Do you know what relative pronouns are? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on relative pronouns, including the definition, usage, example sentences, and more!
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Kevin
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November 12, 2021
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What is a relative pronoun?
According to Grammar Monster, relative pronouns are pronouns that head an adjective clause. These include “that,” “which,” “who,” “whom,” and “whose.” Relative pronouns are used to identify an adjective clause or tell something interesting about an adjective clause. Who can act as the subject or the object of the relative clause. These can also identify the antecedent of the relative pronoun. Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses, which are a type of dependent clause. Some of these are used when no antecedent noun or pronoun is present. When a clause specifies its noun, it is called a restrictive clause, which change the sentence’s meaning. When it’s just additional information, it’s called a non-restrictive clause, which introduces non-essential information. Nonrestrictive clauses are started with commas, as also called defining or non-defining relative clauses. When “whom” or “which” is the object of a preposition, you can start the adjective clause with the preposition. Whom is used in formal writing when the person is the object of the verb. Use which to introduce relative clauses when they refer to a whole sentence or independent clause. Other types of pronouns show possession or have a possessive form. People make common mistakes when it comes to pronouns.
French also uses relative pronouns. According to Cliffs Notes, these include que, lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles, auquel, duquel, où, ce dont, ce qui, and ce que.
What are examples of relative pronouns?
A relative pronoun can be used in many different contexts in the English language. Trying to use a word or literary technique in a sentence is one of the best ways to memorize what it is, but you can also try making flashcards or quizzes that test your knowledge. Try using this term of the day in a sentence today! The following sentences are examples of relative pronouns from Your Dictionary that can help get you started incorporating this tool into your everyday use. These can come at the end of a sentence. Try to use the term relative pronouns today or notice when someone else is using a relative pronoun, like in the first example.Â
- Â The plant, which sits in the window, is getting new leaves.
- Â Billy, who I work with, just got relocated yesterday.
- Â The teacher, who was about to retire, began writing her memoirs on vacation.
- Â I want to visit the island where my grandma was born.
- Â The neighbor, who lives down the road, got a new car as one of his prizes.
- Â The driver who ran the stop sign was careless.
- Â This is the gift that everyone is talking about.
- Â The cat that is very old needs to see the vet today.
- Â These are the houses that have been affected by a number of people.
- Â The cells that we had tested came back as benign.
- Â I like the lawyer who is in my class.
- Â I like the dog that does tricks with a soccer ball.Â
- Â I don’t like people who interrupt me.
- Â The children, whom we love dearly, need better educational systems and lessons.
- Â These are the people who want to buy my car.
- Â The woman, who is very old, took a nap.
- Â My doctor is trying a new testing method, which had a 70% success rate.
- Â The phone, which was ringing, was in my bedroom.
- Â Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died.
- Â Give the funds to someone who needs cancer treatment.
- Â She remembered the day when they met.
- Â The hamster, which was in the cage, was running on the wheel and inanimate objects.
- Â The cat, which is very old, ate spaghetti.
- Â The book, which is now out of print, has all the information you need.
- Â Grandma remembers a time when radio shows were popular.
- Â I like the girl who runs fast.
- Â Here are some cookies that everyone can eat.
- Â The office where I work is in this building.
- Â This painting, which I adore, is worth over a million German dollars.
- Â I have a friend whose cat is annoying.
- Â This is the dog that was hit by a car.
- Â I like the clock that chimes the hour.
What are other literary techniques and devices?
There are many different literary and grammatical techniques and devices that you might see when you are reading prose or poetry. It is important to recognize these terms because they are always used for some purpose. Knowing these devices can help readers understand the author’s deeper meaning and why they are using such a device. Take a look at the below list of grammatical devices from OED and see how many you know! Then try researching ones that are unfamiliar to you.Â
- postmodify | postmodifier
- sentence adverb |sentence adverbial
- clause
- cognate object
- personal pronoun
- noun phrase
- cataphoric
- participle | past participle | present participle
- antecedent
- possessive adjective
- masculine
- verb (v.)
- common noun
- ellipsis | elliptical
- subordinate clause
- superlative
- morpheme
- impersonal (impers.)
- dative
- person
- optative
- indirect passive
- noun (n.)
- direct object
- direct speech
- feminine
- complement
- genitive
- copular verb | copula
- indirect question
- modal verb | modal auxiliary verb | modal auxiliary
- main clause
- second person
- concrete
- inflection | inflected | inflectional
- unmarked genitive
- agent noun
- past tense
- singular
- to-infinitive
- non-finite
- base form
- object | direct object | indirect object
- construction
- compound | compounding
- instrumental
- pronoun (pron.)
- phrase (phr.)
- dual
- collective noun
- prepositional phrase
- part of speech
- anticipatory
- causative
- abstract
- double object
- complementary
- subjunctive
- number
- parenthetical | parenthetically
- interjection
- declarative
- combination
- demonstrative
- infinitive
- participial adjective
- that-clause
- third-person
- adverb (adv.)
- positive
- present tense
- passive
- gender
- prepositional passive
- article
- mass noun
- transitive
- active
- periphrasis | periphrastic
- determiner
- apposition
- relative
- quasi-
- reflexive
- perfect
- special use
- protasis
- imperative (imper.)
- subjective
- non-referential
- past participle
- auxiliary verb | auxiliary
- collocation | collocate
- interrogative
- indirect object
- passive infinitive
- mood
- definite article
- conjunction (conj.)
- subject
- adverbial | adverbially
- element
- neuter
- progressive
- nominal relative | nominal relative clause
- objective
- present participle
- construed (const., constr.)
- predicative
- attributive
- first person
- zero
- indicative
- main verb
- phrasal verb
- absolute (absol.)
- verbal noun
- combining form (comb. form)
- head
- locative
- possessive pronoun
- anaphoric
- suffix
- plural
- prefix
- apodosis and protasis
- case
- conditional
- indefinite
- count noun
- possessive
- intensifier
- direct question
- intransitive
- prepositional object
- preposition (prep.)
- comparative
- pro-form
- bare infinitive
- tense
- parasynthetic
- possessive pronouns | proper name
- modify | modifier
- indirect speech
- adjective
- appositive
- nominative
- vocative
- stem
- pleonasm | pleonastic
- accusative
- similative
- agree | agreement
- simple
- filler
- finite
- premodify | premodifier
Overall, the term relative pronouns refer to pronouns that head an adjective clause.Â
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