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Compound Relative Pronouns

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The Compound Relative Pronouns are what, whoever (whomever, whosever), whosoever (whomsoever, whoseoever), whichever, whichsoever, whatever, and whatsoever.

ANTECEDENT

The Compound Relative Pronouns most often have no antecedent in the sentence. In a sense, they contain their own antecedent. What, whichever, and whatever (with the corresponding –soever forms) are the equivalent to that which (plural, those which): that is, they are equivalent to the demonstrative pronoun that combined with the relative pronoun which, the demonstrative being the antecedent of the relative. Similarly, whoever is the equivalent of he who (plural, they who): that is, the personal pronoun he is used as the antecedent of the relative pronoun who.

For example, the sentence, “Show me what you’re talking about,” may be expressed as, “Show me that which you are talking about.” The sentence, “Eat whichever you want,” may become, “Eat that which you want.” “Whoever wants the bike can have it” is equivalent to “He who wants the bike can have it.”

Note: In some sentences the antecedent is present. For example, in the sentence, “Whoever turns the work in on time, he will receive credit,” he is the antecedent of whoever. (Of course, one could use the feminine pronoun she in replacement of he in the preceding example.)

CASE AND USE

Whoever and whosoever are the only compound relative pronouns that have different forms for the different cases.

What, whichever, whichsoever, whatever, and whatsoever have the same forms for the nominative and objective cases and have no possessive forms.

The case of a compound relative pronoun, like that of a simple relative pronoun, is determined by its use in its own clause.

He’ll complain to whoever will listen.

Make a good impression with whomever you meet.

Associate with whomever you wish.

I’ll give the homeless man money, whoever he may be.

In the first sentence, whoever is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the verb will listen. It is not the object of the preposition to. The whole clause, whoever will listen, is the object of the preposition.

In the second sentence, whomever is in the objective case because it is the object of the verb meet. It is not the object of the preposition with.

In the third sentence, whomever is in the objective case because it is the object of the preposition with “understood,” not the preposition with expressed in the sentence: “Associate with whomever you wish (to associate with).”

In the last sentence, whoever is in the nominative case because it is a predicate pronoun after the verb may be. Note that the predicate pronoun precedes the subject instead of following the verb.

Copyright © 2012 Thomas Fasano.
Your English Class™ trademark is the property of Thomas Fasano.

Simple Relative Pronouns: Miscellaneous Features

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Determining the Use of a Relative Pronoun. What’s clear about a relative pronoun is that whatever its use in the sentence, it generally stands at the beginning of the clause it introduces. In English the usual order of elements in a sentence is subject + verb + object + various other elements. So if the relative pronoun is the subject of the verb, it stands in the usual position of the subject, that is, at the beginning of the clause. Its use can therefore be readily determined.

If the relative pronoun is not the subject, determine the use of the pronoun by rearranging the clause so that the subject comes first, then the verb, then the rest of the clause.

For example, take the sentence, “She is the woman whom you mentioned,” in which whom can easily be seen as the object of the verb. Again, “This was the vacation that we dreamed about”: rearranged, the clause becomes “we dreamed about that,” in which that is clearly the object of the preposition about.

When a relative pronoun is the object of a preposition, the preposition is often placed at the beginning of the clause before the pronoun: as, “She is the real estate agent of whom I’d spoken.” Rearranged, the clause would become, “I’d spoken of whom.”

Careful attention must be given to the case of a relative pronoun in a clause that contains a parenthetical expression like I thought, we believed, he said. Compare the following sentences:

He is the student who we believed would be a success.

He is the student whom we believed you should tutor.

In the first sentence who is the subject of the verb would be and is thus in the nominative case. In the second sentence whom is the object of the verb should tutor.

Omission of the Relative Pronoun. Often the relative pronoun is not stated. When this is the case, it is said to be “understood.”

These are the keys ^ you need (that is omitted before you).

He is the candidate ^ we voted for (whom is omitted).

Distinction in the use of “Who,” “Which,” and “That.”

(1) Who is used with an antecedent denoting a person.

The soldier who was awarded the Purple Heart.

The lawyer whom I retained.

(2) Which is used with an antecedent denoting anything except a person.

The house, which sits at the end of a cul-de-sac.

Easter, which is in the springtime.

My car, which is in the shop.

Honesty, which is an admirable quality.

(3) That is used with antecedents denoting either persons or things.

The movie that won the Oscar.

The pills that she was hooked on.

Copyright © 2012 Thomas Fasano.
Your English Class™ trademark is the property of Thomas Fasano.