RELATIVE PRONOUNS
READ THE FIVE SENTENCES BELOW
The relative pronouns are in bold.
Circle in blue the antecedent of the relative pronoun. Is it human or not?
A relative pronoun always refers to something else (a noun or a proposition): it is its antecedent because it comes
before ("ante" means "before" in Latin).
a. Lisa Meitner discovered a new
element which is called "protactinium".
b. Marie Curie is the person who
discovered polonium and radium.
c. The element Lisa Meitner
discovered led to atomic bombs.
d. The scientist you talk to yesterday
is Goodall!
e. Marie Curie, whose husband was also
a scientist, received two Nobel Prizes.
Antecedent: human or
Relative pronoun: subject
non-human?
or complement?
Look at sentences A and B below. What is missing in each sentence?
a. [...] is called "protactinium".
b. [...] discovered polonium and radium.
a subject ☐ a complement
a subject
So, here, the relative pronouns (which [...] replace) have the role of
a complement
This is how you can deduce the function of a relative pronoun in the sentence: hide it and look for the missing
information.
Continue with sentences C to E and complete the grid above.
O Good MorningMiss