What are Relative Pronouns? | Usage, List and Exercise.

Relative pronouns are words that introduce a relative clause (dependent clause) and join it to an independent clause. A relative clause or dependent clause starts with a relative pronoun.

Table of Contents

What is a Relative Pronoun?

Relative Pronouns add value by answering questions like Who? Whom? What? Which? They come at the start of a relative clause. It provides additional information and is also called an adjective clause. They can also work like conjunction and join relative clauses with main clauses.

Definition of a Relative Pronoun

A Relative pronoun is a type of pronoun used to introduce a relative clause in a sentence. It includes who, which, what, whom, or whose.

Examples of Relative Pronouns:

Here are relative pronouns examples. Explore these relative pronouns examples sentences.

Anna, who is a doctor, also works as a lecturer.
The bike that was lost last month was stolen.
Ellen is the boy whom she was talking about.
The girl, whose brother is a well-known doctor, is a doctor herself.
The boy, who saved the baby, was admired by everyone.

List of relative pronouns:

Following is the relative pronouns list.

Who
Whom
Which
What
That

Usage of Relative Pronoun:

Relative Pronoun	Use
Who	Refers to a person (as the verb’s subject)
That	Refers to a person, animal, or thing
Whom	Refers to a person (as the verb’s object)
What	Refers to a nonliving thing
Which	Refers to an animal or thing

Relative Pronoun can be used in:

Restrictive Clause (it adds necessary information)
Non-restrictive Clause (adds additional information)

It can function as:

Subject
Object

Here is the Relative Pronoun with usage and examples:

Relative Pronoun	Usage	Example
Which	Used in non-restrictive clause Refers to things	The home, which I bought yesterday, needs renovation
That	Used in restrictive clause Refers to things	The last house that I owned wasn’t ventilated.
Who	Used as subject Pronoun Refers to people	The girl who sits next to me is Aira.
Whom	Used as an object Pronoun Refers to People	I don’t know the names of my classmates, whom I never interacted with.