For my students DK X
1). This is the boy. The boy stole my pen.
This is the boy who stole my pen.
2). This is the horse.The horse won the race.
This is the horse which won the race.
3). This is the house. Jack built the house.
This is the house that Jack built.
*) In the above pairs of sentences,examine the work done by who.which, and that.
>) Who stands for the Noun boy. It therefore does the work of a Pronoun. It also joins or
connects two statements : (1) This is the boy.
(2) The boy stole my pen.
It is therefore does the work of Conjunction also.
>) Which also does double work--the work of a Pronoun and also the work of a Conjunction.
>) That also does double work---the work of a Pronoun ans also that of a Conjunction.
*) Who,Which and that can, therefore,be called Conjunctive Pronouns.They
are however called Relative Pronouns, because they relate or refer to a
Noun which has gone before.
>)The Noun to which a Relative Pronoun refers or relates is called its Antecedent.
>) It will be noticed that in the above sentences the Antecedent of who is boy, the
Antecedent of which is horse , and the Antecedent of that is house.
151. Examine the following sentences :---
>) This is the boy(or girl) who won the first prize.
>) These are the girls (or boys) who passed this year.
>) This is the man(or woman) whom I know.
>) These are the boys(or girls) whom all praise.
>) This is the man(or woman) whose son stood first.
>) These are the men (or women) whose sons work hard.
*) It will be observed that in the above sentences :--
>) Who is used for the Nominative case.
>) Whom is used for the Objective Case.
>) Whose is used for the Possessive case.
It will also be noticed that these forms are the same for Singular and Plural
Masculine and Feminine.
>) USE OF THE RELATIVE PRONOUNS
152. Who, whose, whom. Who,whose,whom are used only for persons or for animals intimate
with persons.They may refer to a Singular or a Plural Noun.
>) The man who does not love his country is a sinner.
>) He prayeth best who loveth best.
>) They never fail who die in a great cause.
>) These are the people whom we visited yesterday.
>) This is the man whose son won the first prize.
>) I know cats whose intelligence is almost equal to men's.
>) This is the dog whom I love.
>) My old horse,who is faithful to me,has more sense than most men.
NOTE:-- Sometimes whose is used in speaking of things without life;as, "The moon,whose beams
delight the eye, is regarded by the Hindus as a goddess".This is the problem whose
solution I do not know. [It is better to write----"This is the problem the solution of
which I do not know".]
153. Which. Which is used for animals and things without life.It may refer to a Singular or a
Plural Noun.
>) The time which is once lost is lost for evr.
>) Here are the books which I bought yesteday.
>) The dog which bit him has been shot.
>) This is a subject which needs careful study.
154. The two uses of "Who" and " Which". Study the following two used of Who and Which:--
(1) Restrictive. Who and which have a restrictive force when they limit or define the
meaning of the Antecedent;as,
>) The beggar who cheated us was arrested yesterday.
>) This is the picture which I bought.
(2) Continuative. Who and Which have sometimes a continuative force when they are used
only to make some additional statement about the Antecedent.They may
then be replaced by a Conjunction and a Pronoun.
>) I sent for the girl,who(=and she) came at once.
>) I gave her one rupee,which(=and it) was all I had with me.
155. That. That may refer to persons ,animals ,or things;as,
>) The man that is dishonest is hated by all.
>) Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
>) These are the boys that can be trusted.
>) I have lost the pen that you gave me.
>) HE that is down need fear no fall.
>) He that is not with me is against me.
>) HE is the most intelligent boy that I ever saw.
>) There is no one that has not suffered.
>) I know the house that Jack built.
>) THis is the dog that killed the cat.
>) All that glitters is not gold.
>) The crowd that gathered cheered him loudly.
In all these sentences that has a restrictive force,because it is used only in relative clauses
that restrict,define or limit the Antecedent.
156. That is used instead of who and which:---
(1) After Adjectives in the Superlative Degree;as,
>) He is the best speaker that I ever heard.
>) He is the wisest man that ever lived.
>) This is the best picture that I ever saw.
(2) After two Antecedents ,one requiring who and the other which;as,
>) The girl and the dog that you saw belonged to me.
>) Various are the men and the countries that I have seen.
(3) After the Interrogative Pronouns who and what;as,
>) Who is here that does not love his country?
>) Who am I that I should object?
>) What is it that will last for ever?
(4) After the words only.any,same,all,nothing;as,
>) Man is the only animal that laughs.
>) You may take any pen that you like.
>) He is the same man that came here yesterday.
>) All that glitters is not gold.
>) It was not for nothing that he spent three years studying medicine.
157. What.What always refers to things, never to persons.
>) The Antecedent of what is seldom expressed.
It is equivalent to that which .i.e., it is both Relative and Antecedent in one. It is
therefore ,called the Compound Relative;as,
>) I will tell you what [=that which] happened.
