Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns introduce information referring to the previous part of the sentence (clause). In the sentence:

The kemp that won the gowd medal wis awfu prood. The champion who won the gold medal was extremely proud.

The clause 'that won the gowd medal' provides information relative to the 'kemp'.

These relative clauses are introduced by relative pronouns.

1. The relative pronoun for male and female, and each case is that (who, which, that) often shortened to 'at, not to be confused with the preposition at.
   The relative pronouns wha (who) and wham (whom) are Anglicisms found in poetry.

   Thay are aw gluttons that little guid gits. All who get little good are gluttons.

   The chield that steys neist door. The fellow who lives next door.

   The fowk that's comin tae veesit. The people who are coming to visit.

   Gie't back tae thaim that's aucht it. Give it back to those who own it.

   That may be made possessive by adding 's

   The rinners that's feet is sair. The runners whose feet hurt.

   The man that's dug dee'd. The man whose dog died.

   The laddies that's baw's tint. The boys whose ball is lost.

   The wifie that's washin wis duin. The woman whose washing was finished.

2. Shadow pronouns appear in constructions such as that + possessive pronoun.

   The lad that his dug's deid. The boy whose dog is dead.

   The wifie that her messages is tint. The woman whose shopping is lost.

   The man that his darg's duin. The man whose work is done.

3. Sometimes the relative pronoun is omitted. Prepositions are frequently omitted at the end of a sentence.

   Thare's no mony fowk (that) steys in thon glen. There are not many people who live in that valley.

   Ma freend's a dochter (that) uised tae be in the schuil. My friend has a daughter who used to be at school.

   We haed this Soothren lass (that) cam tae wir schuil. We had this English girl who came to our school.

   The machine (that) ye milk the kye (wi). The machine with which you milk the cows.

   Thare's juist the ane o us (that's) been tae Cupar afore. There's only one of us who has been to Cupar before.

   The shop (that) A bocht it (frae). The shop from which I bought it.

4. Whilk as a relative pronoun is only used after a statement. It is now obsolete in speech but still occurs in literature. Whilk may be replaced by that, with, if necessary, a corresponding change of idiom.

   He said that he haed tint it, whilk wisna whit he wantit tae hear. He said that he haed tint it, an that wisna whit he wantit tae hear. He said he had lost it, which was not what he wanted to hear.

   The wirkers howkit a sheuch in whilk the foonds wis liggit. The wirkers howkit a sheuch, that the foonds wis liggit in. The workers dug a trench in which the foundations were laid.

   The pat wi whilk the maid byles watter. The pat that the maid byles watter wi. The pot in which the maid boils water.

[ Start | Previous | Next ]