Grammar: ✨ Grammar Essentials: 🧩 Parts of Speech & 🏗️ Sentence Structure (Advanced) (B2) - Lesson 2: Advanced Relative Pronouns: "whose," "whom"

Grammar: Relative Clauses

B2 Lesson 2: Using 'whose' and 'whom'

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use the relative pronouns 'whose' and 'whom' correctly to write more precise and formal sentences.

Why It Matters: Creating Sophisticated Sentences

Using advanced pronouns allows you to combine simple sentences into one, more complex and fluent sentence.

Simpler B1 Sentences

I have a friend. His brother is a famous artist.

Advanced B2 Sentence ✅

I have a friend whose brother is a famous artist.

The Grammar Rules 📖

Rule 1: Using 'whose' for Possession

Use whose to show possession. It connects a noun to something that belongs to it, replacing words like 'his', 'her', or 'their'.

"She is the woman whose purse was stolen outside the market."

Rule 2: Using 'whom' for Objects

Use whom when a person is the object of the verb in the relative clause (they receive the action).

• who = subject (does the action): "The man who helped me was kind."
• whom = object (receives the action): "The man whom I helped was grateful."

💡 The Golden Rule: Preposition + "whom"

This is the most important rule for using 'whom' in modern English. When a preposition (like to, for, with, about) comes directly before the pronoun, you must use whom.

Correct: "The manager to whom I complained was apologetic."

Incorrect: "The manager to who I complained..."

Practice Your Grammar 🎯

Exercise: Who, Whose, or Whom?

Choose the correct relative pronoun to complete each sentence.

1. That is the architect _______ designs are famous all over Cambodia.
   → Answer: whose (The designs belong to the architect.)
2. The colleagues with _______ I work are very friendly.
   → Answer: whom (It follows the preposition 'with'.)
3. She is the student _______ won the top prize in the competition.
   → Answer: who (The student is the subject who 'won'.)
4. The man _______ car you borrowed is my uncle.
   → Answer: whose (The car belongs to the man.)

Your Grammar Mission ⭐

Combine the Sentences

Combine these pairs of sentences into one, more advanced sentence using 'whose' or 'whom'.

1. Sentences: I have a neighbour. His dog barks all night long.
   → Combined: I have a neighbour whose dog barks all night long.
2. Sentences: The politician was very convincing. I listened to him on the radio.
   → Combined: The politician to whom I listened on the radio was very convincing.

Key Vocabulary

• Relative Pronoun (Noun)
  A pronoun (like who, which, whose) that introduces a clause giving more information about a noun.
• Formal (Adjective)
  Used in serious or official situations; not casual.
• Possession (Noun)
  The state of owning or having something.
• Object (Noun, in grammar)
  The noun that receives the action of the verb.
• Preposition (Noun)
  A word that connects a noun to another word (e.g., to, from, with, about).