Relative Clauses 5 — Extra Information Clauses (2)
Preposition + whom/which · all of whom / most of which · which (not what) — Complete Guide
Propositions Relatives 5 — Clauses d’information supplémentaire (2)
Préposition + whom/which · all of whom / most of which · which (pas what) — Guide Complet
Master preposition + whom/which in formal English, quantifiers like all of whom / most of which, and why you use which — not what — to refer back to a whole clause.
Maîtrisez préposition + whom/which en anglais formel, les quantificateurs comme all of whom / most of which, et pourquoi on utilise which — pas what — pour renvoyer à toute une proposition.
Unit 96 extends your knowledge of non-defining (extra information) relative clauses. You will learn to place a preposition before whom/which in formal English, combine quantifiers (all of, most of, none of…) with whom/which, and understand why you must use which — never what — when a relative clause refers back to an entire previous idea.
L’unité 96 approfondit vos connaissances des propositions relatives non-restrictives. Vous apprendrez à placer une préposition avant whom/which en anglais formel, à combiner des quantificateurs (all of, most of, none of…) avec whom/which, et à comprendre pourquoi on doit utiliser which — jamais what — quand une proposition relative renvoie à toute une idée précédente.
Preposition + whom / which
Préposition + whom / which
In extra information clauses, you can use a preposition + whom (for people) and preposition + which (for things). Common combinations:
Dans les propositions non-restrictives, vous pouvez utiliser une préposition + whom (pour les personnes) et une préposition + which (pour les choses). Combinaisons courantes :
Things (which):Choses (which) : of which · without which · from which · on which · in which · for which
Examples (formal — preposition before whom/which):
Exemples (formel — préposition avant whom/which) :
- Mr Lee, to whom I spoke at the meeting, is interested in our proposal.
- Fortunately we had a good map, without which we would have got lost.
- Katherine told me she works for a company called ‘Latoma’, which I’d never heard of before. (informal: preposition after verb)(informel : préposition après le verbe)
✓ Formal — preposition before
✓ Formel — préposition devant
✓ Informal — preposition after verb
✓ Informel — préposition après le verbe
Also: ‘that’ can NEVER follow a preposition. ✗ the man to that I spoke. Quand la préposition reste après le verbe (informel), on utilise who (pas whom) pour les personnes. ✓ Mr Lee, who I spoke to … ✗ Mr Lee, whom I spoke to …
Aussi : ‘that’ ne peut JAMAIS suivre une préposition. ✗ the man to that I spoke.
all of / most of etc. + whom / which
all of / most of etc. + whom / which
You can combine quantifiers with of whom (for people) or of which (for things) to add extra information.
Vous pouvez combiner des quantificateurs avec of whom (personnes) ou of which (choses) pour ajouter des informations supplémentaires.
Things: all / most / many / some / few / none / both / neither / one / two / half of which
| Quantifier + whom/which | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Quantificateur + whom/which | Exemple |
| all of whom | Helen has three brothers, all of whom are married. |
| most of which | They asked a lot of questions, most of which I couldn’t answer. |
| none of whom | Ten people applied, none of whom was suitable. |
| both of whom | Julia has two sisters, both of whom are lawyers. |
| neither of whom | Two men, neither of whom I had seen before, came into the office. |
| many of whom | Sue has a lot of friends, many of whom she was at school with. |
| two of which | They have three cars, two of which they rarely use. |
| half of which | James won £100,000, half of which he gave to his parents. |
| the name of which | We stayed at a beautiful hotel, the name of which I don’t remember. |
| the cause of which | The house was damaged in a fire, the cause of which was never established. |
which (not what) — Referring to a Whole Clause
which (pas what) — Renvoyer à toute une proposition
When a non-defining relative clause refers back to the whole previous clause (not just one noun), use which — never what or that.
Quand une proposition relative non-restrictive renvoie à toute la proposition précédente (pas seulement à un nom), utilisez which — jamais what ni that.
(which = the fact that Joe got the job)
(which = le fait que Joe ait eu le travail)
✓ Correct — use which
✓ Correct — utiliser which
✗ Wrong — do NOT use what / that
✗ Incorrect — ne pas utiliser what / that
Complete using a preposition + whom or which.
Complétez avec une préposition + whom ou which.
Choose from: after · at · for · from · in · of · to · with · without
Choisissez parmi : after · at · for · from · in · of · to · with · without
Use the information in the first sentence to complete the second. Use all of / most of / none of etc.
Utilisez les informations de la première phrase pour compléter la seconde. Utilisez all of / most of / none of etc.
Complete the sentences. Choose from the box and use which.
Complétez les phrases. Choisissez dans le cadre et utilisez which.
This is good news · This was a shame · This was very kind of her · This makes it hard to contact her · This means we can’t go away tomorrow · This makes it difficult to sleep · This meant I had to wait two hours · She apologised for this
Frequently Asked Questions — Relative Clauses 5
Questions Fréquentes — Propositions Relatives 5
Formal (preposition BEFORE): always use whom — ✓ Mr Lee, to whom I spoke. Informal (preposition AFTER verb): always use who — ✓ Mr Lee, who I spoke to. ✗ Never: Mr Lee, whom I spoke to (wrong when preposition is after).
Formel (préposition DEVANT) : utilisez toujours whom — ✓ Mr Lee, to whom I spoke. Informel (préposition APRÈS le verbe) : utilisez toujours who — ✓ Mr Lee, who I spoke to.
Neither of whom/which = used for exactly two people/things (negative). None of whom/which = used for three or more. ✓ Two men, neither of whom I’d met before, entered. ✓ Ten candidates applied, none of whom had enough experience.
Neither of whom/which = utilisé pour exactement deux personnes/choses (négatif). None of whom/which = utilisé pour trois ou plus.
What means “the thing that” and introduces a noun clause: “I don’t understand what she said.” Which (after a comma) refers back to the entire previous clause in a non-defining relative clause: “She resigned, which upset everyone.” ✗ She resigned, what upset everyone (always wrong).
What signifie « la chose que » et introduit une proposition nominale. Which (après une virgule) renvoie à toute la proposition précédente dans une relative non-restrictive. ✗ She resigned, what upset everyone (toujours incorrect).
No — never. ✗ the man to that I spoke / ✗ the map without that we’d be lost. After a preposition, always use whom (people) or which (things). Also note: that cannot be used at all in non-defining (extra-information) clauses.
Non — jamais. ✗ the man to that I spoke / ✗ the map without that we’d be lost. Après une préposition, utilisez toujours whom (personnes) ou which (choses).
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