RELATIVE PRONOUNS / RELATIVE CLAUSES
Who
Se utiliza “who” cuando nos referimos a alguien o cuando queremos conocer algo
más sobre una persona.
Ejemplos:
– Miguel, the man who answered the phone, was not very helpful.
(Nos referimos a la persona que contestó el teléfono).
– HEY! , who ate my apple pie?
(Queremos saber quién se comió el pie de manzana).
– Nicolas Rojas, who was the former CEO, has just arrived.
(Ahora conocemos que Nicolas fue el director ejecutivo).
– María, who was my art teacher, is a wonderful actress.
(Sabemos que María fue profesora de arte).
Nota importante: después de una coma, usa “who” en lugar de “that”.
Técnicamente, esto se llama “non-defining relative clauses with the pronoun who”.
2) Whom
“whom” se puede utilizar cuando el “who” (quién) es el objeto de un verbo o una
preposición.
– Whom should I contact for further queries?
– The man whom you met yesterday is actually the new boss. (FORMAL)
1) En inglés formal whom es imprescindible cuando va después de una
preposición:
– The man to whom you talked yesterday is in fact the new manager.
– Politicians have become individuals in whom no one believes any longer.
– Mr. Diaz is the gentleman for whom we’ve been waiting.
2) Después de cuantificadores como “all of”, “few of”, “many of”, “several of”, etc.
– Julia, the security guard, addressed the spectators of the voleyball match, most
of whom remained seated.
– Congratulations to all the winners, most of whom are definitely reading this
article!
3) Whose
“whose” indica alguna propiedad o pertenencia. En español significa “de quién” y
en las preguntas o como un “cuyo” (el adjetivo relativo posesivo)
– Whose bicycle is this? (Queremos saber de quién es esa bicicleta).
– There’s the musician whose old guitar was stolen. (Sabemos que ahí va el
músico cuya guitarra fue robada).
Si tienes problemas para recordar su uso, solo debes aprender algo: el “whose”
siempre se usa con sustantivos.
– This is Carol, whose sister went to college with me.
– A country whose population is mainly ignorant is doomed.
– I love people whose attitude to life is positive and courageous.
4) Which
Se utiliza “which” para referirse a una cosa o una idea (un detalle), y también para
preguntar sobre alguna elección en cuestión.
– My laptop, which is 5 years old, is too slow for this new software update.
(Nos referimos a la edad de la laptop, “la cual tiene 5 años”).
– Which size would you like to order?
(Aquí queremos saber cuál es el tamaño de la orden).
Nota importante: al igual que “who”, después de una coma, usa “which” en lugar
de “that”. Técnicamente, esto se llama “non-defining relative clauses with the
pronoun which”.
5) That
El uso del “that” como “que” es bastante flexible, ya que puede utilizarse tanto en
personas como en cosas o ideas.
– She’s the girl that I saw at the disco.
(Para indicar que la vimos en la discoteca).
– This is the new book that I want to read.
(Para recalcar que queremos leer ese libro).
6) Where
“Where”, como adverbio relativo, es utilizado para referirse a lugares y locaciones,
ya sea en preguntas, afirmaciones o explicaciones.
– Do you know where the library is?
(Para saber dónde queda la biblioteca).
– This is the place where I spent my last three years.
(Para saber el lugar donde pasó los últimos tres años).
Look at the sentences below and complete each one by choosing the correct
relative pronoun in brackets.
1. The house __that_____Jack built is large. (who/that)
2. I saw a man _who_______I thought was Ben's father. (who/which)
3. Sam told me _wich______films would be good to see. (that/which)
4. Can you remember __where_______Dad parked the car? (where/who)
5. The driver told us _wich________train to catch. (that/which)
6. I hear _that______William eats squid. (which/that)
7. He's not the kind of person _who______ laughs at others. (who/which)
8. Have you told everyone _where______ the party will be? (where/who)
9. This is the house __where______ Grandma used to live. (that/where)
10. Could you tell me ___which______way we should go? (where/which)
11. I'm sure __that_____ you'll pass the exam. (that/which)
12. Tom admitted _that_______ he broke the plate. (which/that)
Complete with WHICH, WHO, WHOSE or WHOM
1. WHICH book will you buy ?
2. Is this the umbrella WHICH you lost ?
3. The man WHO is sitting by the door takes a break.
4. He reminds me of someone _WHOM I used to know.
5. The children played in the snow_WHICH_________ had fallen during the night.
6. He is the doctor __WHOM___________I will see this afternoon.
7. John is the boy ____WHOSE__________ father is a painter.
8. She is the girl _WHOM____________I saw at the party last night.
9. The student ___WHO__________lent you his book, speaks Italian.
10. The boy to __WHOM__________you spoke is my cousin.
11. Marco Polo was a young traveler WHOSE father was a rich man.
12. This is the painting WHICH_______ Mr. Perez showed us last week.
13. The glove__WHICH_______ I lost at school yesterday were not my best ones.
14. The doctor _WHOM_______ she visited is famous.
15. The flowers __WHICH_______my boyfriend gave me have died.
16. She doesn't know the person _WHOM________ they mentioned.
17. The magazine_WHICH_______ you lent me is interesting.
18. The man __WHO________ is resting is very tired.
19. The boy _WHO_________ sat next to you is my friend.
20. We are using books __WHICH_______ printed last year.
