Lesson Four

LESSON FOUR

You have learned much about pronouns. In Lesson Four you are going to learn about yet another type of pronouns -- Relative Pronouns.  These pronouns are misused by many people, but you are going to learn  strategies which will help you learn to use Relative Pronouns correctly. 

Review: In past Lessons you have learned about Personal Pronouns  (nominative, objective, and possessive), Intensive Pronouns,  Indefinite Pronouns, Demonstrative Pronouns, and Interrogative  Pronouns. You should be proud of yourself for mastering these  complicated-sounding terms. You have also learned about appositives and  many rules dealing with subject and verb agreement, particularly those that  make it clear pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number, person,  and gender. Here is a quick review about antecedents:  

1. A pronoun takes the place of a noun. A pronoun also takes the place of a  group of words acting as a noun. A pronoun can even take the place of  another pronoun. The word or group of words to which a pronoun refers is  called its antecedent. Ex. Sandra and Elise climbed the mountain. Both were tired afterwards. (Sandra and Elise are the antecedents for the word both.  Since Sandra and Elise form a plural subject, then the verb are is plural; and  the Indefinite Pronoun both is plural also.)  

Ex. Sandra climbed the mountain. She was tired afterwards. (Sandra is a singular noun. Climbed is singular. She is a Personal Pronoun and is  singular and 3rd person -- talking about Sandra. She is also feminine to match the noun Sandra. Therefore, everything matches in person, number,  and gender.) 

2. Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in person (1st, 2nd, or 3rd),  number (singular or plural), and gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter). Ex.  The male bus driver checked his passenger list. (The antecedent of his is  driver which is 3rd person -- talking about him. His is also singular to match driver. His is also masculine because the bus driver is a male.  Therefore, his matches its antecedent in person, number, and gender.)  

3. The antecedent of the pronoun must be clear. If there are several possible antecedents, then the reader/listener is confused as to which antecedent is  the correct one. The antecedent is presumed to be the next nearest noun; but  when two nouns could be the possible antecedent, you must clarify which one  you mean. Ex. As James was talking to Arthur, he thought he heard a noise. 

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(Who thought he heard a noise? James or Arthur?) Clarified sentence: As James was talking to Arthur, James thought he heard a noise.  

Because Indefinite Pronouns can be a little tricky, let's review the rules and examples for them again.  

INDEFINITE PRONOUNS

NOTICE: The following can be either singular or plural -- most, all, some, any, none, enough (Acrostic: Mary and Sam are nice elves.) To figure out  

whether the Indefinite Pronoun is singular or plural, please consider the object  of the preposition in order to make a singular/plural choice for the verb. Ex. 

Everybody (need, needs) to sleep. (Everybody is singular, and a singular verb  should match it -- needs.)  

HELPFUL HINT: words with body, one, thing are SINGULAR – Ex. somebody,  someone, something, anybody, anyone, anything, everybody, everyone,  everything, somebody, someone, something, nobody, no one, nothing.  

5. Indefinite pronouns are used to refer to persons, places, things, or ideas in  a very general manner -- more general than a noun would refer. Ex. John  needs food. (Specific person -- John) Ex. Someone needs food. (Someone is an Indefinite Pronoun and is non-specific or general.)  

6. The tricky thing about Indefinite Pronouns is learning which ones are  singular, which are plural, and (unfortunately) which ones can be either  singular or plural depending upon usage in a sentence. You will need to  memorize the chart, but the Notice and the Helpful Hint statements underneath the Indefinite Pronoun Chart should help you.  

7. Normally a prepositional phrase or other words standing between the  subject and the verb do not affect agreement. Some of the more common  prepositional phrases start with: accompanied by, together with, including, as well as, belonging to, continuing with, and along with.  

8. When matching the subject with the verb, the intervening prepositional  phrase should be ignored EXCEPT WITH THE FOLLOWING TROUBLESOME  INDEFINITE PRONOUNS: most, all, some, any, none, enough. These are  troublesome because they can either be singular or plural depending upon  the sentence. (Learning the memory device that takes the first letter of each  of the troublesome Indefinite Pronouns can help you to remember them:  Mary and Sam are nice elves.)  

9. With the six Indefinite Pronouns (most, all, some, any, none, enough), you  need to look at the prepositional phrase object which lies between the subject  and the verb. If the object is singular, then choose a singular verb. If the  object is plural, then choose a plural verb.  

Ex. None of the boys are going to the store. (None is one of the troublesome  Indefinite Pronouns which can be either singular or plural; look at the object of the prepositional phrase -- boys. Since boys is plural, then choose the  plural verb are going.) 

Ex. None of the work is done. (None is one of the troublesome Indefinite Pronouns. Look at the object of the intervening prepositional phrase -- work. Since work is singular, then choose the singular verb is done.) 

Ex. Everyone in the houses (is, are) sick. (Everyone is not a troublesome Indefinite Pronoun and is on the singular side of the Indefinite Pronoun Chart. Choose the singular verb is.)  

Ex. Somebody (are, is) coming down the hall. (Somebody is singular; choose singular verb is.) 

Ex. Both of the girls (are, is) here. (Both is on the plural side of the Indefinite Pronoun Chart. Choose the plural verb are.)

10. When referring to a singular indefinite pronoun (antecedent), you must  use a singular pronoun. 

Ex. Each of the girls brought her sleeping bag. (In this sentence each is singular, and the content of the sentence indicates that the antecedent is  feminine.) 

Ex. All of the girls brought their sleeping bags. (All is a troublesome Indefinite  Pronoun and can be either singular or plural. The antecedent of their is all.  By looking at the object of the preposition -- girls -- you can see that all is  plural. Their matches all; both are plural. )  

11. Use a plural verb with both and many and use a plural pronoun to refer  back to both and many which are plural antecedents. Ex. Both the girls  brought their sleeping bags. (Both is the antecedent of their -- plural.)  

Another type of pronoun is called Relative Pronouns. There are nine of them: 

RELATIVE PRONOUNS (introduce dependent clauses) 

who 

whom 

which 

whose 

that 

whoever 

whomever 

whichever 

whatever

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This is the same list as you learned under Interrogative Pronouns except what has been replaced with that. Relative Pronouns are not used to ask questions. Relative Pronouns are used to introduce dependent clauses.  

So far as case is concerned, it does not make any difference whether the  words who or whom are used as Interrogative Pronouns or as Relative Pronouns. Who is nominative case and is used as a (1) subject or as a (2) predicate pronoun. Whom is used in the objective case as a (1) direct object,  (2) indirect object, or (3) object of a preposition.  

Ex. Who is in the library? (First you need to find the verb -- is. Then you need to say what or who is? In this case the only possible subject for is is the Interrogative Pronoun who.  

Ex. To (whom, who) did you go for advice? (In questions, try to change the wording into a statement -- You did go for advice to whom?) In this sentence, whom is in the objective case because it is an object of the  preposition -- to whom.)  

Ex. She is the student (who, whom) you can trust. (The dependent clause is  who/whom you can trust. Find the verb in the clause -- can trust. Who can trust? You can trust. You can trust whom? -- direct object -- objective  case.)  

IMPORTANT POINT TO REMEMBER

Ex. (Who, Whom) do you suppose the stranger could be? 

Rule: In sentences containing expressions such as do you say, did you  say, do you think, did you think, do you suppose, did you suppose, he says, I  believe, I suppose, we thought, he thought, he hoped, etc., leave these  parenthetical expressions out in order to decide which is needed -- who or whom. Ex. The stranger could be who. (Use nominative case  who after I. L. verb.) 

Ex. (Who, Whom) do you suppose the stranger could be?  

The stranger could be who.