theguide11e

G3 Relative Pronouns

Use personal relative pronouns to refer to people: who, whom, whoever, whomever, and whose.

Use nonpersonal relative pronouns to refer to things — which, whichever, whatever, and whose. Note: Whose can be used as a nonpersonal relative pronoun as well as a personal one.

Use that for general references to things and groups.

(See also G6-e.)

G3-a Select who for references to people, which for nonrestrictive references to things, and that for restrictive references to groups and things.

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Change that to who to refer to a person.

Note: Rewriting a sentence to simplify its structure sometimes eliminates a problem with pronouns.

(See also G3-b for information on who and whom.)

Change that to which when a nonrestrictive clause supplies extra, nondefining information.

Introduce a nonrestrictive clause with which, not that.

See P1-c on using commas with nonrestrictive word groups.

Change which to that when a restrictive clause supplies essential information defining a thing or a group.

Introduce a restrictive clause with that, not which.

See P2-b on unnecessary commas with restrictive word groups.

G3-b Use who as a subject and whom as an object.

Two strategies can help you figure out whether to use who or whom.

Arrange the phrase’s or clause’s words in subject-verb-object order or preposition-object order. In this standard order, a subject (who) is followed by a verb, but an object (whom) follows a subject and verb or a preposition.

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Look for the subject of the clause. If the verb in the clause has another subject, use whom; if the verb in the clause has no other subject, use who. If it is the object of a preposition, use whom.

Change who to whom when the pronoun is an object within another clause that has a subject and a verb.

Change who to whom when the pronoun is the object of a preposition.

Change whom to who when the pronoun is the subject of a clause and is followed by a verb.