A pronoun is a word used in the place of one or more nouns. There are seven main types of pronouns. They are;

-Personal Pronoun,

-Interrogative Pronoun,

-Demonstrative Pronoun,

-Reflexive Pronoun,

-Intensive Pronoun,

-Indefinite Pronoun and

-Relative Pronoun.

Our main focus for today will be on Relative Pronouns list. First, we shall examine what relative pronouns are. Then, we shall look at their various types while listing them.

A Relative Pronoun relates a subordinate clause to the rest of the sentence and could be found in either Adjective or Noun clauses. They present part of a sentence that describes a noun, hence, are used to join clauses together thus forming complex sentences. The various relative pronouns are; who, what, which, whom and whose. There are four main types of relative pronouns, they are;

*Subjective relative pronouns: Here, the relative pronoun acts like the subject of the sentence. The various types under this category are; who, that, andwhich.

For example,

The chef who won the competition in Cameroon.

In this example, "who" relates chef (and chef = subject) hence, "who" acts like the subject of the sentence. This means "who" is a subjective relative pronoun in this sentence.

*Objective relative pronouns: Here, the relative pronoun acts like the object of the sentence. The various types under this category are; whom, that and which.

For example,

The shirt that Tom bought in Cameroon.

In this example, "that" relates shirt (shirt = object) hence, "that" acts like the object of the sentence. This means "that" is an objective relative pronoun in this sentence.

*Possessive relative pronouns: The relative pronoun here is "whose".

For example; whose books are those?

*Compound relative pronouns: They are usually formed by the addition of ever or soever at the end of who, which and what. They include; whoever, whosoever, whichever, whatever and whatsoever.

There are a number of rules governing the usage of relative pronouns. These rules are;

<>When referring to people, that, who, whom and whose are used.

<>When referring to places, things or ideas: that and which are used.

- "That" is used if the information is critical to the understanding of the main clause. For example; Ann has delivered a message that is difficult to read.

-"Which" is used when the information is not critical to the understanding of the main clause. For example; the answer which you gave me is correct.

<>When referring to more than one place, thing or idea: whichever and whatever are used.

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