Relative Pronouns

What Are Relative Pronouns?

Relative pronouns are used to connect relative clauses (also called adjective clauses) to the main clause in a sentence. These clauses either:

• Restrict (give essential information about the noun), or
• Add non-essential, extra information (called non-restrictive clauses).

Although interrogative pronouns and relative pronouns look alike, they serve different purposes:

• Interrogative pronouns ask questions. (e.g., Who is that?)
• Relative pronouns connect a clause to a noun or pronoun in another clause.

Relative pronouns can serve three different functions within a sentence:

1. As the subject of the clause
2. As the object of the clause's verb
3. As a possessive determiner

1. Relative Pronoun as the Subject of the Clause

Example: “Lita is the girl who always sits next to me in the van.”

This sentence has two clauses:

• Main clause: Lita is the girl
• Restrictive clause: who always sits next to me in the van

Here, “who” replaces “the girl” and acts as the subject of the second clause. The restrictive clause gives essential information—without it, we wouldn't know which girl is being referred to.

2. Relative Pronoun as the Object of the Clause’s Verb

Example: “The book that I wrote is being published in January.”

Two clauses again:

• Main clause: The book is being published in January
• Restrictive clause: that I wrote

In this case, “I” is the subject of the second clause, and “that” refers to the book and acts as the object of the verb wrote. This is a restrictive clause because it provides necessary information about which book is being discussed.

3. Relative Pronoun as a Possessive Determiner

Example: “The man, whose name can’t be revealed, appeared in court today.”

This sentence contains a non-restrictive clause, which is placed between commas:

• Main clause: The man appeared in court today
• Non-restrictive clause: whose name can’t be revealed

If we remove the non-restrictive clause, the main sentence still makes complete sense. This tells us the added clause gives extra (but not essential) information.

The relative pronoun “whose” shows possession—it tells us the name belongs to the man. Just like in questions ("Whose bag is this?"), it acts as a possessive determiner.

In our example, “whose name can’t be revealed” shows that the man owns the name, even though we’re not allowed to know what it is.

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Key Takeaway: Relative pronouns help us connect ideas, avoid repetition, and show relationships like subject, object, or possession—all while keeping our sentences smooth and informative.