🧐 Detailed Explanation of Relative Pronouns: Who, Whom, Whose, Which and That

Relative pronouns are words that join part of a sentence to a noun or pronoun to give more information about it. In Year 6 English, it is important to understand how to use the relative pronouns who, whom, whose, which, and that correctly. These pronouns help make sentences more interesting and detailed.

❓ What Are Relative Pronouns?

Relative pronouns connect two ideas by referring back to a noun mentioned earlier. For example:
The girl who is wearing a red hat is my friend.
Here, who links the information about the girl to the rest of the sentence.

🙋 Using Who

  • Who is used to refer to people.
  • It acts as the subject of the relative clause (the part of the sentence that gives more information).

Example:
The teacher who helps me is very kind.
Here, who stands for ‘the teacher’ and tells us more about them.

🤔 Using Whom

  • Whom is also used for people but as the object of a verb or preposition.
  • It is less common in everyday speech but important in writing and formal situations.

Example:
The boy whom you met is my cousin.
Here, whom is the object of ‘you met’.

🔑 Using Whose

  • Whose shows possession or belonging.
  • It can be used for people, animals, or things.

Example:
The woman whose car was stolen is very upset.

Example with an object:
I found a dog whose collar is blue.
This means the collar belongs to the dog.

📚 Using Which

  • Which is used for animals and things (objects).
  • It introduces extra information about the noun.

Example:
The book which I borrowed is interesting.
Sometimes, which can be used with people, but usually only in very formal or old-fashioned English.

✔️ Using That

  • That can be used for people, animals, and things.
  • It introduces essential information (information needed to understand the meaning).

Example:
The car that is parked outside belongs to my dad.

Example with people:
The lady that called you is my aunt.
Note: Some people prefer who for people and that for things, but that is correct for both.

📊 Differences and When to Use Each Relative Pronoun

Pronoun Refers To Use As Example
Who People Subject of a clause The man who lives next door is friendly.
Whom People Object of a verb/prep. The girl whom I saw was smiling.
Whose People, animals, things Possession The boy whose bike is red is fast.
Which Animals, things Subject or object The cake which she baked was delicious.
That People, animals, things Subject or object, essential info The dog that barked woke me up.

💡 Tips for Using Relative Pronouns

  • Use who for the person doing the action.
  • Use whom when the person is receiving the action (after a verb or preposition).
  • Use whose to show something belongs to someone or something.
  • Use which for extra information about animals or things.
  • Use that for information essential to the meaning, can be people or things.

Practice by looking at sentences and spotting who or what the relative pronoun is referring to. Try joining two sentences using these pronouns to see how they work.

Using these relative pronouns well will help you create clearer and more exciting sentences in your writing! ✍️

📝 20 Examination-Style Questions with Answers on Relative Pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, and that

🎯 Multiple Choice Questions

  1. Choose the correct relative pronoun to complete the sentence:
    The girl ___ won the race is my best friend.
    a) which
    b) who
    c) whom

    Answer: b) who
    Explanation: We use “who” for people who are the subject of the clause.

  2. Which relative pronoun fits best?
    The book ___ I borrowed was very interesting.
    a) who
    b) whom
    c) which

    Answer: c) which
    Explanation: “Which” is used for things like books.

  3. Select the right word:
    The man ___ car was stolen called the police.
    a) who
    b) whose
    c) which

    Answer: b) whose
    Explanation: “Whose” shows possession, meaning the man owns the car.

  4. Complete the sentence:
    The teacher ___ we met yesterday is very kind.
    a) who
    b) whom
    c) that

    Answer: b) whom
    Explanation: “Whom” is used when referring to the object of the verb (we met him).

  5. Which relative pronoun can replace “that” in this sentence?
    The dog that barked all night kept me awake.
    a) who
    b) which
    c) whom

    Answer: b) which
    Explanation: “Which” can replace “that” when referring to animals or things.

✏️ Fill-in-the-Blank Questions

  1. The artist _____ painted the mural is famous.

    Answer: who
    Explanation: “Who” is for a person who does the action.

  2. I saw the film _____ won the award last night.

    Answer: which
    Explanation: “Which” refers to the film, a thing.

  3. The man _____ you spoke to is my uncle.

    Answer: whom
    Explanation: “Whom” is used when the person is the object.

  4. Do you know the girl _____ bicycle got stolen?

    Answer: whose
    Explanation: “Whose” shows possession of the bicycle.

  5. She has a pet rabbit _____ loves carrots.

    Answer: that
    Explanation: “That” can be used for animals, meaning the rabbit loves carrots.

🛠 Sentence Correction Questions

  1. Correct the sentence:
    The student which studies hardest gets good grades.

    Corrected: The student who studies hardest gets good grades.
    Explanation: “Who” is used for people, not “which.”

  2. Fix this sentence:
    I have a friend whose you met last week.

    Corrected: I have a friend whom you met last week.
    Explanation: “Whom” is the correct pronoun as the object.

  3. Find and correct the error:
    The house who Jack lives in is big.

    Corrected: The house that Jack lives in is big.
    Explanation: “That” or “which” is used for things, not “who.”

  4. Correct the sentence below:
    The singer whom voice is amazing will perform tonight.

    Corrected: The singer whose voice is amazing will perform tonight.
    Explanation: “Whose” shows possession of the voice.

  5. Fix the mistake:
    This is the book who everyone was talking about.

    Corrected: This is the book that everyone was talking about.
    Explanation: Use “that” or “which” for things, not “who.”

🔄 Mixed Questions

  1. Choose the correct relative pronoun:
    The players, all of ___ were tired, rested after the game.
    a) who
    b) whom
    c) whose

    Answer: a) who
    Explanation: “Who” is the subject of the verb “were.”

  2. Fill in the blank:
    The bicycle, ___ tires were flat, was left outside.

    Answer: whose
    Explanation: “Whose” shows possession of the tires.

  3. Identify the error and correct it:
    The movie whom we watched was thrilling.

    Corrected: The movie which we watched was thrilling.
    Explanation: “Which” refers to things, “whom” is only for people.

  4. Which pronoun fits?
    The teacher _____ helped me is very nice.

    Answer: who
    Explanation: “Who” is used for people doing the action.

  5. Complete the sentence:
    The dog ______ bark scares the neighbours is friendly.

    Answer: whose
    Explanation: “Whose” shows possession of the bark.

These questions and answers help Year 6 students practise using relative pronouns correctly: who, whom, whose, which, and that. Remember, “who” and “whom” are for people, “which” and “that” for things or animals, and “whose” shows possession. Practice using these in sentences to improve your grammar skills! 📚