relative pronoun | use | example |
who | subject or object pronoun for people | I told you about the woman who lives next door. |
which | subject or object pronoun for animals and things | Do you see the cat which is lying on the roof? |
which | referring to a whole sentence | He couldn’t read which surprised me. |
whose | possession for people animals and things | Do you know the boy whose mother is a nurse? |
whom | object pronoun for people, especially in non-defining relative clauses (in defining relative clauses we colloquially prefer who) | I was invited by the professor whom I met at the conference. |
that | subject or object pronoun for people, animals and things in defining relative clauses (who or which are also possible) | I don’t like the table that stands in the kitchen. |
Examples :
- A monk is a man. The man has devoted his life to God.
A monk is a man who has devoted his life to God. - I have one black cat. His name is Blacky.
I have one black cat, whose name is Blacky. - A herbivore is an animal. The animal feeds upon vegetation.
A herbivore is an animal that feeds upon vegetation. - Carol plays the piano brilliantly. She is only 9 years old.
Carol , who is only 9 years old, plays the piano brilliantly. - Sydney is the largest Australian city. It is not the capital of Australia.
Sydney , which is not the capital of Australia, is the largest Australian city. - We ordered a book. It was very expensive.
The book we ordered was very expensive. - This is a house. Jack built this house.
This is the house that Jack built.
- This is a bank. This bank accepted my identification.
She is a bank teller. She helped us open an account.
- This is the bank that accepted my identification.
She is the bank teller who helped us open an account
