Sentences that use a preposition in a relative clause require special atten- tion.
The woman is a teacher.
[My friend is talking to the woman.]
There are five possible ways to combine these sentences:
1. The woman whom my friend is talking to is a teacher.
2. The woman who my friend is talking to is a teacher. [Some people now accept the who form in the object position in the relative clause. Oth- ers, however, insist on the first version (with whom), which is much more formally “correct.” Ask your instructor which form you should use in your classes.]
. The woman that my friend is talking to is a teacher.
. The woman my friend is talking to is a teacher.
. The woman to whom my friend is talking is a teacher. (formal us-
age)
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Note that you cannot use that as a relative pronoun immediately after a preposi- tion. In the last example, whom is the only pronoun possible after to.
Exercise 1
Combine the following pairs of sentences into one sentence each, using a relative clause. (Refer to the box in item C if you need help.) Pay special attention to which one of the two sentences you want to embed in the other.
How does it change the sense of the sentence if you do it another way? Only one of these sentences will need commas around the relative clause. Which one is it?
— The man was awarded a prize. The man won the race.
The girl is sitting in the front row. The girl asks a lot of questions.
3. The people are from California. I met the people at a party last night.
4. The house is gigantic. He is living in the house.
. Mrs. McHam lives next door to me. Mrs. McHam is a lawyer.
6. The journalist has won a lot of prizes. You read the journalist’s story yesterday.
. The radio was made in Taiwan. I bought the radio.
. She told her friends about the book. She had just read the book.
. The man is a radio announcer. I am looking after the man’s dog.
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TROUBLESPOT 18: RELATIVE CLAUSES 18 129
10. The pediatrician lives in my neighborhood. I recommended the pediatrician.
(See Answer Key, p. 165.)
Exercise 2
Identify and correct the errors in the following sentences.
1.
2.
Two years ago, my friend Zhi-Wei, who just got married. He worked as a manager in a big company.
A boy from high school was the worst person in the class took an- other’s boy’s sweater.
3. My sister, whose living in Atlanta, writes to me every week.
4.
5. The students in my class who studies hard will pass the test. I have found the book that I was looking for it.
(See Answer Key, p. 165.)
Exercise 3
Combine the following pairs of sentences by making the second sentence into a relative clause. Separate the clauses with commas because you are provid- ing additional rather than necessary information. Introduce the relative clause with expressions like some of whom/which, one of whom/which, many of whom/
which, none of whom/which, neither of whom/which, and most of whom/which.
Example:
She has three sisters. None of them will help her.
She has three sisters, none of whom will help her.
1.
2.
co
Thirty-three people attended the lecture. Most of them lived in the neighborhood.
They waited half an hour for the committee members. Some mem- bers just did not show up.
I sang three songs. One of them was “Singing in the Rain.”
The statewide poetry competition was held last month, and she sub- mitted four poems. None of them won a prize.
On every wall of his house, he has hundreds of books. Most of them are detective novels.
(See Answer Key, p. 166.)
Editing Advice
If you want to check that you have used a relative clause correctly, ask the following questions:
Can you identify both the independent clause and the relative clause in your sentence?
Yes No
Ask a classmate or your instructor to help you identify the clauses.
Begin by identifying the complete verbs of clauses and classifying the type of clause the verb occurs in as independent or relative.
Does the relative clause refer to unique people, things, or events and add ex- tra information that a reader doesn’t necessarily need?
Yes No
Be sure it is set off with commas.
Do not use that.
W
Is the relative pronoun the subject of its own clause?
Yes No
You should use who, which, or that. Make the verb agree with the noun to which the relative pronoun
refers.
WwW
Is the relative pronoun the object of its own clause?
Yes No
Use whom, which or that, or omit
the pronoun. `
(Flowchart continued)
GRAMMAR TROUBLESPOTS 19 131
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Does the relative pronoun indicate possession?
Yes No
Use whose or of which.
Is the relative pronoun the object of a preposition?
Yes
Follow either of these patterns: The apartment (that) she is living in is huge. The apartment in which she is living is huge.