Relative Pronoun

A relative pronoun is an important part of English grammar. It helps us connect two sentences and give additional information about a noun without repeating it. Relative pronouns make sentences shorter, clearer, and more natural in both speaking and writing.

This article explains relative pronouns in depth, including definitions, types, rules, examples, common mistakes, and practice exercises, in simple and clear English.

A relative pronoun is a word used to refer to a noun that comes before it and to add extra information about that noun. It introduces a relative clause and helps join two ideas into one sentence. Common relative pronouns include who, which, that, whose, and whom.

Types of Relative Pronouns

Types of Relative Pronoun:

1. Defining Relative Pronoun

2. Non-Defining Relative Pronoun

Defining Relative Pronoun

A defining relative pronoun is used to introduce a clause that gives essential information about a noun. This information is necessary to identify the person or thing being talked about, and the sentence’s meaning is incomplete without it. Common defining relative pronouns are who, which, that, whose, and whom.

Relative Pronouns Used:

• who (people)


• which (things)


• that (people & things)


• whose (possession)

What is the Relative Pronoun “Who”?

Who is a relative pronoun used only for people. It connects a clause to a noun and explains which person we are talking about.

Simple definition:

“Who” is used to describe or identify a person mentioned earlier in the sentence.

Example:

• She is the girl who won the prize.

Here who refers to the girl.

Usage of Who

The relative pronoun who is used when we talk about people.

Structure:

Noun (person) + who + verb + extra information

Example:

• The teacher who teaches English is very kind.

Here:

• teacher = noun


• who teaches English = relative clause

Rule 1: “Who” is Used for People

We use who when the noun refers to a person or people.

Examples:

• The boy who is playing football is my brother.


• The woman who lives next door is a doctor.

Incorrect:

• The car who is red ❌

Correct:

• The car which is red ✔

Rule 2: “Who” Acts as the Subject of the Clause

In most sentences, who functions as the subject of the relative clause.

Example:

• The student who studies hard will succeed.

Here:

• who = subject


• studies = verb

Rule 3: “Who” Connects Two Ideas

Relative pronouns help combine two sentences into one.

Example:

Sentence 1:

• The man is my uncle.

Sentence 2:

• The man helped me.

Combined sentence:

• The man who helped me is my uncle.

Rule 4: Do Not Repeat the Subject

When we use who, we should not repeat the subject.

Incorrect:

• The boy who he is running is fast.

Correct:

• The boy who is running is fast.

Examples of Sentences with “Who”

1. The girl who is singing is very talented.

2. The man who lives here is my friend.

3. The teacher who taught us yesterday is absent today.

4. The student who answered the question received a prize.

5. The doctor who treated me is very kind.

6. I met a woman who speaks five languages.

7. The boy who broke the window apologized.

8. The artist who painted this picture is famous.

9. The child who is crying needs help.

10. The player who scored the goal became a hero.

Common Mistakes

What is the Relative Pronoun “Whom”?

Whom is a relative pronoun used for people. It refers to a person who is the object of a verb or a preposition.

Simple definition:

“Whom” is used to refer to a person receiving the action in a sentence.

Example:

The person whom you called is my friend.

Usage of Whom

Whom is used when the person is the object of the verb.

Structure:

Noun (person) + whom + subject + verb

Example:

• The student whom the teacher praised is very happy.

Explanation:

• The teacher praised the student.


• The student is the object, so we use whom.

Rule 1: “Whom” is Used for People

Like who, whom is used only for people.

Example:

• The woman whom I met yesterday is a doctor.

Incorrect:

• The book whom I read ❌

Correct:

• The book which I read ✔

Rule 2: “Whom” Acts as the Object

Whom functions as the object of a verb or preposition.

Example:

• The man whom I saw is my neighbor.

Here:

• I saw the man


• The man is the object, so we use whom.

Rule 3: Used After Prepositions

Whom is often used after prepositions like:

• to


• for


• with


• about

Examples:

• The person to whom I spoke was very helpful.


• The friend with whom I traveled is very kind.

Rule 4: Difference Between Who and Whom

Example:

• She invited the girl who lives nearby.


• She invited the girl whom she met yesterday.

