"Who" and "Which" by Solomon Osuokam Ogbeh

Part of Speech: Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns are used to introduce relative clauses, which provide additional information about a noun mentioned earlier in the sentence. "Who" and "which" are two commonly used relative pronouns.

• Who is used for people.
• Which is used for animals and objects.

Who

Usage of Who: "Who" is used as a relative pronoun to refer to people. It can function as the subject or the object of a relative clause.

Examples:

1. Subject: "The teacher who inspires me the most is Mr. Adewale."
2. Object: "The student who you saw at the library is Chidi."

In these sentences:

• "who inspires me the most" provides more information about "the teacher".
• "who you saw at the library" gives additional details about "the student".

Forming Relative Clauses with Who: Relative clauses with "who" can provide essential information (defining relative clauses) or non-essential information (non-defining relative clauses).

• Defining Relative Clauses: These clauses are necessary to the meaning of the sentence. They do not use commas.
• Example: "The girl who won the prize is Ada."
• This specifies which girl is being talked about.
• Non-defining Relative Clauses: These clauses add extra information and are separated by commas.
• Example: "Ngozi, who lives next door, is very friendly."
• This adds additional information about Ngozi, but the sentence would still make sense without it.

Examples in Context:

1. "The author who wrote the book is giving a lecture today."
2. "My cousin, who is a doctor, moved to Abuja last year."
3. "The man who helped us find the address was very kind."

Which

Usage of Which: "Which" is used as a relative pronoun to refer to animals and objects. Like "who", it can function as the subject or the object of a relative clause.

Examples:

1. Subject: "The book which I borrowed from the library is very interesting."
2. Object: "The car which you bought last year is very fast."

In these sentences:

• "which I borrowed from the library" provides more information about "the book".
• "which you bought last year" gives additional details about "the car".

Forming Relative Clauses with Which: Relative clauses with "which" can also be defining or non-defining.

• Defining Relative Clauses: These clauses are necessary to the meaning of the sentence. They do not use commas.
• Example: "The laptop which I use for school work is very reliable."
• This specifies which laptop is being talked about.
• Non-defining Relative Clauses: These clauses add extra information and are separated by commas.
• Example: "Our house, which was built in the 1980s, needs some renovations."
• This adds additional information about the house, but the sentence would still make sense without it.

Examples in Context:

1. "The smartphone which I bought last week is already malfunctioning."
2. "His favourite movie, which he has seen ten times, is showing again tonight."
3. "The dog which we adopted last month has already become part of the family."

Exercise

Fill in the blanks with "who" or "which" to complete the sentences correctly:

1. The artist ____ painted this mural is very talented.
2. The necklace ____ I received as a gift is made of gold.
3. My neighbour, ____ is always helpful, brought us some fruits.
4. The essay ____ you wrote was very insightful.
5. The chef ____ prepared our meal has won several awards.

To solidify your understanding of "who" and "which," it's important to practice by identifying and using these relative pronouns in sentences. This can include both writing your own sentences and completing exercises. Consider how these pronouns can add essential or non-essential information, and practice punctuating sentences correctly based on the type of relative clause.