Compound Relative Pronouns

Official WhatsApp Channel – RankersChoice
Daily MCQs • Exam Alerts • Solved Papers • Expert Tips
Trusted by top rankers – Get exam-ready with us!
Join Now

What are Compound Relative Pronouns?
Compound Relative Pronouns are words like who, which, and what with -ever, -so, or -soever added at the end.
Compound Relative Pronouns ਉਹ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਹਨ ਜਿਵੇਂ who, which ਅਤੇ what ਦੇ ਅੰਤ ਵਿੱਚ -ever, -so ਜਾਂ -soever ਜੁੜ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
Examples: whoever, whosoever, whichever, whatever, whatsoever, whomsoever
We use these words when we talk about any person or any thing, and we do not know or do not need to say who or what it is.
ਅਸੀਂ ਇਹ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਵਰਤਦੇ ਹਾਂ ਜਦੋਂ ਅਸੀਂ ਕਿਸੇ ਵੀ ਵਿਅਕਤੀ ਜਾਂ ਕਿਸੇ ਵੀ ਚੀਜ਼ ਬਾਰੇ ਗੱਲ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਾਂ, ਅਤੇ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਪਤਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਜਾਂ ਦੱਸਣ ਦੀ ਲੋੜ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੁੰਦੀ ਕਿ ਕੌਣ ਜਾਂ ਕੀ ਹੈ।

  • Whoever comes late will be punished.
    (ਜਿਹੜਾ ਵੀ ਦੇਰ ਨਾਲ ਆਵੇਗਾ, ਉਸਨੂੰ ਸਜ਼ਾ ਮਿਲੇਗੀ।)

Here, whoever means “any person who”. We do not know who will come late. It can be any person. So we use whoever.
ਇੱਥੇ whoever ਦਾ ਮਤਲਬ ਹੈ “ਕੋਈ ਵੀ ਵਿਅਕਤੀ ਜੋ”। ਸਾਨੂੰ ਪਤਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਕੌਣ ਦੇਰ ਨਾਲ ਆਵੇਗਾ। ਇਹ ਕੋਈ ਵੀ ਵਿਅਕਤੀ ਹੋ ਸਕਦਾ ਹੈ। ਇਸ ਲਈ ਅਸੀਂ whoever ਵਰਤਦੇ ਹਾਂ।

Do Not Use an Antecedent Before Compound Relative Pronouns
Compound Relative Pronouns ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ Antecedent ਨਹੀਂ ਵਰਤਦੇ

First, understand — what is an Antecedent?
ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਸਮਝੋ — Antecedent ਕੀ ਹੈ?
An Antecedent is the noun that comes before a relative pronoun.
Antecedent ਉਹ noun ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ ਜੋ relative pronoun ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਆਉਂਦਾ ਹੈ।

  • The boy who came…
    Here “the boy” is the antecedent.
    ਇੱਥੇ “the boy” antecedent ਹੈ।

Compound Relative Pronouns like — whoever, whosoever, whichever, whichsoever, whatever, whatsoever — never take an Antecedent before them.
Compound Relative Pronouns — whoever, whosoever, whichever, whichsoever, whatever, whatsoever — ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਕੋਈ Antecedent ਕਦੇ ਨਹੀਂ ਆਉਂਦਾ।

Why?
Because the meaning of “any and every” is already inside these words. If we add a noun before them, we say the same thing two times. So it becomes wrong.
ਕਿਉਂਕੇ “ਕੋਈ ਵੀ ਅਤੇ ਹਰ” (any and every) ਦਾ ਮਤਲਬ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਹੀ ਇਹਨਾਂ ਸ਼ਬਦਾਂ ਦੇ ਅੰਦਰ ਛਿਪਿਆ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ। ਜੇ ਅਸੀਂ ਇਹਨਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਕੋਈ noun ਲਗਾ ਦਿੱਤਾ, ਤਾਂ ਉਹੀ ਗੱਲ ਦੋ ਵਾਰ ਆ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ। ਇਸ ਲਈ ਵਾਕ ਗ਼ਲਤ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।

Example — Whoever

  • Whoever comes late will be punished.
    • [whoever = any and every person who]
      [whoever = ਕੋਈ ਵੀ ਅਤੇ ਹਰ ਉਹ ਵਿਅਕਤੀ ਜੋ]
  • The person whoever comes late will be punished.
    • Why wrong? “The person” is an antecedent. It repeats the meaning.
      “The person” ਇੱਕ antecedent ਹੈ। ਇਹ ਮਤਲਬ ਨੂੰ ਦੁਬਾਰਾ ਦੱਸਦਾ ਹੈ।

Example — Whatever

  • You can do whatever you like.
    • [whatever = any or every thing that]
      [whatever = ਕੋਈ ਵੀ ਚੀਜ਼ ਜੋ]
  • You can do the thing whatever you like.

