Relative Pronoun, Definition, Types And Examples

What is a Relative Pronoun?

Relative Pronoun Definition

Types of Relative Pronouns

1. Who
2. Whom
3. Whose
4. Which
5. That
6. Where
7. When
8. Why
9. What

Examples of Relative Pronouns

Who: Used to refer to people.

• The woman who lives next door is a doctor.
• The students who passed the exam were happy.

Whom: Also used to refer to people, particularly in formal language.

• The manager, whom I admire, is retiring.
• The actress whom you met at the party is famous.

Which: Used to refer to animals or things.

• The book, which is on the shelf, is a classic.
• The cat which has a white fur coat is quite playful.

That: Can be used to refer to both people and things. It is often used in restrictive clauses, meaning the information is essential to the sentence's meaning.

• The car that I bought is red.
• The person that I was speaking to is my neighbor.

Whose: Shows possession and is used for both people and things.

• The house whose roof is blue is mine.
• The girl whose backpack is on the table is in my class.

Where: Refers to a place.

• This is the park where we had a picnic.
• I visited the city where I was born.

When: Refers to a specific time.

• The day when we met was sunny.
• The time when the concert starts is 7 PM.

Why: Refers to a reason or cause.

• The reason why she's upset is unclear.
• I don't know why he left the party early.

What: Used when the exact nature of the thing being referred to is unclear or broad.

• I'll take what I can get.
• Tell me what you want.

Some More Examples of Relative Pronouns

1. The woman who lives next door is my aunt.
2. The dog that barks loudly is annoying.
3. The car, which is parked in front of the house, belongs to my friend.
4. The book that you recommended is fascinating.
5. I met the person whom you were talking about.
6. The dress, which I bought last week, is on sale now.
7. The bicycle that I ride to work is very old.
8. The movie, which won an award, was directed by my cousin.
9. The restaurant where we had dinner last night was excellent.
10. This is the place where we first met.
11. The day when we went to the beach was perfect.
12. The reason why she's upset is unclear to me.
13. The cat whose fur is white belongs to my neighbor.
14. The cake that I baked for the party was delicious.
15. The keys, which were lost, have been found.
16. The team that won the championship worked hard.
17. The album, which was released in 2020, is a classic.
18. The movie, which I watched last night, was a comedy.
19. I don't know what you're talking about.
20. The man whose car broke down needs assistance.

Relative Pronouns Worksheet

1. Who or whom? "The person _____ you're meeting later is my boss."
2. Which or that? "The car _____ he drives is blue."
3. Where or when? "Do you remember the day _____ we first met?"
4. Why or what? "Can you explain _____ he left the party early?"
5. Whose or who's? "The girl _____ backpack is on the table is my sister."
6. Which or who? "The student _____ won the spelling bee is very talented."
7. Where or which? "I'll meet you at the restaurant _____ we had our first date."
8. What or whom? "I don't know _____ you're looking for."
9. That or when? "This is the time _____ we should be prepared for."
10. Whom or which? "The book, _____ I borrowed from the library, is a classic."
11. Why or where? "Do you know _____ he's hiding?"
12. Who's or whose? "_____ the owner of this beautiful garden?"
13. When or what? "Can you tell me _____ the party starts?"
14. Which or whose? "The dog, _____ collar is red, belongs to my neighbor."
15. That or what? "I can't believe _____ you just said."