The Minor Parts of SpeechWh-words also introduce relative clauses (in square brackets in (13)).
These clauses modify nouns. In our chapter on Phrases we will see how they
follow a head noun as part of a noun phrase. Most wh-words can introduce
relatives.
(13) a. Anyone [who wants a ticket] should call Herman.
b. The book [which you requested] is out of print.
c. The locale [where the movie is set] is fictional.
d. The person [who called you] left no message.
Exercise
- For each of the wh-words in Table 6 (except what and whether), cre-
ate three sentences with relative clauses. - Create a sentence with a relative clause beginning with what. Have
you ever come across such a relative clause before? How would you
change it to make it acceptable in formal English?
Finally, wh-words serve to introduce noun clauses (in square brackets in
(14)), which are entire clauses that function as if they were noun phrases. (For
this reason, the entire clause can often be replaced by a simpler noun phrase
or by a pronoun.)
(14) a. I don’t know [who can get you a leash that big].
b. Tell me [which tranquilizer is the strongest].
c. Kong didn’t say [where he dropped those banana peels].
Exercise
For each of the wh-words in Table 6 (except whether), create three
sentences containing noun clauses.
Among the wh-words we can detect a second gender system at work in
English: who refers to humans; what to non-humans; and which to both hu-
mans and non-humans.