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N S Subrahmanyam
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Can "as" be used as a relative pronoun ?
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TheParser
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***NOT A TEACHER***One of my favorite books says YES: after the words "such" and "same." (1) I don't have such patience (as you have). (2) He has the same smile (as his brother has). (3) Such (as are able to pay) should pay their taxes. Also, sometimes some books consider "as" a relative pronoun ina sentence such as: He was a liar, as I soon learned. The idea is that "as" = a fact which. It refers to the whole sentence before "as." Thank you.
Kondorosi
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Which book would this be?
TheParser
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R. W. Pence (Depaw University) and D.W. Emery (University of Washington), A GRAMMAR OF PRESENT-DAY ENGLISH (New York: Macmillan Publishers, 1947), pp. 226 - 227.
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philo2009
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Yes, it most certainly can, although, as others' answers have indicated, it is restricted in scope: it is most often encountered as a sentential relative pronoun (i.e. one referring to an entire clause/sentence), e.g.
As I later discovered, he was not my real father.
Note that, unlike 'which', which can also serve sententially, 'as' can be either anaphoric (i.e. following its referent) or cataphoric (preceding, as here), while 'which' is only ever anaphoric.
'As' can also function as a general (non-sentential) relative but normally only where its antecedent is a phrase either consisting of, or introduced by, 'such' or 'the same', e.g.
I have the same problem as you (have).
Such events as these (are) are difficult to predict.
philo2009
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'as' is not a relative pronoun in the English language. "End of debate."
I will take that remark in the jocular spirit in which I trust it is intended!
Kondorosi
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Relative pronoun | Definition of Relative pronoun at Dictionary.com: :up:
Jocular spirit? I never joke.
Linguist__
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Relative pronoun | Definition of Relative pronoun at Dictionary.com: :up:
Jocular spirit? I never joke.
(Not a teacher)
Also from Dictionary.com when you look up 'as':
–pronoun 13. (used relatively) that; who; which (usually prec. by such or the same): I have the same trouble as you had.
What is the difference between 'a pronoun used relatively' and 'a relative pronoun'?
Kondorosi
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Exactly! Not all pronouns that are relative to their antecedent are relative pronouns. I am reading grammar books in my free time. Does it mean that I am a linguist? Does it mean that I am a relative pronoun? No, although I do (almost) the same thing as them.
philo2009
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Sadly, you appear to be reading the wrong grammar books if you are unaware that any pronoun used relatively can legitimately be termed a relative pronoun!
(A word to the wise: unlike humans, words don't do things "in their spare time": they either do, or do not, serve a given grammatical function in a given construction.)
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