Relative Pronouns
Relative clauses and relative pronouns
There are two kinds of relative clauses.
Carbon is an element which has an atomic weight of
12.01.
A figure which has all sides equal in length is called an equilateral figure.
Robotics is the study of robots, which are electro-mechanical devices that can be programmed to perform manual tasks.
An insect, which is a small animal, has a body divided into three parts: head, thorax and abdomen.
Forms of relative pronouns in relative clauses
-who and that are used in relative clauses when describing people
-who and that can be used in place of noun subjects or subject pronouns. (I, you, he, etc.) and cannot normally be omitted.
-who and that remain unchanged whether they refer to masculine, feminine, singular or plural.
-In a defining relative clause that is interchangeable with who, but who is more common.
e.g. a person who/that writes AI programs is usually
a computer scientist.
-In a non-defining relative clause only who (not that) is possible.
e.g. Alan Turing, who wrote an article entitled
"Computing Machinery and Intelligence" in
1950, is considered to be the "father" of
artificial intelligence.
-which and that are used in relative clauses when describing things and animals.
-In a defining relative clause that is interchangeable with which.
e.g. Many high-technology companies are involved in AI research to develop techniques which/that can improve their productivity and products.
-In a non-defining relative clause only which (not that) is possible.
e.g. Planning and decision support, which is an area of AI research, can help managers evaluate information, choose a goal, or reach a conclusion.
Notice these changes:
e.g. There are many universities in the U.S. and other countries
in which/ where AI research is being conducted.but Acoustics is a branch of Physics
in which the properties of sounds are studied. (why not "where"?)Airports are places
at which/ where special attention is paidto the weather.
but The temperature
at which water boils depends on the pressure. (Why not "where"?)e.g. A transducer is a device
by means of which/ whereby a non- electrical signal, such as sound, light, heat, etc., is converted into an electrical signal, or vice versa.Jupiter
of which the mass is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets put together is the largest planet of the Solar System.Jupiter the mass
of which isJupiter
whose mass is .(The Division of English for Science and Technology,
Chulalongkorn University Language Institute)
Go to ===>
EAP Page