>) This is what[= the thing that] troubles me.
>) He gave me just what[=the thing or things that] I deserved.
>) What[=that which] I have said,I have said.
>) What cannot be cured mut be endured.
>) What is done cannot be undone.
>) What is one man's meat is another man's poison.
>) I mean what I say.
>) Listen carefully to what I say.
>) She found what she was looking for.
158. As is used as a Relative Pronoun after the same and such;as,
>) He is not such a clever student as you are.
>) Tears such as angells weep flowed.
>) These apples are not such as I bought yesterday.
>) THis is not the same book as mine [is].
>) I shall do the same as he did.
159. The word but can be used in the sense of who not or which not;as,
>) There is no man,but wishes[=who does not wish] to live long.
>) There is no tree ,but bears[=which does not bear] fruit.
*) OMISSION OF THE RELATIVE PRONOUN
160. The relative Pronoun,when it is the Object of a Verb or of a Preposition,is often omitted;as,
>) The boy(whom) you saw has failed.
>) The book(that) I recommended is useful.
>) The day(on which) he came here was Sunday.
>) This is the man (that) I told you about.
>) Here is the book(that) you were asking for.
>) You have forgotten the will(which) I told you of.
NOTE:-- We rarely omit a Relative Pronoun that is a Subject.In the Sentence, " The boy who
struck him was fined", we cannot omit who--the Subject Relative.But in the sentence,
" The boy whom he struck was hurt", we can omit the Object Relative whom, and say
" The boy he struck was hurt".
*) OMISSION OF THE ANTECEDENT
161. Sometimes the Antecedent of a Relative Pronoun is left out;as,
>) Who[=he who] steals my purse ,steals trash.
>) Who[= he who] laughs last laughs best.
>) Whom[=those persons whom] the gods love,die young.
>) This is what[=the thing that] he wanted.
*) AGREEMENT OF THE RELATIVE PRONOUN WITH ITS ATECEDENT
162. The Relative Pronoun agrees with its Antecedent in Gender,Number,and Person;as,
>) I who have money am powerful.[1st Pers.Sing.]
>) I,who am your leader,will lead you.
>) You who are my friend are to accompany me.[2nd Pers.Sing.or Plur.]
>) You who are rich should help the poor.
>) He who is the youngest comes last. [3rd pers.Sing.]
>) He that is down,needs fear no fall.
>) They who are honest are trusted. [3rd pers.Plur.]
>) They who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others.
163. The Number of the relative pronoun must be teh same as that of its Antecedent.The following
sentences illustrate a common form of error:--
>) Omar is one of the noblest kings that have(not has) ever lived.
[The Antecedent of that is kings,not one.]
>) This is one of the best novels that have been published this year.
>) He is one of the greatest leaders that have ever lived .
>) This is one of the most useful proposals that have ever been made.
>) I am one of those that love their fellowmen.
>) This is the only one of his nevels that is( not are) worth reading.
[Here the Antecedent of that is one. 'Of his novels this is the only one that is worth
reading."]
>) This is the only one of his paintings that is(not are) remarkable.
164. Study the case of the Relative Pronoun in such sentences as the following :---
>) I gave it to the boy who I saw there. [Who is the Object of saw;and should,therefore,be
whom.]
>) The man ,who they thought to be dying, is now in good health.
[Here again who is the Object of thought ,and must,therefore,be whom.]
>) The prize was given to the girl whom they said deserved it.
[here whom should be who,for it is the Nominative to the verb deserved.]
*) POSITION OF THE RELATIVE PRONOUN
165. It is a good thing to keep the Relative Pronoun as near its Antecedent as possible.
It is better to write :---
>) The girl who comes first in English is the daughter of my neighbour,Mrs. Advani.
>) The boy who did this is the brother of my friend,Mr.Jack.
>) I went to the house of Mr.smith who is my friend.
>) I have read the speeches of dr.rajendra Prasad who was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi.
Than to write:--
>) The girl is the daughter of my neighbour ,Mrs Advani,who comes first in English.
>) The boy is the brother of my friend,Mr Jack,who did this.
>) I went to Mr.Smith's house who is my friend.
>) I have read Dr.Rajendra Prasad's speeches who was a follower of Gandhiji.
166. Relative Pronouns are used to join together two separate sentences:---
>) Separate Sentences >) Combined Sentences
1) Ashok stood first in the examination. >) Ashok ,who stood first in the exa
He is my cousin. mination,is my cousin.
2) My friend will never trust you.You >) My friend,whom you have cheated,
have cheated him. will never trust you.
3) He is Mr.Gill.His won won the >) He is Mr.Gill whose son won the
first prize in English. first prize in English
4) This is the house.jack built it. >) This is the house that Jack built.