Example Sentences with “Whom”

1. The man whom I met yesterday is very kind.

2. The teacher whom the students respect is very knowledgeable.

3. The girl whom he loves is very beautiful.

4. The friend whom I invited could not come.

5. The person whom you called is not available.

6. The doctor whom we visited gave good advice.

7. The student whom the teacher praised was very happy.

8. The woman whom I helped thanked me.

9. The colleague whom I trust works very hard.

10. The guest whom we welcomed was very important.

Common Mistakes

What is the Relative Pronoun “Whose”?

Whose is a relative pronoun used to show possession. It tells us that something belongs to someone.

Simple definition:

“Whose” shows that something belongs to a person or sometimes an animal or thing.

Example:

• The girl whose bag is red is my sister.

Usage of Whose

Whose is used to connect a noun with something that belongs to that noun.

Structure:

Noun + whose + noun + verb

Example:

• The man whose car was stolen called the police.

Explanation:

• The car belongs to the man.

Rule 1: “Whose” Shows Possession

Whose is used when we want to show ownership.

Examples:

• The boy whose bicycle is broken is crying.
• The teacher whose class we attended is very kind.

Rule 2: Used for People

Most commonly, whose is used for people.

Example:

• The girl whose father is a doctor is my friend.

Explanation:

• The father belongs to the girl.

Rule 3: Can Be Used for Animals and Things

Although whose usually refers to people, it can also refer to animals or things.

Examples:

Animals:

• The dog whose tail is wagging is very friendly.

Things:

• The house whose roof was damaged needs repair.

Rule 4: Do Not Repeat Possession

When using whose, we do not repeat his, her, their, etc.

Incorrect:

• The boy whose his bike is new ❌

Correct:

• The boy whose bike is new ✔

The girl whose bag is blue is my sister.

The man whose car was stolen reported to the police.

The teacher whose class we enjoy is very friendly.

The boy whose bicycle is broken is sad.

The woman whose house is nearby is my neighbor.

The student whose answer was correct received a prize.

The artist whose paintings are famous lives here.

The player whose goal won the match became popular.

The child whose toy is missing is crying.

The writer whose books are famous visited our school.

Common Mistakes

What is the Relative Pronoun “Which”?

Which is a relative pronoun used to refer to animals, objects, places, or ideas.

Simple definition:

“Which” gives extra information about a thing or animal mentioned earlier.

Example:

• The book which is on the table is mine.

Usage of Which

Which is used when we talk about things or animals, not people.

Structure

Noun (thing/animal) + which + verb + extra information

Example:

• The car which is parked outside belongs to my father.

Explanation:

• Car is the noun.
• which is parked outside gives extra information about the car.

Rule 1: “Which” is Used for Things or Animals

We use which when referring to objects, animals, or ideas.

Examples:

• The house which has a red roof is beautiful.
• The dog which barked loudly ran away.

Incorrect:

• The man which called me ❌

Correct:

• The man who called me ✔

Rule 2: “Which” Can Be the Subject or Object

Which can function as the subject or object in a relative clause.

Example (subject):

• The book which is interesting belongs to me.

Example (object):

• The book which I bought yesterday is interesting.

Rule 3: “Which” Connects Two Sentences

Relative pronouns help combine two sentences into one.

Example:

Sentence 1:

• I bought a book.

Sentence 2:

• The book is very interesting.

Combined sentence:

• I bought a book which is very interesting.

Rule 4: Used in Non-Defining Clauses (with commas)

Sometimes which gives extra information that is not essential. In these cases, commas are used.

Example:

• My car, which is very old, still works well.

Examples of Sentences

1. The book which is on the table is mine.

2. The car which he bought yesterday is very expensive.

3. The movie which we watched was exciting.

4. The house which has a big garden is beautiful.

5. The phone which I lost was new.

6. The dog which chased the cat ran away.

7. The computer which I use for work is fast.

8. The song which she sang was lovely.

9. The cake which my mother baked tastes delicious.

10. The river which flows through the city is very long.

Common Mistakes

Non-defining Relative Pronoun

A non-defining relative pronoun introduces a clause that gives extra information about a noun, not essential to the meaning of the sentence. It is always separated by commas and commonly uses who, whom, whose, or which (never that). Even if the clause is removed, the main sentence still remains clear and complete.

Examples: