Collins Cobuild English Grammar (154 page)

After
much
or
all
, you use
that
. You do not use
which
.

There was not much
that
the military men could do.
Happiness is all
that
matters.

Using relative pronouns in non-defining clauses

8.92
     The following paragraphs explain which pronouns you use in
non- defining relative clauses
.

These clauses cannot be used without a relative pronoun.

referring to people

8.93
     When you are referring to a person or group of people, you use
who
as the
subject
of a non-defining clause.

Heath Robinson,
who
died in 1944, was a graphic artist and cartoonist.
The horse’s rider,
who
has not been named, was too distressed to talk to police.

You use
who
or
whom
as the
object
of a non-defining clause.

Brian,
who
I do not like, had no idea how to behave properly.
He then became involved in a row with the party chairman,
whom
he accused of lying.

referring to things

8.94
     When you are referring to a thing or group of things, you use
which
as the subject or object of a non-defining clause.

The treatment,
which
is being tried by researchers, has helped a large number of patients.
The company,
which
has about 160 shops, is in financial trouble.
He was a man of considerable wealth,
which
he spent on his experiments.
…this offer,
which
few can resist.

Using relative pronouns with prepositions

8.95
     A relative pronoun can be the object of a preposition. Usually the preposition goes towards the end of the clause, and not in front of the pronoun.

…the job which I’d been training
for
.
…the universe that we live
in
.
…the woman who Muller left his money
to
.

no pronoun

8.96
     Often, in ordinary speech, no pronoun is used.

     Angela was the only person I could talk
to
.
…that place I used to go
to
last term.
That’s all we have time
for
this week.

indirect objects

8.97
     When a relative pronoun is the indirect object of a verb, you use
to
or
for
. For example, you say
the man that she wrote the letter to
, not
the man that she wrote the letter
.

…pieces of work that we give a mark
to
.

You also use
to
or
for
when there is no relative pronoun.

…the girl I sang the song
for
.

formal use

8.98
     In formal English, the preposition can go at the beginning of a clause in front of
whom
or
which
.

These are the people
to whom
Catherine was referring.
…a woman friend
with whom
Rose used to go for walks.
…questions
to which
there were no answers.

Note however that you cannot put the preposition at the beginning of a clause in front of
who
or
that
.

phrasal verbs

8.99
     If the verb in a relative clause is a
phrasal verb
ending with a preposition, you cannot move the preposition to the beginning of the clause.

…all the things I’ve had to put up
with
.
…the kind of life he was looking forward
to
.
There are other problems, which I don’t propose to go
into
at the moment.

USAGE NOTE

8.100
    Words such as
some
,
many
, and
most
can be put in front of
of whom
or
of which
at the beginning of a non-defining relative clause.

At the school we were greeted by the teachers,
most of whom
were women.
It is a language shared by several quite diverse cultures,
each of which
uses it differently.

Numbers can be put before or after
of whom
.

They act mostly on suggestions from present members (
four of whom
are women).
There were 80 patients,
of whom only one
died.

Using
whose

8.101
    If you want to talk about something relating to the person, thing, or group you are talking about, you use a relative clause beginning with
whose
and a noun or noun phrase.

For example, instead of saying
I am writing a letter to Nigel
.
His father is ill
, you can say
I am writing a letter to Nigel, whose father is ill
.

Whose
can be used in defining or non-defining clauses.

…workers
whose bargaining power
is weak.
…anyone
whose credit card
is stolen.
She asked friends
whose opinion
she respected.
…a country
whose population
was growing.
The man,
whose identity
was not released, was attacked at 10 p.m. last night.

The noun after
whose
can be the subject or object of the verb in the clause, or it can be the object of a preposition. If it is the object of a preposition, the preposition can come at the beginning or end of the clause.

…the governments
in whose territories
they operate.
…writers
whose company
he did not care for.

8.102
    In written English,
of which
and
of whom
are sometimes used instead of
whose
. You put these expressions after a noun phrase beginning with
the
.

For example, instead of writing
a town whose inhabitants speak French
, you can write
a town the inhabitants of which speak French
.

…a competition
the results of which
will be announced today.
I travelled in a lorry
the back of which
the owner had loaded with yams.

Using other relative pronouns

8.103
    Some other words and expressions can be used as relative pronouns.

non-defining clauses

8.104
    
When
and
where
are used in
non-defining clauses
(that is, clauses that simply add extra information).

I want to see you at 12 o’clock,
when
you go to your lunch.
My favourite holiday was in 2009,
when
I went to Jamaica.
He came from Brighton,
where
Lisa had once spent a holiday.
She took them up the stairs to the art room,
where
the brushes and paints had been set out.

defining clauses

8.105
    
When
and
where
can also be used in
defining clauses
(that is, clauses that distinguish one noun from all others), but only when the clause is preceded by a particular kind of noun.

When
-clauses must be preceded by the word
time
or by the name of a period of time such as
day
or
year
.

There was
a time when
she thought they were wonderful.
This is
the year when
the profits should start.

Where
-clauses must be preceded by the word
place
or by the name of a kind of place such as
room
or
street
.

…
the place where
they work.
…
the room where
I did my homework.
…
the street where
my grandmother had lived.

Note that place names such as
China
are
proper nouns
and so do not need to have defining relative clauses after them.

8.106
    
Where
can also be used in defining clauses after words such as
circumstances
,
point
,
situation
and
stage
.

Increasing poverty has led to
a situation where
the poorest cannot afford to have children.
In time we reached
a stage where
we had more male readers than female ones.
There comes
a point where
it’s impossible to answer.
Compensation was sometimes granted even in
circumstances where
no injury had occurred.

8.107
    
Why
is used in defining clauses after the word
reason
.