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RELATIVE PRONOUNS
English uses different
relative pronouns to talk
about people and things.
PEOPLE THINGS

SUBJECTS AND OBJECTS IN DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

Relative clauses
are made up of a MAIN CLAUSE RELATIVE CLAUSE
subject, a verb, and
usually an object.
They usually start
with a relative
pronoun, which “Who” is the subject of “commit.”
can be the subject
or the object of MAIN CLAUSE RELATIVE CLAUSE
the relative clause.

“Which” is the object of “stole.” “The criminal” is the subject of “stole.”

HOW TO FORM
If the relative pronoun SUBJECT OF RELATIVE REST OF RETURN TO MAIN CLAUSE
is the subject of the MAIN CLAUSE PRONOUN RELATIVE CLAUSE
relative clause, it
must appear in
the sentence.

If the relative pronoun SUBJECT OF RELATIVE REST OF RETURN TO MAIN CLAUSE
is the object of the MAIN CLAUSE PRONOUN RELATIVE CLAUSE
relative clause, it can
be left out. “Whom” is
sometimes used when
a person is the object,
but this is very formal.

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