RELATIVE PRONOUNS & RELATIVE ADJECTIVES

RELATIVE PRONOUNS & RELATIVE ADJECTIVES

Another type of word that is not really a conjunctive adverb, but which joins ideas together with adjective or noun clauses, are relative pronouns and relative adjectives. (relative clauses)

RELATIVE PRONOUNS

who, whoever, whose, whosever, whom, whomever, which, whichever, that, what, whatever.

• Randolph is the guy who won the in-line skate contest. 
• Artie told the waiter what his date wanted to order.
• Dreams that have been denied still are not forgotten.
• Lanny was determined to visit Helen, whatever the cost.

what, whatever, which, whichever
When these words are used to modify nouns and introduce subordinate clauses, they're relative adjectives.
They are two revved-up relative adjectives that you can use to jumpstart a dependent clause.

Many students are surprised to learn that when, why, where and how, and also the longer forms whenever,  wherever and however,  also function as nominal relative pronouns .  As relative pronouns, they are used to replace a longer phrase that would include a standard relative pronoun such as whom or which.

Relative adverb :  however

However can also be used as a relative adverb, qualifying an adjective or adverb.

Examples:

• However hard I try, I can't manage to find the right answer!
        Meaning : I can't find the answer even if I try in ways which are very hard.
• We'll have plenty of food however many people actually come.
        Meaning :  The number of people who come is not important, we'll have...

EXAMPLES

We use who and whom for people, and which for things.
Or we can use that for people or things.

We use relative pronouns:

• after a noun, to make it clear which person or thing we are talking about:

the house that Jack built
the woman who discovered radium
an eight-year-old boy who attempted to rob a sweet shop

• to tell us more about a person or thing:

My mother, who was born overseas, has always been a great traveller.
Lord Thompson, who is 76, has just retired.
We had fish and chips, which is my favourite meal.

But we do not use that as a subject in this kind of relative clause.
We use whose as the possessive form of who:

This is George, whose brother went to school with me.

We sometimes use whom as the object of a verb or preposition:

This is George, whom you met at our house last year.
This is George’s brother, with whom I went to school.

But nowadays we normally use who:

This is George, who you met at our house last year.
This is George’s brother, who I went to school with.

When whom or which have a preposition the preposition can come at the beginning of the clause...

I had an uncle in Germany, from who[m] I inherited a bit of money.
We bought a chainsaw, with which we cut up all the wood.

… or at the end of the clause:

I had an uncle in Germany who[m] I inherited a bit of money from.
We bought a chainsaw, which we cut all the wood up with.

We can use that at the beginning of the clause:

I had an uncle in Germany that I inherited a bit of money from.
We bought a chainsaw that we cut all the wood up with.

USES OF THAT **

That is used to connect a subordinate clause to a preceding verb. It serves the purpose of a conjunction in that instance. That may often be left out with no changes in meaning to the sentence. You need to determine whether the sentence is clearly understood if you leave out the word that when you introduce a subordinate clause. If the sentence makes sense without the word that, omit it.

• Rod heard (that) his car was stolen.
• Margo thought (that) her neighbors were gossiping about her.
• Keith feels (that) he said nothing rude to the salesman.

If you think leaving out the word that makes a break in the smoothness of a sentence, you may use a comma where the word that would have been placed.

• I’m telling you, (that) I don’t want to go there anymore.
• The biggest obstacle is, (that) no one wants to spend money on repairs.

If you think the sentence sounds as good and its meaning is clearly understood without using that, then leave it out. BUT: There are three times when the word that should be used: 

 

1.  If there is a time element mentioned between the verb and the clause:

Warren told us last week that he was going on vacation this month.

2.  If the verb of the clause is further into the clause rather than close to the beginning:

The newspaper stated that some of the new houses built over the last few months were already in disrepair. (Be careful!  The main verb in this clause is were, not built)

3.  If a second that makes the sentence more clear as to who said or did what:

The fireman said that the frequency of home fires was increasing, and that the sale of smoke detectors had fallen off. (Did the fireman mean that sales had fallen off, or was the increase in fires causing the drop in sales? The second that clarifies the sentence.)

EXAMPLES OF RELATIVE PRONOUNS

as a relative pronoun (starting a relative clause that is subject, object, or complement of another clause): She showed me what she had bought.

Be yourself (/ who you are and say what you want / feel) because those who matter dont mind and those who mind dont matter.

EXAMPLES OF RELATIVE ADJECTIVES