Relative Clauses 3: Some of Whom, Several of Which
By the end: I can describe subsets of a clearly identified group and control agreement and reference in more demanding relative clauses.
Try the activities, then check your answers.
Try the activities, then check your answers.
Choose a short recording.
Before you start
Compare Ten participants attended. Three of them were new with Ten participants attended, three of whom were new.
Useful background: Relative Clauses 1 and 2; quantifiers, agreement and non-defining punctuation.
Identify a subset of people or things
A quantifier plus of whom can refer to people; of which can refer to things. These non-defining relatives add information about an already identified group. Use commas and keep the antecedent clear.
Ten participants attended, three of whom were new.
We reviewed six diagrams, two of which needed clearer labels.
Let the relative subject control agreement
The expression functioning as the relative clause’s subject controls its verb. One takes singular agreement; several takes plural agreement. Fractions and proportions require attention to what is being counted.
I invited four tutors, one of whom has replied.
She sent five drafts, several of which contain the same error.
Do not merge different clause patterns
Of them works naturally in a separate sentence or a coordinated independent clause, whereas of whom/of which connects a relative. Rewrite when several potential antecedents make a subset hard to identify.
Eight guests arrived. Two of them were early.
Eight guests arrived, two of whom were early.
Keep two subsets separate when overlap is unknown
One of which needed a new title refers to this six-draft group.
The note does not say whether the draft needing a new title is among these three.
Guided practice
Say or write your answer first. Compare the meaning and form; the model is one possible answer.
1. Combine: Six teachers attended. Two were new.
Compare a model and explanation
Six teachers attended, two of whom were new.
Of whom links the subset of people to its antecedent.
2. Combine: We received five files. One was incomplete.
Compare a model and explanation
We received five files, one of which was incomplete.
One is singular and the antecedent is a group of things.
3. Choose has or have: Four writers contributed, one of whom ___ already revised her section.
Compare a model and explanation
has
One is the relative subject controlling agreement.
4. Choose contains or contain: There are six drafts, several of which ___ the same typo.
Compare a model and explanation
contain
Several takes plural agreement.
5. Repair a comma splice using a relative: Eight guests arrived, two of them were early.
Compare a model and explanation
Eight guests arrived, two of whom were early.
Alternatively use a full stop or add and before two of them.
6. Give an independent-sentence alternative: We reviewed six plans, three of which were incomplete.
Compare a model and explanation
We reviewed six plans. Three of them were incomplete.
Them fits the independent clause; which fits the relative connection.
7. Read the review note. Report the title issue without suggesting all six drafts need new titles.
Compare a model and explanation
The reviewers examined six drafts, one of which needed a new title.
The quantifier limits the claim to one draft.
8. Clarify the intended antecedent: We sent the reviewers the drafts, two of whom were new.
Compare a model and explanation
Two of the reviewers were new. We sent them the drafts.
Although whom points to people, moving the subset beside its intended group removes the awkward separation.
A short conversation
Listen first if you can, then open the transcript when useful.
Open the conversation transcript
A: How many reviewers came to the session?
B: Eight, two of whom were new to the group.
A: And how much revision did the drafts need?
B: We examined six drafts, one of which needed a new title. Three of them also needed clearer labels, but the note doesn’t say whether the title problem overlapped with those three.
Listening checks
Listen to each extract or open its transcript. These three questions have their own score.
Mastery quiz
Choose the best answer in each situation. Your score is out of eight.
Use it in your own words
Speaking task 1
Give a careful summary of the review note using one human subset and two document subsets.
Reveal a possible response
Eight reviewers attended, two of whom were new. They examined six drafts, one of which needed a new title. Three drafts needed clearer labels, but we don’t know whether the title issue involved one of those three.
Success check: Keep counts, antecedents and the unknown overlap explicit.
Speaking task 2
Give two versions of a short update: one using quantified relatives and one using separate sentences.
Reveal a possible response
We received four reports, two of which were incomplete. Alternatively: We received four reports. Two of them were incomplete.
Success check: Preserve the subset and use the right linking pronoun in each structure.
Speaking task 3
Explain why a mathematically tidy summary can still misreport the source.
Reveal a possible response
Adding three label problems to one title problem and claiming four affected drafts assumes no overlap. The grammar tells us the subset sizes, but not whether they contain the same document.
Success check: Distinguish grammatical well-formedness from a justified numerical inference.
Take it with you
I can describe subsets of a clearly identified group and control agreement and reference in more demanding relative clauses.