Bill Situ
English and ESL Instructor
A relative pronoun is a word that connects a phrase to a noun it is trying to describe. In English, relative pronouns include that, which, who, whose, whom, when, and where. Here are some examples:
Eric Spoto is a powerlifter who once held the world's bench press record.
iPhone XR is the latest iPhone that Apple released.
The 1930s was a decade when many people suffered unemployment.
Notice that in both examples, the phrase after the relative pronoun describes the noun that came before it. A common mistake that students make is they omit relative pronouns:
Yesterday, I went to the sushi restaurant I like the most.
Yesterday, I went to the sushi restaurant that I like the most.
Although many people speak in the manner of the the first sentence, it is actually not grammatically correct. The that is necessary.
Eric Spoto is a powerlifter who once held the world's bench press record.
iPhone XR is the latest iPhone that Apple released.
The 1930s was a decade when many people suffered unemployment.
Notice that in both examples, the phrase after the relative pronoun describes the noun that came before it. A common mistake that students make is they omit relative pronouns:
Yesterday, I went to the sushi restaurant I like the most.
Yesterday, I went to the sushi restaurant that I like the most.
Although many people speak in the manner of the the first sentence, it is actually not grammatically correct. The that is necessary.