§ 44. Attributive clauses can be introduced by who (whom),

whose, which and that. The conjunctive pronouns in this case always

refer to some noun (or noun equivalent) in the principal

clause. That is why they are also called relative pronouns. The

noun they refer to is called their antecedent

The relative pronoun who (whom) is used only of persons.

e.g. They were worried about their nephews who were taking part

in the war. He interviewed several men and engaged one

who had been

discharged from the army. He was a man who meant what

he said. I wish I knew the man who owns that farm. The

hostess continued the introduction, "Here is Mr Swift, a

tutor, and my nephew Maurice, whom he's tutoring." Meg

loved her little brother to whom she had been a second

mother.

The relative pronoun whose may be used of both persons and

things.

e.g. We went one day to the picture-dealer in whose shop my

brother thought he could buy a picture or two.

When it came to literature, young Maurice was the one

whose reading in any way compared with Swift's.

There are newspapers in Great Britain whose pages are largely

filled with news of sport and with stories of film-stars,

or accounts of crime and of law-court trials.

The relative pronoun which is used of things.e.g. She sat down behind the tea tray which the servant had just

brought in.

As I walked up the endless stairs of the house in which

Strickland lived, I confess I was a little excited.

She obtained some opinions which later I realized were entirely

sensible.

She had never owned a dress which her girlfriends would consider

expensive.

Qlote. With a collective noun used as the antecedent the relative who is used

when the individuals forming the group are meant, and the relative which when the

group as whole is meant.

e.g. He wanted to interview someone from the team who were now resting.

He wanted to interview someone from the team which was winning.

Which is also used if the antecedent of the attributive clause

is the whole of the principal clause.

e.g. That day she took her share of the meal, which nowadays she

rarely did.

He invited us to dinner, which was very kind of him. The

decision was postponed, which was exactly what he wanted.

The attributive clauses of the above type are always separated

from their principal clause by a comma (see the examples above).

The relative pronoun which in this type of attributive clauses is

rendered in Russian as что.

Which preceded by the preposition of is parallel in meaning to

whose when the latter is used of things.

Cf. We crossed the river the current of which was very rapid.

We crossed the river whose current was very rapid.

That is used of both persons and things, singular and plural.

e.g. You are the very people that I've been meaning to speak to.

He is not a man that can understand such things.

That was all the education that she had had during her girlhood.

She had a wit that was irresistible.

The actress told him of the plays that she had been in and

what parts she had had.That (not who or which or what) is used:

a) after most indefinite pronouns,

e.g. Have you got all that you need?

Sylvia had always had everything that she wanted.

There is not much that can be done.

Fred looked about the room, trying to discover something

that might remind him of Sally. He never says

anything that is worth listening to.

b) after nouns modified by an adjective in the superlative de

gree as well as by first or last.

e.g. Yesterday was one of the coldest days that I've ever known.

He has written the best book that I've ever read on the subject.

It was the first time that he heard of the episode.

c) after a noun modified by same,

e.g. She wore the same dress that I had seen her in at her sister's

wedding.

d) when the antecedent is both a person and a thing,

e.g. He talked of the people and the places that he had visited.

Unlike who and which, that cannot be preceded by a preposition.

Cf. This is the letter about which I told you.

This is the letter that I told you about.

Note. When a relative pronoun serves as a prepositional object, the following

sentence patterns are possible.

e.g. This is the story of which I spoke.

This is the story which I spoke of.

This is the story that I spoke of.

This is the story I spoke of.

Attributive clauses fall into two groups — non-defining and

defining clauses (see "Articles", § 15). That as a relative pronoun

is possible only with defining clauses, i.e. attributive clauses that

cannot be removed from the sentence without destroying its

meaning. Note, however, that who and which can be used with

both kinds of attributive clauses — defining and non-defining.

e.g. At the time I was reading a book that (which) I had heard so

much about. At the time I was reading an interesting book

which later on

I gave as a present to my niece.

I'd like you to meet the girl that (whom) I'm going to marry.

She is both charming and clever. I'd like you to meet the

girl, who(m) you are sure to fall for.

Relative pronouns are often dropped in spoken English unless

they perform the function of the subject of the sentence or introduce

non-defining attributive clauses.

e.g. At the party I saw some people___ I knew personally.

The man ___I gave up my seat to was very grateful.

Is it the paper ___ you wanted to see?

He went back the way ___ he had come.