Skill: Grammar
Category: General English & Academic English
Level: Upper Intermediate
Adjective Clause (Part 2)
Relative pronouns as the object of preposition:
The relative pronoun can also be as an object of a preposition (with, of, to, about, etc.).
Ex: He is the professor. I told you about him.
(a) He is the professor about whom I told you.
(b) He is the professor who(m) I told you about.
(c) He is the professor that I told you about.
(d) He is the professor Ǿ I told you about.
Ex: The business meeting was very interesting. The boss went to it.
(a) The business meeting to which the boss went was very interesting.
(b) The business meeting that the boss went was very interesting.
(c) The business meeting which the boss went was very interesting.
(d) The business meeting Ǿ the boss went was very interesting.
Note: In case that preposition comes at the beginning of an adjective clause, only use whom or which.
A preposition is never immediately followed by that or who.
Ex: He is the professor about who I told
you.
Ex: The business meeting to that the
boss went was very interesting.
Exercise: Combine the two sentences. Use the second sentence as adjective clause.
1- The student is playing football. I was telling you about her.
2- You should thank the teachers. You acquired knowledge from them.
Whose in adjective clauses:
The possessive form of who is whose. It has the same meaning of other pronouns used as adjectives: her, his, its, and theirs.
Note: Like possessive adjectives, his, her, its, and theirs, whose is connected to a noun.
Ex: his phone à whose phone her father à whose father
Both whose and the noun after it are connected and come at the beginning of adjective clause. Whose cannot be omitted.
Ex: I know a woman. Her husband has died.
(a) I know a woman whose husband has died.
Ex: The father drives an old car. Her sons own a car store company.
(b) The father whose sons own a car store company drives an old car.
Exercise: Change the words in bold to a clause with whose.
1- The workers got a promotion. Their store had the most sales.
The workers __________________________ had the most sales got a promotion.
2- The university is temporarily closed. Its students are on strike.
The university __________________________________________ is temporarily closed.
3- The company is bankrupted. Its products were of low quality.
The company __________________________________________ is bankrupted.