Question

Identify the pronoun in the given sentence.

It is Atul who gave me the pen. Identify 'who' in the given sentence.

• A. object pronoun
• B. relative pronoun
• C. preposition
• D. conjunction

Hint:

Ask what noun the word 'who' refers back to and what clause it introduces.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

The sentence "It is Atul who gave me the pen" uses "who" to link a describing clause back to a person already named in the sentence, Atul. We need to identify exactly what part of speech "who" is playing here.

1. object pronoun: words like "him" or "them" that receive the action of a verb are object pronouns. "Who" is not receiving any action here, in fact it is the one performing the action of giving, so this option does not fit.
2. relative pronoun: a relative pronoun points back to a noun mentioned earlier and starts a clause that describes it. Here "who" points back to "Atul" and starts the clause "who gave me the pen," which tells us more about Atul. This is exactly the job of a relative pronoun.
3. preposition: prepositions like "at," "with," or "by" show where, when, or how something happens in relation to something else. "Who" carries no such meaning, so this option does not apply.
4. conjunction: a plain conjunction only joins two clauses without referring back to a noun. "Who" does more than join, it also acts as the subject of its own clause and stands in for Atul, which a simple conjunction cannot do.

Since "who" both refers back to the noun "Atul" and introduces a clause about him, it is best classified as a relative pronoun.

Let's summarize:

• Relative pronouns connect a describing clause to a noun already mentioned in the sentence.
• "Who," "whom," "which," and "that" are the common relative pronouns to remember.

So the correct answer is option (b), relative pronoun.