We use relative pronouns to refer to a noun (person or thing) that was mentioned earlier in the sentence and to which we want to add more information or modify. Relative pronouns can refer to something or someone in either singular or plural. Some relative pronouns can be used only with people, others only with things and some can be used with both. Below is a list of the relative pronouns and their uses.
| Pronoun |
Person |
Thing |
| that |
x |
x |
| which |
– |
x |
| who |
x |
– |
| whom |
x |
– |
| whose |
x |
x |
Grammatical Rules
Relative pronouns are used in place of a noun. The noun is generally found earlier in the sentence.
That
“That” is the relative pronoun most frequently used in spoken English, as it can be used for both people and things. It is used in place of “which”, “who” or “whom” in defining relative clauses (see below).
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This is the book that won the Pulitzer prize last year.
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My friend is the girl that was on the cover of Vogue last month.
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This is the restaurant that received the excellent reviews in the newspaper.
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Which
“Which” is only used with things.
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My new job, which I only started last week, is already very stressful.
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The house which we lived in when we were children burnt down last week.
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Who
“Who” can only be used with people.
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My sister, who just moved in with me, is looking for a job.
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I never met someone who didn’t like music.
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Whom
“Whom” is used to refer to the indirect object of the verb, but is is not often used in spoken English. “Who” is frequently used in place of “whom”.
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The woman with whom I was talking to was my cousin.
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This is Peter, whom I met at the party last week.
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Whose
The use of “whose” indicates possession, both for people and things.
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That is the girl whose parents got divorced last year.
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Paul, whose wife just had a baby, will not be at work for a few weeks.
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When, Where and Why
These relative adverbs are sometimes used instead of a relative pronoun to make the sentence easier to understand. These adverbs refer to time expressions, locations or reasons.
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The university where I teach is an excellent school.
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Can you tell me when is the best time to call?
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Note: The relative pronoun is not necessary when it is used to refer to the object of the sentence.
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The exam [that] I took this morning won’t be corrected and returned until next week.
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The woman [who] I’m dating is a teacher.
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Relative Clauses
Relative pronouns are used to join two or more clauses and in doing so, form what are known as “relative clauses”. There are two types of relative clauses: those which add additional information (non-defining relative clauses) and those which modify or define the subject of the sentence (defining relative clauses).
Non-defining Relative Clauses
These clauses add additional information to the sentence. Commas are used to separate the non-defining relative clause from the rest of the sentence. “That” may not be used in place of “who” or “which” in this type of clause.
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My friend Tony, who is an excellent writer, is helping me with my English paper.
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The report, which my boss asked me to write last week, still isn’t finished.
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Defining Relative Clauses
Defining relative clauses identify and define the person or thing to which we are referring. Commas are not used with this type of clause.
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I wrote the report that you asked for.
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She never meet the man who saved her father’s life.
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Note: The meaning of the sentence changes depending on which type of relative clause is used.
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The employees who worked long hours completed their projects on time.(Note: The use of the defining relative clause here indicates that only those employees who worked long hours completed their projects on time.)
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The employees, who worked long hours, completed their projects on time.(Note: The use of the non-defining relative clause here indicates that all employees worked long hours.)
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Utilizamos los pronombres relativos para referirnos a un sustantivo (una persona o una cosa) mencionado antes y al que queremos agregar más información o modificar. Los pronombres relativos pueden referirse a algo o alguien en singular o plural. Algunos pronombres relativos se pueden usar sólo con personas, otros sólo con cosas y algunos con ambos. A continuación, tienes una lista de los pronombres relativos.
| Pronombre |
Persona |
Cosa |
that
que |
x |
x |
which
que / cual |
|
x |
who
que / quién |
x |
|
whom
que / a quien |
x |
|
whose
cuyo |
x |
x |
Grammatical Rules (Reglas gramaticales)
El pronombre relativo se encuentra en lugar de un sustantivo. Este sustantivo suele aparecer anteriormente en la oración.
That
“That” es el pronombre relativo más utilizado en el inglés hablado, ya que se puede utilizar tanto con personas como con cosas. Se utiliza para sustituir “which”, “who” o “whom” en cláusulas que definen el sustantivo.
Ejemplos:
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This is the book that won the Pulitzer prize last year.(Este es el libro que ganó el Permio Pulizer el año pasado.)