5) An old farmer had a goose. The >) An old farmer had a goose which
goose laid a golden egg everyday. laid a golden egg everyday.
6) Here is the book.You lost the >) Here is the book that you lost
book yesterday. yesterday.
7) This is the horse.It won the race >) This is the horse which won the race.
Exercise 41. Pick out the Relative Pronouns in the following sentences,tell the case of each,and
mention its Antecedent :----
1). We met the boys who were rewarded.
2). Bring me the Letters which the postman left.
3). The boys who were lazy were punished.
4). They also serve who only stand and wait.
5). Here is the book that you lent me.
6). I hate children who throw stones at birds.
7). You have not brought the book that I asked for.
8). This is the juggler wom we saw yesterday.
9). The flowers which grow in our garden are not for sale.
10). He that is contented is happy.
11). You,who are mighty ,should be merciful.
12). We met the sailors whose ship was wrecked.
13). Whom the gods love die young.
14). They that seek wisdom will be wise
15).Thrice is he armed that hath his quarrel just.
16). The moment which islost i lost for ever.
17). There was never yet a philospher that could endure the toothache patiently.
18). Happy is the man that findeth wisdom.
20). It was not for nothing that he helped her.
21). The wisest man that ever lived made mistakes.
22). A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
23). The man who is honest is trusted.
24). He who hesitates is lost.
25). These are the boys whom the Headmaster praised.
26). They that touch pitch will be defiled.
27). These are the boys whose exercise are done badly.
28). I mean what I say.
29). The news which she received upset her.
30). The evil that men do lives after them.
Exercise 42. Fill in the blanks with suitable relative Pronouns :---
1). This is the beggar--------who stole my purse.
2). I,------am your king,will lead you.
3). I am the person -------is to blame.
4). This is the horse--------won the race.
5). He is a man-----you can trust.
6). The answer-------she gave is wrong.
7). I mean-------I say.
8). They never fail------die in a great cause.
9). The children--------were theer were frightened.
10). It is only donkeys--------bray.
11). He------is content is rich.
12). Blessed is he-----has found his work.
13). Take anything --------you like.
14). Tears such---------angels weep burst forth.
15). -------cannot be cured must be endured.
16). My answer is the same------yous is.
17). He ----------is not with me is against me.
18). This is--------troubles me.
19). He is not such a clever boy---------you are.
20). He is one of the greatest leaders------have ever lived.
21). He is not the same man------he has been.
22). He------is honest shall prosper.
23). He----always speaks the truth shall be respected.
24). God helps those------help themselves.
25). Who is here so mean-----will not serve his country?
26). Man is the only animal--------can talk.
27). Such a man--------he should be honoured.
28). Do the same---------I do.
29). -----------Is done cannot be undone.
30). I know the woman----------child was hurt.
Exercise 43. Join together each of the following pairs of sentences by means of a Relative
Pronoun :--
1). Did you receive the letter?I sent the letter yesterday.
2). The thief stole the watch.the thief has been arrested.
3). Here is the doctor.the doctor cured me of typhoid.
4). Show me the road.the road leads to the station.
5). Kalidas was a great poet.He wrote some fine dramas.
6). This is the building.It was built in a single week.
7). The boy fell off his bicycle.He has hurt his leg.
8). The japanese are a brave people.They were defeated in the Second World War.
9). The boy won the first prize in English.You see him sitting there.
10). His works are wiely known.He is a great novelist.
11). Unfortunately he took the road.It led in the wrong direction.
12). We spoke to the soldier.The soldier's arm was in a sling.
13). We heard some news.The news astonished us.
14). Napolean was a great emperor.The French honour him.
15). The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan.It is the finest tomb in the world.
16). Dadabhai Naoroji was the first Indian to enter the Britih Parliament.He was a Parsee.
17). The meeting was a great uccess.It was held in the National Stadium.
18). The boy tells lies.He deserves to be punished.
19) Here is a book.I told you about it.
Exercise 44. Fill up each blank with who or whom :--
1). This is the juggler------we saw yesterday.
2). The prize is won by a boy------the teacher said was very intelligent.
3). The boy------I trusted proved to be very faithful.
4). I met Mr.Smith------they say was killed by a robber.
5). The man-----they thought was dying in now in good health.
6). I saw a man-------they say was killed a robber.
7). I.----am your friend,will help you.
8). They----live in glass houses should not throw stones at others.
9). The boy---you see there made the highest score in the last match.
10). The boy-----made the highest score in the last match is sitting there.
Exercise 45. Select the wrong Verb :--
1). He is one of the boys who { was } kept in.
{ were}
2). He is one of the greatest leaders that{ has } ever lived.
{ have}
3). He is one of those people who { smile } at misfortune.
{ smiles }
4). This is one of the most interesting novels that { has } been published this year.
{ have}
5). This is the only one of his novels that { is } worth reading.
{ was}
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