Relative Pronouns in Complex Sentences
Relative pronouns connect a dependent clause to a noun in a sentence, adding more information about that noun. The common relative pronouns are who, whom, whose, which, and that.
When you use a relative pronoun, it introduces a dependent clause that can't stand alone as a complete sentence. For example, in "Sam, who is funny, makes people laugh," the dependent clause "who is funny" adds detail about Sam but couldn't be a sentence by itself.
Relative pronouns work differently depending on what they're referring to. Use "who" and "whom" for people ("The girl who won the race"), "whose" shows possession ("The dog whose tail was wagging"), "which" for things ("The book which I read"), and "that" for either people or things.
Quick Tip: When identifying the dependent clause introduced by a relative pronoun, look for the complete thought that contains the pronoun and depends on the rest of the sentence for its meaning.
