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Relative Pronouns
The classmates with whom I studied German decided to give our teacher some flowers.

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns relate two parts of a sentence together, usually by joining a relative clause to the rest of a sentence. Who, which, whose, that and whom are the five relative pronouns. 'The man who rang me a moment ago asked if I would be interested in a special offer.' - In this sentence, the word 'who' functions as a relative pronoun.

Try this English quiz to see how well you understand this aspect of grammar.

1.
Complete the sentence.
Who took the laptop ...... I was working ..... ?
that, in
which, in
which, on
whose, on
Who took the laptop which I was working on? - Many people (including teachers) believe that it is incorrect to end on a preposition ('on') in English.  This is not at all true.  English is a Germanic language - the 'not ending on a preposition rule' only applies to Romance languages (those based on Latin).  'Who took the laptop on which I was working' would sound silly because the grammar is too formal for the context
2.
Complete the sentence.
The man with ...... the Inspector was speaking is the notorious diamond thief, Renard.
who
that
whom
which
The man with whom the Inspector was speaking is the notorious diamond thief, Renard.  - When a person is the object of a sentence, the correct pronoun to use is 'whom' (The Inspector is speaking to Renard - With whom is the Inspector speaking?).  Because this is considered very formal, you will rarely hear it in spoken English (usually, people use 'who' instead).  It is important to know when to use 'whom', however, for times when you need to be absolutely correct
3.
Complete the sentence.
There's the book ...... I thought I'd lost.
whose
who
that
whom
There's the book that I thought I'd lost - 'which' would also be correct
4.
Complete the sentence.
The teacher .......... taught me German will be retiring this year.
with whom
whom
who
with who
The teacher who taught me German will be retiring this year
5.
Complete the sentence.
Gordon, ...... nephew you met yesterday, will be visiting later.
whose
that
which
whom
Gordon, whose nephew you met yesterday, will be visiting later
6.
Complete the sentence.
The woman ...... said hello was my old dance teacher.
whom
who
that
which

The woman who said hello was my old dance teacher. Although it can be used to refer to a person, 'that' is not correct as the subject of a clause (i.e. that said hello). You will hear 'that' used incorrectly in informal spoken English, however

7.
Complete the sentence.
The classmates .......... I studied German decided to give our teacher some flowers.
with whom
with who
whom
who
The classmates with whom I studied German decided to give our teacher some flowers
8.
Complete the sentence.
The van, ...... was stopped earlier today by police, turned out to be driven by the men suspected of last week's bank robbery.
who
whose
whom
which
The van, which was stopped earlier today by police, turned out to be driven by the men suspected of last week's bank robbery
9.
Complete the sentence.
The train ...... travels directly to Liverpool has been cancelled.
that
which
who
whose
The train which travels directly to Liverpool has been cancelled.  'That' would be incorrect because it would be acting as the subject of the relative clause
10.
Complete the sentence.

That is the factory in ...... my Dad used to work.

which
that
whose
whom
That is the factory in which my Dad used to work
Author:  Sheri Smith

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