DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH: COMMANDS AND REQUESTS

ENGLISH 10TH - Language Practice

UNIT # 8.3

Q.
A relative pronoun is used to connect a clause or phrase to a noun or pronoun. The clause modifies or describes the noun. The most common relative pronouns are who, whom, whose, which, and that. Sometimes, ‘when’ and ‘where’ can be used as relative pronouns as well.

Relative Pronoun	Usage	Example
who	used for people: replaces subject pronouns like I, she, he, we, they	It was my husband who broke the car door.
whose	shows possession or relationship	This is the girl whose notes I borrowed.
whom	replaces object pronouns like me, her, him	The man whom they found was sent home.
which	used for objects and animals (typically non-defining clauses)	The robots, which were waiting outside, were ready for shipment.
that	used for people and things (typically defining clauses)	The piggy bank that was on my desk got broken.

How to Use Relative Pronouns:
Relative pronouns are placed directly after the noun or pronoun they modify (which is underlined in the examples below). The subject of the sentence is described by a relative clause (italicized). Since these clauses describe a noun or a pronoun, they are also known as adjective clauses because they act like adjectives in the sentence.

Each clause is introduced by a relative pronoun (in bold). Relative pronouns connect the description to the rest of the sentence in an orderly way. See how this works through a few examples.

• The driver who ran the stop sign was careless.
• The children, whom we love dearly, need better educational systems.
• Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died.

• I have a friend whose cat is annoying.
• The book, which is now out of print, has all the information you need.
• This is the book that everyone is talking about.

When and Where as Relative Pronouns:
Occasionally, the relative adverbs ‘when’ and ‘where’ are also used as relative pronouns. As a relative pronoun, ‘when’ introduces clauses that describe a noun that refers to a time, and ‘where’ refers to a place. For examples:

• Grandma remembers a time when radio shows were popular.
• She remembered the day when they met.
• The office where I work is in this building.
• I want to visit the place where my grandma was born.

Defining vs. Non-Defining Relative Clauses

When relative pronouns add descriptive information, that information is either defining or non-defining.

Defining Clauses:
A defining clause, also known as a restrictive clause, gives essential information about the noun in question. It’s so important that it cannot be cut out of the sentence and still convey the intended meaning. Additionally, defining clauses require no additional punctuation. See a few examples:

• This is the dog that was hit by a car.
• These are the houses that have been affected.
• These are the people who want to buy my car.
• I don’t like people who interrupt me.

As you can see, the italicized clauses contain critical information. You can tell because if you cut out the clause, the sentence’s meaning is fundamentally different. For example, saying ‘I don’t like people’ is very different from saying ‘I don’t like people who interrupt me.’

Non-Defining Clauses:
On the other hand, non-defining clauses add information that’s nice to have but isn’t essential to the sentence’s overall meaning. They could be deleted, and the sentence would convey basically the same information. Therefore, non-defining clauses are set apart from the main sentence by commas, which help to indicate its less important status in the sentence. See a few example sentences with non-defining clauses.

• This painting, which I adore, is worth over a million dollars.
• The neighbor, who lives down the road, got a new car.
• The plant, which sits in the window, is getting new leaves.
• The teacher, who was about to retire, began writing her memoirs.

In the examples, you could cut out the non-defining clause in italics and still understand the point of the sentence. The important part is that the painting is worth a million dollars; the fact that it is adored is merely nice to know.

Mistakes Using Relative Pronouns
Who vs. That:
One of the most common mistakes in writing is to use the wrong relative pronoun, particularly when it comes to mixing up ‘who’ and ‘that’. ‘Who’ is always used to set up a relative clause that describes a person, while ‘that’ is used to describe an object or non-human things.

• I like the child who runs fast.
• The woman, who is very old, took a nap.
• I like the dog that does tricks.
• I like the clock that chimes the hour.

Which vs. That:
Another common error is to mix up ‘that and which’. When describing objects and non-human beings, ‘that’ is used to introduce a defining relative clause (essential information and requires no additional punctuation), while ‘which’ is used to introduce a non-defining clause (non-essential information set off by commas).

• The hamster, which was in the cage, was running on the wheel.
• The phone, which was ringing, was in my bedroom.
• The cat that is very old needs to see the vet today.
• Here are some cookies that everyone can eat.

Revision: Relative Pronouns
The relative pronouns are ‘who, whom, whose, which, and that’. The relative pronouns go after the noun and the pronouns at the beginning of the relative clause. Generally, who refers to people and that and which refer to things.

Here are some examples:

• All respects my brother, who is senior to him.
• He is the one whom I met yesterday.
• There are children whose parents never come to school.
• The house, which is next to my school, looks spooky.
• This is the pen that I gifted you.