Relative Clauses with Quantifiers: Most of Whom, All of Which
of whom (people) or of which (things) inside non-defining relative clauses to describe part of a group.
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'of whom' for people and 'of which' for things when adding a quantifier to a relative clause.
- Use 'whom' for people: 'I have three brothers, all of whom are doctors.'
- Use 'which' for things: 'I read many books, most of which were boring.'
- Always include the preposition 'of' before the pronoun.
Quantifier + of whom/which lets you describe part of a group inside a relative clause. It sounds formal and is common in academic and professional writing.
| Quantifier | People | Things |
|---|---|---|
| all / most | all of whom / most of whom | all of which / most of which |
| many / some | many of whom / some of whom | many of which / some of which |
| none / both | none of whom / both of whom | none of which / both of which |
| several / each | several of whom / each of whom | several of which / each of which |
✅ The candidates, most of whom had relevant experience, were interviewed on Tuesday.
✅ Five proposals were shortlisted, two of which came from the same team.
✅ The witnesses, none of whom wanted to testify publicly, gave statements in writing.
Important
❌ most of who → ✅ most of whom (object form after preposition)
❌ most of which (for people) → ✅ most of whom
Meanings
This structure allows you to add specific information about a subset of a group previously mentioned in the sentence.
People (Whom)
Referring to a subset of a group of people.
“He invited ten friends, most of whom arrived late.”
“The students, none of whom had studied, failed the test.”
Things/Concepts (Which)
Referring to a subset of a group of inanimate objects or abstract ideas.
“I bought five apples, two of which were rotten.”
“The laws, some of which are outdated, need revision.”
Relative Clause Structure
| Noun | Quantifier | Preposition | Pronoun | Verb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The guests | most | of | whom | arrived |
| The files | some | of | which | are missing |
| The players | all | of | whom | trained |
| The ideas | none | of | which | worked |
| The books | many | of | which | are old |
| The staff | each | of | whom | helped |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Noun, Q of whom/which V | The team, all of whom are ready, waits. |
| Negative | Noun, none of whom/which V | The plans, none of which are ready, fail. |
| Question | Are there N, Q of whom/which V? | Are there people, any of whom can help? |
| Past Tense | Noun, Q of whom/which V-ed | The cars, most of which were sold, left. |
| Passive | Noun, Q of whom/which be V-ed | The cakes, all of which were eaten, gone. |
Formality Spectrum
The candidates, most of whom are qualified, were interviewed. (Job interview)
The candidates, most of whom are qualified, had an interview. (Job interview)
The candidates, most of them are qualified, had an interview. (Job interview)
The candidates, like, most of them are good, got interviewed. (Job interview)
Relative Clause Quantifiers
People
- whom for humans
Things
- which for objects
Examples by Level
I have two cats, both of which are black.
The students, many of whom are tired, want to go home.
I read three books, all of which were interesting.
The employees, none of whom were informed, were surprised.
The proposals, several of which were rejected, were reviewed by the board.
The witnesses, each of whom provided a different account, were cross-examined.
Easily Confused
Learners forget the quantifier and the comma.
They look similar but don't use 'of whom'.
They also use commas but lack the relative pronoun.
Common Mistakes
All who are...
All of whom are...
Most which are...
Most of which are...
The people, all of who...
The people, all of whom...
The books, all of which they are old...
The books, all of which are old...
Sentence Patterns
I have ___ friends, all of whom are ___.
The ___ , most of which are ___, are on the table.
The team members, none of whom ___, left early.
The cities, several of which ___, are beautiful.
Real World Usage
The results, most of which are positive, are attached.
The theories, none of which are proven, are debated.
I led a team, all of whom were experts.
I met many people, some of whom were cool.
I visited many sites, all of which were historic.
The items, all of which are fresh, are ready.
The Comma Rule
Don't forget 'of'
Use 'whom' for people
Formal vs Informal
Smart Tips
Use this structure to sound more professional.
Always use 'whom' for people.
Combine them to improve flow.
If it's extra info, use a comma.
Pronunciation
Whom
Pronounced like 'hoom'.
Rising-falling
The group, ↗most of whom are here, ↘are ready.
Provides extra info.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Whom is for the human, Which is for the switch (object).
Visual Association
Imagine a group of people holding hands (whom) and a group of light switches on a wall (which).
Rhyme
For people use whom, for things use which, don't forget the 'of' or you'll hit a glitch.
Story
I invited five chefs to my party. All of whom were famous. They brought five cakes, most of which were delicious. Everyone was happy.
Word Web
Challenge
Write 5 sentences about your family or your belongings using this structure.
Cultural Notes
Highly formal, often used in BBC news.
Used in formal writing, but 'who' is increasingly common in speech.
Standard across all English-speaking universities.
This construction evolved from the Latinate influence on English, where partitive genitives were common.
Conversation Starters
How many friends do you have, and what are they like?
Tell me about the books you own.
Describe your colleagues.
What about the movies you've seen recently?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
The students, all of ___ are here, are ready.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
The people, all who are here, are nice.
I have three brothers. All of them are doctors.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
are / which / of / most / The / books / old
The team, all of whom ___ (is/are) ready.
You must use a comma with this structure.
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercisesThe students, all of ___ are here, are ready.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
The people, all who are here, are nice.
I have three brothers. All of them are doctors.
Match the best fit.
are / which / of / most / The / books / old
The team, all of whom ___ (is/are) ready.
You must use a comma with this structure.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
No, 'that' cannot be used after a preposition like 'of'.
In formal writing, yes. In casual speech, people often use 'who'.
Because this is a non-defining relative clause that adds extra info.
Yes, use 'of whom'.
Yes, use 'of which'.
The quantifier usually implies a plural group, so the verb is usually plural.
Yes, it's very common in professional emails.
Forgetting the 'of'.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
de los cuales
Spanish requires gender agreement (de los/las cuales).
dont
French 'dont' is more versatile but less specific than 'of whom'.
von denen
German doesn't distinguish between people and things here.
no uchi no
Japanese is agglutinative and lacks relative pronouns.
minhum
Arabic is highly synthetic compared to English.
de zhong
Chinese lacks relative pronouns entirely.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
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