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This is the restaurant that received the excellent reviews in the newspaper.(Este es el restaurante que recibió excelentes críticas en el periódico.)
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Which
“Which” sólo se puede utilizar con las cosas.
Ejemplos:
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My new job, which I only started last week, is already very stressful.(Mi nuevo trabajo, que acabo de empezar la semana pasada, ya es muy estresante.)
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The house which we lived in when we were children burnt down last week.(La casa en la que vivíamos cuando éramos niños se quemó la semana pasada.)
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Who
Solo se puede utilizar “who” con personas.
Ejemplos:
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My sister, who just moved in with me, is looking for a job.(Mi hermana, que se acaba de mudar conmigo, está buscando trabajo.)
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I never met someone who didn’t like music.(Nunca he conocido a alguien que no le guste la música.)
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Whom
“Whom” se utiliza para hacer referencia al objeto indirecto del verbo, pero no lo utilizamos mucho en inglés coloquial. Más a menudo utilizamos “who” en vez de “whom”.
Ejemplos:
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The woman with whom I was talking to was my cousin.(La mujer con quién estaba hablando era mi prima.)
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This is Peter, whom I met at the party last week.(Este es Peter, a quien conocí en la fiesta la semana pasada.)
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Whose
El uso de “whose” indica posesión, tanto para las personas como para las cosas.
Ejemplos:
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That is the girl whose parents got divorced last year.(Esa es la chica cuyos padres se divorciaron el año pasado.)
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Paul, whose wife just had a baby, will not be at work for a few weeks.(Paul, cuyo esposa acaba de tener un bebé, no irá a trabajar durante unas semanas.)
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When and where and why
Estos adverbios relativos a veces se utilizan en lugar de un pronombre relativo para hacer la frase más fácil de entender. Estos adverbios se refieren a expresiones de tiempo, lugares o motivos.
Ejemplos:
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The university where I teach is an excellent school.(La universidad donde enseño es una escuela excelente.)
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Can you tell me when is the best time to call?(¿Puedes decirme cuando es la mejor hora para llamar?)
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Nota: Puede omitirse el pronombre relativo cuando es el objeto de la frase.
Ejemplos:
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The exam [that] I took this morning won’t be corrected and returned until next week.(El examen que hice esta mañana no se corregirá ni se devolverá hasta la semana que viene.)
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The woman [who] I’m dating is a teacher.(La mujer con quien estoy saliendo es profesora.)
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Relative Clauses (Cláusulas relativas)
Se utilizan los pronombres relativos para unir dos o más cláusulas, formando así lo que llamamos “cláusulas relativas”. Hay dos tipos de cláusulas relativas: las que añaden información adicional y aquellas que modifican (o definen) el sujeto de la oración.
Non-defining Relative Clauses
Estas cláusulas agregan información adicional. Se utilizan comas para separar la cláusula relativa del resto de la oración. No se puede utilizar “that” en lugar de “which” o “who” en este tipo de cláusula.
Ejemplos:
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My friend Tony, who is an excellent writer, is helping me with my English paper.(Mi amigo Tony, quien es un escritor excelente, está ayudándome con mi redacción de inglés.)
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The report, which my boss asked me to write last week, still isn’t finished.(El informe, que mi jefe me pidió que escribiera la semana pasada, todavía no está terminado.)
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Defining Relative Clauses
Estas cláusulas definen el sustantivo e identifican a qué cosa o persona nos referimos. No se usan comas con este tipo de cláusula.
Ejemplos:
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I wrote the report that you asked for.(Escribí el informe que me pidió.)
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She never met the man who saved her father’s life.(Nunca conoció al hombre que salvó la vida de su padre.)
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Nota: El significado de la frase cambia dependiendo de qué tipo de cláusula relativa se utiliza.
Ejemplos:
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The employees who worked long hours completed their projects on time.(Los empleados que trabajaban largas horas terminaron sus proyectos a tiempo.)
Nota: Sólo los que trabajaron muchas horas terminaron los proyectos a tiempo.
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The employees, who worked long hours, completed their projects on time.(Los empleados, que trabajaron muchas horas, terminaron sus proyectos a tiempo.)
Nota: Todos los empleados terminaron los proyectos a tiempo.
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