada contoh di atas mengacu pada kata sebelumnya (the man, the boy, the girl, the filling cabinet, the book). Perluasan relative pronouns dengan kata ganti seperti whoever, whomever, whatever dikenal sebagai indefinite relative pronouns. Contoh: - The boy will tease whomever he likes. - She said whatever came to mind. - Let in whoever comes to me. Kata what juga dapat digunakan sebagai indefinite relative pronouns, contoh: - I will tell you what you need to know. A relative pronoun is a pronoun that introduces a relative clause. It is called a "relative" pronoun because it "relates" to the word that it modifies. Here is an example: y The person who phoned me last night is my teacher.

In the above example, "who": y y relates to "person", which it modifies introduces the relative clause "who phoned me last night"

There are five relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, that* Who (subject) and whom (object) are generally only for people. Whose is for possession. Which is for things. That can be used for people** and things and as subject and object in defining relative clauses (clauses that are essential to the sentence and do not simply add extra information). Relative pronouns can refer to singular or plural, and there is no difference between male and female. Look at these examples showing defining and non-defining relative clauses: example sentences S=subject, O=object, P=possessive - The person who phoned me last night is my teacher. - The person that phoned me last night is my teacher. - The car which hit me was yellow.

notes

That is preferable

defining

That is preferable

- The cars that hit me were yellow. - The person whom I phoned last night is my teacher. - The people who I phoned last night are my teachers. - The person that I phoned last night is my teacher. - The person I phoned last night is my teacher. - The car which I drive is old. - The car that I drive is old. - The car I drive is old. - The student whose phone just rang should stand up. - Students whose parents are wealthy pay extra. P - The police are looking for the car whose driver was masked. - The police are looking for the car of which the driver was masked. - Mrs Pratt, who is very kind, is my teacher. S - The car, which was a taxi, exploded. - The cars, which were taxis, exploded. - Mrs Pratt, whom I like very much, is my teacher. - Mr and Mrs Pratt, who I like very much, are my teachers. - The car, which I was driving at the time, suddenly caught fire. - My brother, whose phone you just heard, is a doctor. P - The car, whose driver jumped out just before the accident, was completely destroyed. - The car, the driver of which jumped out just before the accident, was completely destroyed. Whom is correct but very formal. Who is normal. Of which is usual for things, but whose is sometimes possible

Whom is correct but very formal. The relative pronoun is optional.

That is preferable to which. The relative pronoun is optional.

O nondefining

Of which is usual for things, but whose is sometimes possible

*Not all grammar sources count "that" as a relative pronoun. **Some people claim that we cannot use "that" for people but must use "who/whom"; there is no good reason for such a claim.