Relative pronouns refer to someone or something already mentioned in the sentence. Relative pronouns include the following:

Who

Whose

Whom (less and less common in spoken language)

Which

That

Here are some examples of relative pronouns in sentences:

A cousin whom Ive never met is coming to visit me.

The drill that you want is in the basement.

Bill saw an old classmate whose name he had forgotten.

The tree whose branches damaged our roof belongs to our neighbor.

I wonder who is at the door.

The clerk whom I asked couldnt help me.

The only other option is to not do it, which is out of the question.

Here are some rules to remember about relative pronouns:

Whose means belonging to whom. Not to confuse with whos, which means who is.

The pronouns who and whom refer to people. Whose usually refers to people but often refers to things. Which refers to things. That can refer to people or things.

Who is a subject pronoun; whom is an object pronoun.

As a general rule, when referring to things, after a comma we use which. Not to be confused with the interrogative pronoun. Which one do you like, the green one or the red one?

Exercises: Fill in the blank with the correct relative pronoun.

1. He sold the land ____________ belonged to his brother.

2. I put the car in the garage, ____________ is where we keep all the vehicles.

3. I have no horse ____________ I can lend you.

4. The marks ____________ were left by the tires were still visible.

5. The professor included a section in relative pronouns, ____________ is a nice addition.

6. They followed the instructions of the instructor ____________ they had asked.

7. Those ____________ are healthy do not need a physician.

8. We were afraid of the ghost ____________ we saw in the hall.

9. We were accosted by a young girl ____________ was a tourist guide.

10. They hate to do homework, ____________ is an essential part of the course.

11. The camel ____________ I bought from the merchant is old.

12. The student ____________ car is parked out front got a ticket.

13. I cant stand the stench ____________ comes from this drain.

14. I saw a man ____________ was blind.

15. The house ____________ shutters are red is a historic landmark.

16. The class is in Rosenstock, ____________ is the oldest building on campus.

17. I found the key ____________ I had lost.

18. A castle ____________ is built on a hill cannot be hidden.

19. A man ____________ is industrious is sure to succeed.

20. I have a friend ____________ mother works at College.