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Relative pronouns - Coggle Diagram
Relative pronouns
Wh relative clauses related to people
That: Refers to a person, animal, or thing
who and which can take the possessive form whose
Who: Refers to a person (as the verb’s subject)
Whom: Refers to a person (as the verb’s object)
whose applied to non humans too
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What Is a Relative Pronoun, and How Does It Work?
Catherine Traffis
Catherine Traffis
Updated on September 23, 2022
GRAMMAR
A relative pronoun is a word that introduces a dependent (or relative) clause and connects it to an independent clause. A clause beginning with a relative pronoun is poised to answer questions such as Which one? How many? or What kind? Who, whom, what, which, and that are all relative pronouns.
Relative clauses are also sometimes referred to as adjective clauses, because they identify or give us additional information about the subject of the independent clause they relate to. Like adjectives, these clauses in some way describe that subject. Relative pronouns, like conjunctions, are words that join clauses—in this case, a relative clause to its main clause. The type of relative pronoun used depends on what kind of noun is being described.
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List of relative pronouns
Who: Refers to a person (as the verb’s subject)
Whom: Refers to a person (as the verb’s object)
Which: Refers to an animal or thing
What: Refers to a nonliving thing
That: Refers to a person, animal, or thing
The woman who came to the door left flowers for you.
I am not sure whom this book belongs to.
Interpretative dance, which I find a bit disconcerting, is all the rage.
Is this what you were talking about?
She finally visited the coffee shop that had such great reviews.
Possessive relative pronouns
It surprises some people to learn that both who and which can take the possessive form whose