Relative pronouns (who, which, that, whose, whom)

In the English language, there are five relative pronouns and three relative adverbs, which principally fulfil the same purpose. All of them serve primarily to introduce relative clauses . Compare the following possible occurrences of such pronouns and adverbs:

• Usage of relative pronouns for relative clauses:
  • ‘ who ’ … is used exclusively for persons/people :
    • “The flight attendant who helped me was very nice.”
    • “The book which I gave you is very interesting, isn’t it?”
    • “The car that crashed into the house is completely damaged.”
    • “My friend Sandra , whose brothers live in Australia, is going to visit me.”
    • “The girl whom Peter met the other day is 28 years old.”
    • “Six years ago, when my brother got married, I was working in China.”
    • “This is the place where we kissed for the first time.”
    • “ Which of the colours do you like best?”
    • “ Who did you meet there?”

    What are the particularities of using relative pronouns in English?

    • ‘ that ’ (for persons, things , and animals ) is preferably used instead of ‘ who ’ and ‘ which ’ …
    • … when superlatives are mentioned before :
      • best, lowest, most expensive, fastest, highest, most interesting, cheapest, worst, nicest, etc.
      • Example:
        • “This is the most interesting movie that I’ve ever seen.”
        • every/everything
        • all
        • any/anything
        • much
        • some/something
        • first
        • no/nothing
        • few
        • none
        • only
        • little
        • Example sentences:
          • “This is the only key that opens the lock.”
          • “Is there anything that we can do for you?”

          Further explanations related to the ‘Relative pronouns’

          The following explanations are related to the topic ‘ Relative pronouns and adverbs in English ( who, which, that, whose, whom )’ and might also be helpful:

          • Comparison of adjectives
          • Use of personal pronouns
          • Use of possessives
          • Explanation of adverbs
          • Exercise 1: relative pronouns (who, which, whose)

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