Relative Determiners
In this lesson, master relative determiners, which provide detailed information about nouns in relative clauses. Clear explanations and practice exercises to help you learn.
What Are Relative Determiners?
Relative determiners are used before nouns to connect a relative clause to an independent clause. They introduce nominal relative clauses.
Relative Determiners: Uses
Relative determiners connect a dependent clause to the main clause. Relative determiners and the nominal relative clause they form can act as the object or the subject of the independent/main clause.
Relative Determiners: Placement
Relative determiners introduce a nominal relative clause and are always followed by a noun or noun phrase.
What/Whatever
'What' and 'whatever' are used to show that no specific restriction is in mind and there is no restriction in the options. For example:
I don't know what book to buy.
'What book to buy' is an object for 'know.' 'What' is used before 'book.'
Read whatever book interests you.
'Whatever book interests you' is the object of the verb 'read.'
Which/Whichever
'Which' and 'whichever' introduce an entity that is one of a limited set of options. For example:
I don't know which book you bought.
'Which book you bought' is an object for 'know'. 'Which' is used before a noun.
I'll support whichever plan you propose.
The relative determiner 'which' can also come after some prepositions. For example:
They played until midnight, at which point they were all exhausted.
I may not see you tomorrow, in which case I wish you a happy new year.
Whose
'Whose' and 'whosever' indicate possession of the noun that follows them. Here are some examples:
I know whose book you have.
'Whose' heads the nominal relative clause and serves as the object.
Whosever idea this was, it failed.
Tip!
The forms ending in "-ever" ("whatever," "whichever," and "whosever") indicate and absolute freedom in choice and give an open-ended permission. They are more emphatic that the plain "what," "which," and "whose."
Relative Determiners vs. Relative Pronouns
If 'whose', 'what', and 'which' are not followed by a noun, they are no longer determiners. Rather, they are relative pronouns. In the following examples, they are relative pronouns:
Buy whichever you like best.
We are going to do what we want.
I know whose it was.
Review
Relative determiners include "what," "which," and "whose" and are used to connect a dependent clause to the main clause. They are:
used as the head of a nominal relative clause
always followed by a noun/noun phrase
Quiz:
Sort the words to form a correct sentence using a relative determiner.
Match each sentence with the description of the function of the relative determiner used.
Fill in the blanks with relative determiners.
decision you make in your youth will affect your future.
She didn't specify
project files we should review first.
I can't remember
jacket was left at the party.
book you choose from the shelf should be interesting.
Which sentence correctly uses the relative determiner "whatever"?
She'll accept whatever job offer she receives.
Whatever happened at the party?
I'll take whatever you're giving away.
Whatever happened yesterday was unfortunate.
Which sentence uses "which" as a relative determiner?
Which team scored the winning goal?
She couldn't decide which dress to wear.
The book, which was old, smelled musty.
Which is your favorite season?
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