Placing the Preposition in a Relative Cause

WHERE TO PUT THE PREPOSTITION IN A RELATIVE CLAUSE

Where to Put the Preposition in a Relative Clause

There are often prepositions in relative clauses, and the relative pronoun is the object of the preposition. This means that the pronoun can sometimes be omitted.
1. Position
Note that in questions the preposition is more frequently placed at the end of the clause (except for WITHOUT). It can also be placed before the relative pronoun where it sounds more formal:

  • Is that the man (who) you arrived with?
  • Do you know the girl (that) John is talking to?
  • That is the man  without whom we'll get lost. (NOT ... the man whom we'll get lost without.)
  • In which street does he live? = Which street does he live in?
  • He lives in the street where all the houses are surrounded by high fences.  = He lives in the street in which the houses are surrounded by high fences
  • For which organisation does he work?  = Which organisation does he work for?
  • He works for a spy network, about which I know nothing. = He works for a spy network (which) I know nothing about.

In formal or written English, the preposition is often placed before the relative pronoun, and in this case the pronoun cannot be omitted:

  • The people with whom he worked have all been arrested. (Formal)
  • The people (who) he worked with have all been arrested. (Informal)
  • This is the bedroom in which he was murdered. (Formal)
  • This is the bedroom (that) he was murdered in. (Informal)
  • The person with whom he is negotiating is the Chairman of a large company.
  • It is a society to which many important people belong.

However, this is unusual in spoken English.

Examples

  • The jungle the tribe lived in was full of strange and unusual animals.
  • He liked the people that he lived with.
  • The tree under which they had their picnic was the largest and oldest in the park.
  • To the east of the city was a lake that many people went to on the weekend.
  • It was the river in which the children preferred to swim.

2. Notes
The preposition is not placed before WHO/THAT

  • The man who/that Mike is talking to is Mr. Pike. ( NOT The man to who/that Mike is talking to is Mr. Pike)
The preposition is not placed before the relative pronoun when it is a part of phrasal verb:
  • This is the book that I am looking for.
  • That is a child whom you have to look after. 

 Preposition + Which

1. where / in which / at which

In which and at which are sometimes used as more precise sounding alternatives to where to introduce relative clauses after nouns referring to place:

 

  • Near where I live there's a wood where you can find woodpeckers. = Near where I live there's a wood in which you can find woodpeckers.
  • The fancy-dress party, where the men all turned up as gangsters, was held in Manhatten. = The fancy-dress party, at which the men all turned up as gangsters, was held in Manhatten.


2. when / on which
On which is sometimes used as a more precise sounding alternative to when to introduce relative clauses after nouns referring to time:

  • The day when I'm forced to give up riding will be a sad day for me.
  • The day on which I'm forced to give up riding will be a sad day for me.