Example — Whichever

  • I have asked him to take whichever he likes.
    • [whichever = any one that]
      [whichever = ਕੋਈ ਵੀ ਉਹ ਚੀਜ਼ ਜੋ ਚੁਣੀ ਜਾਵੇ]
  • I have asked him to take the thing whichever he likes.

Note — Whomsoever

Whomsoever is also a compound relative pronoun. It also takes no antecedent before it.
Whomsoever ਵੀ ਇੱਕ compound relative pronoun ਹੈ। ਇਸ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਵੀ antecedent ਨਹੀਂ ਆਉਂਦਾ।

  • I will take with me whomsoever you choose. (Correct)
  • I will take with me the person whomsoever you choose. (Incorrect)

Easy Memory Trick

Antecedent + Compound Relative Pronoun = Wrong
Compound Relative Pronoun alone = Right

Relative Pronouns Omission and Agreement Rules
Omission of Relative Pronouns/No use of Relative Pronouns
Relative Pronouns (26-33) Rules
Relative Pronouns (21-25) Rules
Relative Pronouns (11-20) Rules
Relative Pronouns (5-10) Rules
Relative Pronouns (1-5) Rules
Relative Pronouns
Indefinite Pronouns
Demonstrative Pronouns
Reflexive Pronouns
Reciprocal Pronouns (Each Other & One Another) Rules with Examples
Distributive Pronouns Rules & Examples
Pronoun Agreement Rules in English Grammar (Rules 21–31)
Pronoun Agreement Rules in English Grammar (Rules 11–20)
Pronoun Agreement Rules in English Grammar (Rules 01–10)
Use of “It”
Possessive Pronouns: Rules
Use of Possessive Pronouns
Personal Pronouns
Use of Pronouns in the Objective Case
Use of Pronouns in the Nominative Case
Pronouns
Apostrophe (‘s) 5 Grammar Rules 31-37
Apostrophe (‘s) 5 Grammar Rules 26-30
Apostrophe (‘s) 5 Grammar Rules 21-25
Apostrophe (‘s) 5 Grammar Rules 16-20
Apostrophe (‘s) 5 Grammar Rules 11-15
Apostrophe (‘s) 5 Grammar Rules 6-10
Apostrophe (‘s) 5 Grammar Rules 1-5
Noun and Case (ਕਾਰਕ)
Noun and Gender (ਲਿੰਗ)
Noun Number Rules Rules 21-27
Noun and Number Rules 11–20
Noun and Number
Noun
No Usage of the Definite Article “The” — Rules 31–35
No Usage of the Definite Article “The” — Rules 26–30
No Usage of the Definite Article “The” — Rules 21–25
No Usage of the Definite Article “The” — Rules 16–20
No Usage of the Definite Article “The” — Rules 11–15
No Usage of the Definite Article “The” — Rules 6–10
No Usage of the Definite Article “The” — Rules 1–5
Usage of the definite article ‘The’ — Rules 41‑43
Usage of the definite article ‘The’ — Rules 36‑40
Usage of the definite article ‘The’ — Rules 31‑35
Usage of the definite article ‘The’ — Rules 25‑30
Usage of the definite article ‘The’ — Rules 21‑25
Usage of the definite article ‘The’ — Rules 16‑20
Usage of the definite article ‘The’ — Rules 11‑15
Usage of the definite article ‘The’ — Rules 6‑10
Usage of the definite article ‘The’ — Rules 1‑5

About the Author – Sam

I am the main content writer at RankersChoice.com. My work is focused on writing articles that help candidates prepare for exams like PSSSB, PPSC, SSC, IBPS, and many other state and national‑level government exams. I have been teaching for more than 10 years. I have also cleared exams including SSC CGL, SSC CPO, SSC CHSL, Punjab Patwari, and Punjab Excise Inspector. My goal is to provide valuable resources for aspiring candidates while promoting RankersChoice.com mission.

WhatsApp Channel Join Now
X (Twitter) Follow Now
Pinterest Follow Now
Instagram Follow Now
Scroll to Top