Who, Whom, That, Which, Whose

Vitamin

Answer the following questions

The pronoun who is used as a _______________________ in the nominative case
The pronoun whom is used as a _____________________ in the objective case

Relative Pronoun

Relative pronouns : who, whom, which, whose, and that.
Relative pronouns link independent and dependent clauses together.
Ex: The cat is sleeping.
Who is on the couch
A dependent clause ( relative clause ): clause that provides additional information but cannot stand alone. It starts with a relative pronoun.
When you link these clauses using a relative pronoun, you create a more informative sentence

Whose

Whose" is a relative pronoun that shows possession. It can refer to people, animals, or things. "Whose" is used to indicate that something belongs to someone or something mentioned earlier in the sentence.

Functions of "Whose"

1. Indicating Possession:

   • Example: "The girl whose bike was stolen is my friend."

     • Here, "whose bike was stolen" tells us that the bike belongs to "the girl."

2. Referring to Animals or Things:

   • While "whose" primarily refers to people, it can also be used for animals or things .

   • Example: "The cat whose tail is fluffy is very playful."

     • In this case, "whose tail is fluffy" tells us about the cat’s tail.

Using whose in a sentence

The author whose book became a bestseller is speaking at the event.

Function of Relative Pronoun

We use relative pronouns who and whom to refer back to people.
who acts as the subject of the relative clause.
Ex:The teacher who loves history is very popular.

Whom" is a relative pronoun used to refer to people, specifically when that person is the object of a verb or preposition in the relative clause.
Can be used as an object of a verb.
Ex: The teacher whom I admire is retiring.

Object of a Preposition: When the person is the object of a preposition in the relative clause.

• Example: "The person to whom I spoke was very helpful."

  • In this case, "to whom I spoke" indicates that "whom" is the object of the preposition "to."

Which

Which" is a relative pronoun used to refer to animals or things. It introduces a relative clause that provides additional information about the noun it follows.

1. Referring to Specific Things or Animals:

   • Example: "The book which I read last month was exciting."

     • Here, "which I read last month" provides more information about "the book."

       The movie, which won several awards, is on TV tonight

That

That" is a relative pronoun used to refer to people, animals, or things. It often introduces clauses, that provide essential information about the noun they modify.

Functions of "That"

1. Referring to People:

   • Example: "The teacher that helps me with math is very kind."

     • In this case, "that helps me with math" specifies which teacher we are talking about.

2. Referring to Animals or Things:

   • Example: "The book that I borrowed from you is fascinating."

     • Here, "that I borrowed from you" clarifies which book is being referred to

Using that in a sentence

When using "that," you connect an independent clause with a dependent clause. This structure helps specify which noun is being discussed.
ex:The movie that we watched last night was thrilling.

TO DO:

Relative pronoun worksheet.

IXL: II.8
Review Sheet for the test.