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When relative pronouns are preceded by prepositional phrases

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When relative pronouns are preceded by prepositional phrases

by sumitkhurana » Thu Dec 25, 2008 1:38 am
Have a question:-

I read a rule somewhere that if a relative pronoun such as "which" "who" are preceded by a prepositional phrase which consists of 2 nouns, then the relative pronoun would modify the first noun of the prepositional phrase.

e.g. I borrowed the knife of Jim, who was my neighbour.

Here as per this source 'who' modifies knife, in the prepositional phrase kinfe of Jim, and hence this sentence is incorrect.

But after a few pages I found a contradiction in this sentence :-

I want to gain experience in finance, which is lacking in my current job.

Now here too "experience in finance" is a prepostional phrase linking 2 nouns. But as per the source "which" is modifying finance here, and hence this sentence is incorrect.

Now this logic appears to contradict the earlier theory.

Would appreciate if you clarify this for me.
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by iamcste » Thu Dec 25, 2008 5:41 am
Second rule is correct and supported by the OG

I havent read of this any where...so, no comments...
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by mankey » Sat Mar 03, 2012 9:16 pm
Dear Experts

Request someone to answer this query.

Regards.
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by sam2304 » Sat Mar 03, 2012 10:58 pm
The usage of 'which' depends entirely on the context. In X of Y, which - which can refer to either of them based on the verb/context following which. The key is identify to which one it refers based on the meaning rather relying on rules.

Below are some of the examples of right answers from OG from which we can understand different usages of which.
1.Construction of the Roman Colosseum, which was officially known as the Flavian Amphitheater, began in A.D. 69, during the reign of Vespasian, and was completed a decade later, during the reign of Titus, who opened the Colosseum with a one-hundred-day cycle of religious pageants, gladiatorial games, and spectacles.
X of Y form, which refering to Y, Roman Colosseum as the phrase following it refers Roman Colosseum to be known as Flavian Aphitheater and Construction taking its place would be absurd.
2.From the bark of the paper birch tree the Menomini crafted a canoe about twenty feet long and two feet wide, with small ribs and rails of cedar, which could carry four persons or eight hundred pounds of baggage so light that a person could easily portage it around impeding rapids.
Which is not nearly as close as we would expect but it refers to the canoe and none of the nouns in the prepositional phrase would make any sense if used in this context.
3.Executives and federal officials say that the use of crack and cocaine is growing rapidly among workers, significantly compounding the effects of drug and alcohol abuse, which already cost business more than $100 billion a year.
X of Y, which referring to X, the effects though it is immediately followed by drug and alcohol abuse but they don't attribute to business costs only the effects do.
4.The commission proposed that funding for development of the park, which could be open to the public early next year, be obtained through a local bond issue.
X of Y, which referring to Y.

All the above are examples of different usage of which and so far i have understood that it purely depends on the context, meaning, verb followed by which and we cannot decide or eliminate one or the other based on rules. The best way to go about this is to look for meaning. Hope this helps !! :)
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by avik.ch » Sat Mar 03, 2012 11:04 pm
sumitkhurana wrote:Have a question:-

I read a rule somewhere that if a relative pronoun such as "which" "who" are preceded by a prepositional phrase which consists of 2 nouns, then the relative pronoun would modify the first noun of the prepositional phrase.

e.g. I borrowed the knife of Jim, who was my neighbour.

Here as per this source 'who' modifies knife, in the prepositional phrase kinfe of Jim, and hence this sentence is incorrect.

But after a few pages I found a contradiction in this sentence :-
Which source you are referring to !!

"Who" does not modifies knife -- it modifies Jim. Here Jim being a person can be a neighbour , not knife.

When a relative pronoun is preceded by a proposition - then the pronoun become the object of the preposition - "in which"...

Refer this :

The park in which the kids play baseball is scheduled to become a parking lot.

The preposition can also be shifted the the end of the relative clause :

The park which the kids play baseball in is scheduled to become a parking lot.

For more on "Which" usage refer OG-12 #26

Hope this helps !!
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