The Grammaring Guide to English Grammar with Exercises

WHAT and WHATEVER

WHAT (the thing(s) that/which)

What stands for the thing(s) that/which:

I didn't understand

what

he was saying.

(

the things that

he was saying)

Is this

what

you want?

(

the thing that

you want)

What is different from the other relative pronouns in that it does not refer back to a noun:

I wrote my essay on

a photo which

was taken by Robert Capa.

(

which

refers to

a photo

)

That's not

what

we agreed on.

(

what

does not refer to a noun)

For this reason, what can't be used instead of who, whom, whose, which or that in relative clauses:

I wrote my essay on

a photo *what / which

was taken by Robert Capa.

When in doubt, replace what with the thing(s) that/which and see if the sentence is still grammatically correct.

Quotes:

Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. - Albert Einstein

The best way to gain self-confidence is to do what you are afraid to do. - Author unknown

Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared. - Edward Vernon Rickenbacker

Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't. - Erica Jong

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. - Jim Rohn

What is not good for the swarm is not good for the bee. - Marcus Aurelius

What you have become is the price you paid to get what you used to want. - Mignon McLaughlin

What we call results are beginnings. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is the familiar that usually eludes us in life. What is before our nose is what we see last. - William Barret

Related topics:

Defining relative clause

Pseudo-cleft sentences

WHATEVER, WHOEVER, WHICHEVER, WHEREVER, WHENEVER

whatever

»

anything that

whoever

»

anyone who

whichever

»

any ... which

wherever

»

at any place

whenever

»

at any time

You can do

whatever

you want to.

Whoever

leaves last should turn off the lights.

Choose

whichever pencil

you like.

Wherever

I looked there was something interesting to see.

Whenever

I go abroad, I take as many pictures as possible.

It is possible to use what instead of whatever in the first sentence above, but it is not possible to use who instead of whoever in the second sentence:

You can do

what

you want to.

*

Who

leaves last should turn off the lights.

Quotes:

Whoever gossips to you will gossip about you. - Spanish proverb

Related topics:

Defining relative clause