relative pronoun

American  

noun

1. one of the pronouns who, whom, which, what, their compounds with -ever or -soever, or that used as the subordinating word to introduce a subordinate clause, especially such a pronoun referring to an antecedent.

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Commonly Confused

See who.

Etymology

Origin of relative pronoun

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

I could finesse the whole issue by writing that I turned over the comma shaker to a colleague I have known for years, doing without the relative pronoun, and nobody would miss it.

From The New Yorker

Foremost among them are the subordinator that and relative pronouns like which and who, which can signal the beginning of a relative clause.

From Literature

Some people are bothered by the use of “that” instead of “who” when the relative pronoun refers to a person, not a thing.

From The New Yorker

“Who” and “whom” are relative pronouns, and the trick for choosing the right one is to switch the clause around so that you can substitute a personal pronoun.

From The New Yorker

The verb in the relative clause should agree with the subject of the clause, in this case the relative pronoun “that.”

From New York Times