fronted preposition + relative pronoun – English Grammar Profiler

Wh-relatives can be preceded by a preposition unlike ‘that’ or ‘zero’ relatives.  For example:

• This is the thing which I am interested in.  (stranded preposition)
• This is the thing in which I am interested. (fronted preposition)
• This is the thing that I am interested in. (stranding)
• This is the thing I am interested in. (‘zero’ relative pronoun and stranding)

In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 12 in the category of PREPOSITIONs is defined as:

preposition + relative pronoun as complement, to avoid preposition stranding, often in formal contexts.

The EGP examples include:

vacancy_NN1 in_II which_DDQ I_PPIS1 am_VBM very_RG interested_JJ ._.

club_NN1 of_IO which_DDQ you_PPY are_VBR  the_AT secretary_NN1 ._.

someone_PN1 to_II whom_PNQO  they_PPHS2 can_VM talk_VVI ._.

‘Whom’ is listed at B2 in the English Vocabulary Profile with the following examples:

I met a man with whom I used to work.
There were 500 passengers, of whom 121 drowned.
To whom do you wish to speak?
This is just to let you know with whom I worked.

A search on the iWeb corpus for _n _i wh* _p _v gives us:

(*note not everything below will qualify as avoiding stranding)

1 WAYS IN WHICH YOU CAN 5216 2 WORLD IN WHICH WE LIVE 2711 3 FROM WHAT I CAN 2656 4 FROM WHAT I HAVE 2506 5 FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND 2388 6 WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN 1955 7 PART OF WHAT WE DO 1879 8 ORDER IN WHICH THEY ARE 1757 9 PART OF WHO WE ARE 1711 10 PART OF WHO I AM 1599 11 IDEA OF WHAT YOU WANT 1541

12 HEART OF WHAT WE DO 1302

PURPOSE FOR WHICH IT WAS

  Sarajevo Times As a reason for the abolition of the Fund, the Federal Government stated that in recent years the Fund has less and less achieved the goal and purpose for which it was established in 2006.

14 UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT MEANS 1271
15 COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE OPERATE 1225 16 TO WHOM IT MAY 1165 17 WAYS IN WHICH THEY CAN 1089 18 ORDER IN WHICH THEY WERE 1064 19 PART OF WHO YOU ARE 950 20 IDEA OF WHAT YOU CAN 945 21 COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE LIVE 933 22 IDEA OF WHAT YOU ARE 913

23 LIMIT TO WHAT YOU CAN 905

24 IDEA OF WHAT IT IS 830

25 ORDER IN WHICH THEY APPEAR 760

26 COMMUNITIES IN WHICH THEY LIVE 757 27 EXAMPLE OF WHAT I MEAN 753 28 WAY IN WHICH IT IS 744 29 UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT TAKES 743 30 FOR WHAT IT IS 733 31 WORLD IN WHICH THEY LIVE 728 32 WAY IN WHICH YOU CAN 714 33 MANNER IN WHICH IT IS 713 34 UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT IS 686 35 PART OF WHAT I DO 683

36 PURPOSES FOR WHICH IT WAS 662

37 PURPOSE FOR WHICH IT IS 659 38 WAY IN WHICH THEY ARE 654 39 MANNER IN WHICH THEY ARE 642

40 SENSE OF WHO YOU ARE 635

41 IDEA OF WHAT THEY ARE 630 42 FROM WHAT I KNOW 627 43 LIKE WHAT YOU SEE 592 44 EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOU CAN 591 45 FROM WHAT I READ 589 46 MANNER IN WHICH IT WAS 586 47 CONTEXT IN WHICH IT IS 578

48 ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ARE 567

49 IDEA OF WHAT THEY WANT 557 50 CORE OF WHAT WE DO 556 51 WAYS IN WHICH THEY ARE 550 52 PART OF WHO THEY ARE 522 53 WAY IN WHICH WE CAN 516 54 EXTENT TO WHICH IT IS 506 55 IDEA OF WHAT YOU NEED 501 56 FROM WHAT I REMEMBER 500 57 EASE WITH WHICH YOU CAN 500 58 EXTENT TO WHICH THEY ARE 498 59 OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU WANT 497 60 WAYS IN WHICH IT CAN 496 61 PASSION FOR WHAT THEY DO 495 62 IDEA OF WHAT I WANTED 475

63 SENSE OF WHO THEY ARE 471

64 POSITION FOR WHICH YOU ARE 468
65 QUESTION OF WHETHER IT IS 468 66 EXAMPLES OF WHAT YOU CAN 467 67 LOT OF WHAT WE DO 463

68 LOOK AT WHAT YOU CAN 458

PERSON TO WHOM IT IS

  Free Press Journal … and cannot be used by anybody other than the person to whom it is sold (the lawyer or the registered clerk as the case may be).

