Of Which / With

She wrote a book!
Adding descriptive information for possessive nouns
Possessive Pronouns - People vs. Things
| POSSESSIVE PRONOUN - PEOPLE & THINGS | POSSESSIVE PRONOUN - THINGS |
|---|---|
Use whose to add a modifying clause with a possessive noun – people. Informally, whose is also used with inanimate nouns. |
the X of which is the formal way to add a modifying clause with a possessive inanimate noun. There are several other ways as well. |
The woman wrote a book. I have forgotten the name of the woman. |
She wrote a book. I've forgotten the name of the book.
|
Inanimate Possessive
Of which
Of Which – Subject Clause
| JOIN THE SENTENCES | INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | DEPENDENT CLAUSE with subject pronoun |
|---|---|---|
1. Replace the object noun (book) with which. |
She wrote a book. |
The name of the book is America by Heart. |
2. Insert the clause into the main sentence. |
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3. Add punctuation if needed. No punctuation is needed if the clause helps to identify which noun you are talking about. (identifying clauses) |
She wrote a book |
the name of which is America by Heart. |
Of Which – Object Clause
| JOIN THE SENTENCES | INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | DEPENDENT CLAUSE with object pronoun |
|---|---|---|
1. Replace the object noun (book) with which. |
She wrote a book. |
I've forgotten the name of the book. |
2. Move the relative pronoun to the front of the sentence. 3. Insert the clause into the main sentence. |
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4. Add punctuation if needed. No punctuation is needed if the clause helps to identify which noun we are talking about. (identifying clauses) |
She wrote a book |
the name of which I have forgotten. |
Inanimate Possessive (less formal)
With
With – Subject Clause
| JOIN THE SENTENCES | INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | DEPENDENT CLAUSE with subject pronoun |
|---|---|---|
1. Replace the possessive object noun phrase (of the X) with with. |
She wrote a book. |
The name of the book is America by Heart. |
2. Insert the clause into the main sentence. |
|
|
3. No punctuation is used. |
She wrote a book |
with the name America by Heart.
|
With – Object Clause
| JOIN THE SENTENCES | INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | DEPENDENT CLAUSE with object pronoun |
|---|---|---|
1. Replace the possessive object noun phrase (of the X) with with. |
She wrote a book. |
I've forgotten the name of the book. |
2. Move the relative pronoun to the front of the sentence. 3. Insert the clause into the main sentence. |
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|
4. Remove a contraction (I've) if the syllable is stressed when speaking. |
She wrote a book |
*with a name I've forgotten.
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*Yellow highlighted words are examples of incorrect usage.
Practice 1
Of Which
Change the second sentence into a modifying clause. Join it with the first sentence.
- Select the word from each menu that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button to the right.
Practice 2
With & Other Phrasing
