Relative Pronouns

What are Relative Pronouns?

Relative Pronouns are used in sentences to connect relative clauses (also known as adjective clauses) to the main clause. Relative clauses either help clarify the antecedent by providing essential information (in which case they are referred to as restrictive clauses) or provide additional, non-essential information about it (in which case they are known as non-restrictive clauses).

Though interrogative and relative pronouns have similar forms, they are used differently. Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions, whereas relative pronouns are used to connect certain clauses to the main clauses.

The relative pronoun serves three functions in a relative clause:

1. as the subject of the clause

2. as the object of the clause’s verb; or

3. as a possessive determiner

See examples:

1. Relative pronoun as the subject of the clause

“There’s the girl who always sits next to me in the van.”

There are two clauses in this sentence: 1.) "there is the girl'' and 2.) "who always sits next to me on the van".

The first clause is the main clause, and the second clause is the restrictive clause.

Because the sentence is about that girl, the subject in the main clause is the "girl." Why is the relative pronoun "who" also the subject in the restrictive clause? Because it is simply a replacement for the girl. To avoid repetition, 'who' is used instead of 'girl' in the following clause. (See our introduction)

So, throughout this sentence, the relative pronoun "who" also serves as a subject, specifically the subject of the second clause, which is a restrictive clause because it provides essential information to the main clause.

2. Relative pronoun as the object of the clause’s verb

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

The main clause is "the book will be published in January." And the restrictive clause is "that I wrote."

The "book" is the object in the main clause because it is the one receiving the action. Why is the relative pronoun, "that," also the object in the restrictive clause? Because it is the recipient of the action. It was 'Me' who wrote, not the book, so "I" am the subject, not the book. 

In the restrictive clause, the "book" is the "object," and the relative pronoun that replaced it, "that," is also the object. Why is it a restricting clause? Because it is necessary information for the main clause. People will not know that it was the book that "I" wrote if it was not added to the sentence.

3. Relative pronoun as a possessive determiner

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

This sentence has a very different structure. However, it is the simplest of the three.

The clause between two commas is always the non-restrictive clause in this type of sentence. It is thus a non-essential clause. Even if it is removed along with the commas, the sentence remains complete and understandable.

So the non-restrictive clause is "whose name cannot be revealed." If it is removed along with the commas, the sentence will still be complete as follows: "The man appeared in court today."  Whoever that man is, the audience sure already has an idea.

Returning to the original sentence.

The main clause is "the man appeared in court today," while the non-restrictive clause is "whose name cannot be revealed." "Whose" is a relative pronoun that serves as what? as a possessive determiner.  It is determining or shifting that man's name, which cannot be revealed. To illustrate, consider the term possessive determiner, which expresses ownership. Remember when someone asked you who owned something? "Whose bag is this?" or "Whose cat is this?" and you'll get Jenny's, or his, hers, mine, and so on. That is nearly identical to the function of the relative pronoun here, which is "whose." It is used to express possession or ownership. It expresses the man's ownership of his name in the example sentence.