Relative adjectives

Question

Today I have studied myself about relative adjectives and became wondering about some points. Here they are.

1. You may take which book you want.

- Is 'which' in this sentence a relative adjective or a determiner for a question?

- And does this sentence mean 'You may take any book you want'?

- Is it okay to put a singular noun after which?

2. I will give you what money I have.

- Same as the above question. Is 'what" in this sentence a relative adjective or a determiner for a question?

- And does this sentence mean 'I will give you all the money I have?

- Is it okay to put a singular noun after what? e.g. I have to read what book I have.

Many thanks and much love teachers. ??

BillJ · Accepted Answer

Michelle Cha1. You may take which book you want. - Is 'which' in this sentence a relative adjective or a determiner for a question?

It should be "whichever". "Which" is a determinative here, but determinative "which" only occurs in non-restrictive relatives, not restrictive ones. The relative clause here is restrictive, so you can't use "which".

Michelle Cha- And does this sentence mean 'You may take any book you want'? - Is it okay to put a singular noun after which?

Provided you use "whichever" (see above), then yes to both questions. It means that there is no restriction in selecting a book (or books) from some set of books.

Michelle Cha2.I will give you what money I have. - Same as the above question. Is 'what" in this sentence a relative adjective or a determiner for a question?

"What" is a determinative here. This is a fused relative construction where the fusion involves "What money".

Here we have an NP "what money" serving simultaneously as the head of a larger NP and as the wh-phrase at the beginning of a relative clause. Externally, "what money I have" behaves like an NP; internally, it looks just like a relative clause (though with a wh-word "what", not ordinarily allowed in relative clauses in Standard English).

Michelle Cha- And does this sentence mean 'I will give you all the money I have?

Yes, but note that determinative "what" implies a relatively small amount, so "what money I have" implies that I don't have much money.

Michelle Cha Is it okay to put a singular noun after what? e.g. I have to read what book I have.

No. As used here, fused determinative "what" is restricted to non-count or plural noun phrases. It has a paucal meaning that can be reinforced by "little" or "few": I will give you what little money I have.

Relative adjectives

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions