Relative Pronouns Examples

Relative pronouns are used with essential and non-essential clauses and phrases to connect the information in the clause or phrase to a noun or pronoun in the sentence.

Common Relative Pronouns

who, whom, whose, which, that, when where

Sometimes these relative pronouns serve as the subject of a dependent clause. Clauses that contain relative pronouns are adjective clauses-they describe or give more information about a person, place, thing, or idea in the sentence. They are placed direction after the noun or pronoun that they describe. The information given in the phrase or clause can be essential to the meaning of the sentence or not.

People often misuse relative pronouns. Here are a few tips:

1. Who is a subject; whom is an object. Use who if the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause; use whom if the relative pronoun functions as an object in the clause:
a. The boy who is talking is my brother.
b. The children whom we brought with us are my neighbors.

2. Use who to refer to people; use that to refer to things or object.
a. The girl who is running is very fast.
b. The dog that is running is very fast.

3. Use that when the information is essential; use which when the information is not essential.
a. The dog that has a red collar belongs to me.
b. The table, which belonged to my grandmother, has been in my family for 100 years.

Examples of Sentences with Relative Pronouns

1. The store that is on the corner of Park and Elm is my favorite book store.
2. My backpack, which I left on the bus, is blue and purple.
3. The teacher whom I like the most is Mrs. Harrison.
4. The principal who took Mr. Darning's place is very nice.
5. The time when you should care about your grades is now.
6. The house where I grew up is on the next street.
7. The girl whose hair is braided is on my basketball team.