Relative Pronouns and Relative Clauses

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• mavo, havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 2-4

Welcome students!

Welcome to your English lessons!

Today's lesson: Relative pronouns

Mr. Westra

Learning Objectives

• Understand the role of relative pronouns in English language.
• Identify and use the main English relative pronouns: which, that, who, and whom.
• Understand the concept of an antecedent in grammar.

Definition and Role

• Relative clause: Provides additional information about the preceding noun or noun phrase.
• Antecedent: The noun or noun phrase that a relative pronoun refers to.

Main English Relative Pronouns

• Which
• That
• Who
• Whom
• Whose

Restrictive vs. Nonrestrictive Relative Clauses

• Restrictive: Specifies the antecedent.
• Nonrestrictive: Provides extra information.

The Concept of an Antecedent

• The noun or noun phrase that a relative pronoun refers to.

Some examples of these can be:

1. Vote with the party that is right.
2. My mother was very kind to me, which made me love her dearly.

Non restrictive sentences

This is a form which simply adds more information to the sentence. 

You can remove this information without changing the meaning sentence itself:

• My previous house, which was quite small, was in Coventry.
• I did well in chemistry, which was always my favorite subject.

Differences between who & whom

No difference in speaking language --> use who

Academic writing does make a difference

Who is used as the subject of a sentence

Whom is used a the object of a sentence

Which relative pronoun is used to refer to people?

1. whom
2. what
3. who
4. which

Which relative pronoun is used to refer to things or animals?

1. that
2. which
3. who
4. whom

Which relative pronoun is used to refer to a place?

1. which
2. when
3. where

I did well in chemistry, ............ was always my favorite subject.

1. that
2. which
3. who
4. whom

I don’t like people ........... only talk about themselves.

1. that
2. which
3. who
4. whom

My neighbor Jamil, ....... I’d never met before, came over to introduce himself yesterday.

1. that
2. which
3. who
4. whom