Today we’ll be talking about substituting relative pronouns for other relative pronouns. If you haven’t read my Relative Pronouns in English – Introduction article yet, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to read it first.
Anyway, most relative pronouns may be substituted for others. There is one, though, which can’t be substituted, WHOSE. This is the only relative pronoun that can be used as a possessive. All other relative pronouns, so WHO, WHOM, WHICH and THAT, can be replaced by others.
So, let’s have a look at three categories based on how relative pronouns can be used. Here they are:
– relative pronouns used as a subject,
– relative pronouns used as an object,
– relative pronouns used as a possessive.
Let’s now have a look at each these categories one by one.
Table of Contents
Relative Pronouns Used As a Subject
Of the above mentioned relative pronouns three can be used as a subject, WHO, WHICH and THAT. If you refer to humans, WHO is typically used as the subject:
I like the girl WHO moved in next door.
This pronouns can be replaced by THAT:
I like the girl THAT moved in next door.
If you refer to things, you usually use the pronoun THAT:
I need a car THAT doesn’t break so often.
But this pronoun can be replaced by WHICH:
I need a car WHICH doesn’t break so often.
In the introduction to relative pronouns I mentioned that there are two types of relative clauses, restrictive relative clauses and non-restrictive relative clauses. We’re going to talk about these two types in more detail in one of my future articles, but the example above contains a restrictive relative clause. In non-restrictive clauses the pronouns WHO and WHICH can’t be replaced by THAT. Have a look:
His nephew, WHO was born in Texas, wants to buy a house in South Carolina.
She told him the truth, WHICH wasn’t a good idea.
Relative Pronouns Used As an Object
If you use a relative pronoun as an object, it depends whether you’re referring to humans or nonhumans. In the former case you can use the pronoun WHOM:
I just met the guy WHOM you introduced to me at the party.
This use, although recommended by prescriptive grammar, is typically found in formal language. In everyday language we replace the pronouns WHOM by WHO or by THAT:
I just met the guy WHO you introduced to me at the party.
I just met the guy THAT you introduced to me at the party.
We can also omit the relative pronoun altogether, but I’m going to talk about omitting the relative pronoun in a separate article.
Just like in case of relative pronouns used as a subject, there are some restrictions if we deal with a non-restrictive relative clause. In non-restrictive clauses the pronoun WHOM can be replaced only by WHO, but not by THAT. Have a look:
The exchange student from Japan, WHOM you met a couple days ago, just passed her math exam.
The exchange student from Japan, WHO you met a couple days ago, just passed her math exam.
Relative Pronouns Used As a Possessive
As mentioned before, WHOSE is the only relative pronoun that can be used as a possessive, independent of whether you’re referring to humans or nonhumans. It can’t be replaced by any other relative pronoun. Have a look at this example:
They gave the medal to the child WHOSE final results were the best.
So, as you can see, in most cases you can substitute one pronoun for another, but not always. You must also take into account if you’re dealing with a restrictive or non-restrictive relative clause, because things may differ here as well. Speaking of which… Stay tuned for my article on restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses, which is going to appear soon.
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