Der er ofte forholdsord i relativsætninger og et henførende stedord er genstandsled til dette forholdsord. På dagligdags engelsk står forholdsordet normalt i slutningen af relativsætningen og stedordet kan enten inkluderes eller udelades. På formelt engelsk står forholdsordet før det henførende stedord, og i dette tilfælde kan stedordet ikke udelades. I eksemplerne herunder kan stedordene i parentes udelades.
Eksempler
| Dagligdags engelsk | Formelt engelsk |
|---|---|
| Is that the man (who) she arrived with? | Is that the man with whom she arrived? |
| Does he know the girl (that) John is talking to? | Does he know the girl to whom John is talking? |
| The person (who) he is negotiating with is the Chairman of a large company. | The person with whom he is negotiating is the Chairman of a large company. |
| It is a club (which) many important people belong to. | It is a club to which many important people belong. |
| He liked the people (that) he lived with. | He liked the people with whom he lived. |
| The tree (that) they had their picnic under was the largest and oldest in the park. | The tree under which they had their picnic was the largest and oldest in the park. |
| It was the river (that) the children preferred to swim in. | It was the river in which the children preferred to swim. |
| The jungle (that) the tribe lived in was full of strange and unusual animals. | The jungle in which the tribe lived was full of strange and unusual animals. |