Prepositions in Relative Clauses

B2 · Upper IntermediateRelative Clauses

The person to whom I spoke (formal). The person I spoke to (informal). Same meaning, two styles.

What you'll learn

  • Formal style: preposition + whom/which comes at the front of the clause
  • Informal style: the preposition is 'stranded' at the end of the clause
  • The informal, stranded style is far more common in everyday spoken English
  • 'That' is never used directly after a preposition — only whom/which can follow it

Two positions for the preposition

When a relative clause involves a preposition (speak TO someone, work FOR a company), that preposition can go in two places: right before the relative pronoun (formal) or at the very end of the clause (informal, and much more common).

"The person to whom I spoke was very helpful."
"The person I spoke to was very helpful."

Formal: preposition + whom/which

In formal or written English, the preposition moves to the front, directly before 'whom' (for people) or 'which' (for things). 'That' can never follow a preposition directly — only whom or which can.

"The company for which she works is global."
"The colleague with whom I worked has retired."

Informal: stranded preposition

In everyday spoken English, the preposition stays at the end of the clause, and the relative pronoun (that, who, or nothing at all) can often be dropped entirely. This is the far more natural, common style.

"This is the book I was telling you about."
"The house we're looking for has a garden."

Real English

"The woman I was talking to is my aunt."
"This is the topic about which we spoke."
"The job I applied for was competitive."
"The client with whom we met was satisfied."

Watch out

✗The colleague with that I worked has retired.
✓The colleague with whom I worked has retired.

'That' can never come directly after a preposition — use whom (people) or which (things) instead.

✗The house for we're looking has a garden.
✓The house we're looking for has a garden.

In the informal, stranded style, the preposition goes at the end of the clause, not before the subject.

✗The topic about which we spoke about was complex.
✓The topic about which we spoke was complex.

Use the preposition only once — either up front with whom/which, or stranded at the end, never both.

Real life — Talking about people at work

"Who's the person you were speaking to earlier?"

"Oh, that's the client we met with last week."

"Right — the one whose project we're working on?"

"Exactly. She's the person to whom the report should go, actually."

Practice

Exercise 1 · Choose the informal version

Choose the informal (stranded preposition) version.

Exercise 2 · Choose the formal version

Choose the formal version.

Exercise 3 · Choose the correct pronoun

Which pronoun follows a preposition directly in the formal pattern (never 'that' or omission)?

Exercise 4 · Choose the correct informal sentence

Choose the correct informal sentence.

Exercise 5 · Choose the correct formal sentence

Choose the correct formal sentence.

Exercise 6 · Choose the more common everyday style

Which style is more common in everyday spoken English?

Exercise 7 · Choose the correct sentence

Choose the correct sentence.

Exercise 8 · Choose the correct formal sentence

Choose the correct formal sentence.

Exercise 9 · Rewrite formally

Rewrite formally, moving the preposition to the front: 'The woman I was talking to is my aunt.'

Exercise 10 · Rewrite informally

Rewrite informally, stranding the preposition: 'This is the issue about which we are concerned.'

Exercise 11 · Sort into groups

The person to whom I spoke was helpful.
The person I spoke to was helpful.
The topic about which we spoke was complex.
The topic we spoke about was complex.

0 / 4 sorted

Quick challenge

Five quick questions to check what stuck.

Question 1 / 5

Score: 0/0

Choose the informal version.

You learned

  • Formal style: preposition + whom/which comes at the front of the clause.
  • Informal style: the preposition is stranded at the end of the clause.
  • The informal, stranded style is far more common in everyday spoken English.
  • 'That' is never used directly after a preposition — only whom/which.

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