What are Relative Pronouns?
A relative pronoun is a word that is used to join a clause to a noun or pronoun.
It gives more information about a person, thing, or place mentioned before.
Common Relative Pronouns are:
Who
Whom
Whose
Which
That
1. Who
Who is used for people.
It acts as the subject of the relative clause.
Examples:
The boy who won the race is my best friend..
She is a teacher who always inspires students.
I know the man who teased Sara at the park.
2. Whom
Whom is used for people and acts as the object of the verb.
Examples:
The girl whom we met yesterday was a language Teacher.
The teacher whom the students respect is getting retirement.
He is the man whom I trusted.
(Note: In modern English, “whom” is often replaced by “who” in spoken language.)
3. Whose
Whose shows possession.
It is used for people and things.
Examples:
The student whose book is lost is crying.
I met a writer whose fame is across the globe.
This is the house whose roof is damaged.
4. Which
Which is used for animals and things.
Examples:
The book which you gave me I lost .
I bought a mobile which has a good camera.
The river which flows through the city is polluted now- a- days.
5. That
That is used for people, animals, and things.
It is commonly used in defining clauses.
Examples:
The girl that sings well is from India
This is the book that I like most.
The dog that barked loudly was taken to the farm house.
People often make certain common mistakes while using relative pronouns (who, whom, whose, which, that, where, when).
Here are the most frequent errorsmistakes explained clearly with wrong and correct examples:
1. Confusing who and whom
Mistake: Using who as an object.
The boy who I met yesterday is my friend.(In correct)
The boy whom I met yesterday is my friend.
( Correct)
As per rule:
Who = subject
Whom = object
2. Using which for people
Mistake: Referring to people with which.
He is a teacher which teaches English. ( Incorrect)
He is a teacher who teaches English.( Correct )
As per rule:
People _ who / whom / whose
Things _which
3. Using that after a comma
Mistake: Using that in non-defining clauses.
My car, that is new, is very fast.(Incorrect)
My car, which is new, is very fast. ( Correct )As per rule:
After a comma → which, who
Never use that after a comma
4. Repeating the subject or object
Mistake: Using a pronoun twice.
This is the girl who he won the prize.(Incorrect )
This is the girl who won the prize.( Correct)
As per rule:
Relative pronoun already replaces the noun—do not repeat it.
5. Wrong use of whose
Mistake: Using who or which instead of whose.
The girl who father is a doctor is intelligen.
(In correct)
The girl whose father is a doctor is intelligent. ( Correct)
As per rule:
Whose shows possession (for people and things).
6. Confusing where with which
Mistake: Using which for places.
This is the school which I studied.( In correct)
This is the school where I studied.( Correct)
As per rule:
Place + location → where
Place + thing → which
7. Using unnecessary relative pronouns
8. Wrong choice between that and which
Mistake: Mixing defining and non-defining clauses.
I bought a watch which is very expensive. (defining meaning) ( In correct)
I bought a watch that is very expensive.( Correct)
As per rule:
Defining clause__ that / which
Non-defining clause __which only
9. Using relative pronouns with time incorrectly
Mistake: Using which instead of when.
The day which we met was a great day.( In correct)
The day when we met was a great day. (Correct)
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