관계사절에는 자주 전치사가 사용되며, 관계 대명사는 이 전치사의 목적어입니다. 일상 영어에서 전치사는 일반적으로 관계사절의 끝에 오고, 대명사는 포함될 수도 생략될 수도 있습니다. 공식적인 영어에서 이 전치사는 관계사절의 앞에 오며, 이 경우 대명사는 생략될 수 없습니다. 아래 예들의 경우, 괄호에 있는 대명사들은 생략될 수 있습니다.
예
| 일상 영어 | 공식 영어 |
|---|---|
| Is that the man (who) she arrived with? | Is that the man with whom she arrived? |
| Does he know the girl (that) John is talking to? | Does he know the girl to whom John is talking? |
| The person (who) he is negotiating with is the Chairman of a large company. | The person with whom he is negotiating is the Chairman of a large company. |
| It is a club (which) many important people belong to. | It is a club to which many important people belong. |
| He liked the people (that) he lived with. | He liked the people with whom he lived. |
| The tree (that) they had their picnic under was the largest and oldest in the park. | The tree under which they had their picnic was the largest and oldest in the park. |
| It was the river (that) the children preferred to swim in. | It was the river in which the children preferred to swim. |
| The jungle (that) the tribe lived in was full of strange and unusual animals. | The jungle in which the tribe lived was full of strange and unusual animals. |