70 COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE WORK 455 71 LIST OF WHAT YOU NEED 445

72 SOCIETY IN WHICH WE LIVE 438

73 ORDER OF WHEN THEY WERE 430 74 PEOPLE FOR WHO THEY ARE 427 75 PART OF WHAT IT MEANS 426 76 YEAR IN WHICH THEY ARE 426 77 TIMES IN WHICH WE LIVE 424 78 FROM WHAT I GATHER 423 79 PAY FOR WHAT YOU USE 421

80 SENSE OF WHO WE ARE 407

81 ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THEY ARE 404 82 PRIDE IN WHAT THEY DO 404 83 LOOK AT WHAT WE HAVE 402 84 CONTEXT IN WHICH IT WAS 395 85 CONTEXT IN WHICH THEY ARE 395 86 IDEA OF WHAT IT MEANS 395

87 TRACK OF WHERE YOU ARE 395

88 IDEA OF WHAT I WANT 393 89 WAY IN WHICH IT WAS 392 90 COUNTRY IN WHICH YOU ARE 388 91 UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THEY ARE 386

92 DESPITE WHAT YOU MAY 383

93 ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THEY CAN 383 94 DEFINITION OF WHAT IT MEANS 381 95 PASSION FOR WHAT YOU DO 378 96 CORE OF WHO WE ARE 374 97 PRIDE IN WHAT WE DO 371 98 WAYS IN WHICH IT IS 367

99 PURPOSE FOR WHICH THEY WERE 357

100 COMMUNITIES IN WHICH IT OPERATES 356

With a pronoun preceding:

1 IT FOR WHAT IT IS 3589 2 THEM FOR WHAT THEY ARE 1184 3 YOU FOR WHO YOU ARE 1145 4 US TO WHERE WE ARE 935 5 ME TO WHERE I AM 926 6 IT FOR WHAT IT WAS 746 7 YOU TO WHERE YOU WANT 639 8 YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO 594 9 ME OF WHEN I WAS 592 10 YOU TO WHERE YOU ARE 474 11 YOU TO WHERE YOU NEED 390 12 YOU FOR WHAT YOU ARE 387 13 IT TO WHERE YOU WANT 383 14 YOU WITH WHAT YOU NEED 366 15 YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVE 317 16 THEM TO WHERE THEY ARE 307 17 HIM FOR WHAT HE DID 284 18 HIM TO WHERE HE IS 263 19 YOU THROUGH WHAT YOU NEED 251 20 HIM FOR WHAT HE IS 243 21 IT TO WHERE IT IS 230 22 YOU FROM WHERE YOU ARE 218

23 YOU WITH WHATEVER YOU NEED 207

24 HIM FOR WHAT HE HAS 202 25 THEM FOR WHAT THEY WERE 200 26 YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID 190 27 ME TO WHERE I CAN 187

28 IT TO WHATEVER YOU WANT 184

29 SOMEONE WITH WHOM YOU HAVE 172 30 YOU TO WHERE YOU CAN 170 31 ONE IN WHICH YOU ARE 167 32 ME INTO WHO I AM 156 33 SOMEONE WITH WHOM YOU CAN 156 34 THEM FOR WHAT THEY DID 153 35 THEM FOR WHAT THEY HAVE 147 36 THEM WITH WHAT THEY NEED 138 37 THEM FOR WHAT THEY DO 133 38 THEM TO WHERE THEY NEED 129 39 IT TO WHERE YOU CAN 125 40 HIM FOR WHAT HE WAS 113 41 IT INTO WHAT IT IS 111 42 HER TO WHERE SHE IS 110 43 US TO WHERE WE WANT 110 44 ME FOR WHAT I AM 107 45 HER FOR WHAT SHE IS 106 46 ME TO WHERE I WANT 105

47 SOMETHING ABOUT WHO YOU ARE 102

NONE OF WHICH I HAVE

  Science Fiction The book was written by Joe Schreiber, who has written a few horror novels before, none of which I have read. *This overlaps another B2 negation point ‘none of.’

49 IT TO WHERE IT NEEDS 102 50 IT TO WHAT YOU WANT 101 51 HIM FOR WHAT HE HAD 101 52 ONE IN WHICH IT IS 98 53 US OF WHO WE ARE 98 54 US TO WHERE WE NEED 94 55 THEM TO WHERE YOU WANT 93 56 THEM ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE 93 57 ME FOR WHAT I DID 92 58 ME OF WHY I LOVE 90 59 HER FOR WHAT SHE DID 88 60 ONE IN WHICH YOU CAN 85 61 THEM TO WHERE THEY WANT 84 62 IT TO WHERE IT WAS 83 63 YOU ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE 83 64 ME FOR WHAT I WAS 82 65 ONE IN WHICH WE ARE 81 66 YOU ON WHAT YOU NEED 81 67 US INTO WHO WE ARE 74 68 SOMEONE WITH WHOM THEY CAN 73 69 IT TO WHAT IT IS 71 70 SOMEONE WITH WHOM YOU ARE 70 71 US FOR WHAT WE ARE 69

72 NONE OF WHICH I CAN 68

73 IT TO WHEREVER YOU WANT 68 74 SOMEONE FOR WHO THEY ARE 68 75 THEM FROM WHERE THEY ARE 67

76 IT TO WHATEVER YOU LIKE 67

77 IT WITH WHATEVER YOU WANT 67 78 ME FROM WHEN I WAS 66 79 ME FOR WHAT I HAVE 66 80 US ABOUT WHAT YOU DO 66 81 THEM WITH WHAT THEY WANT 65 82 YOU ON WHAT YOU CAN 65 83 THEM TO WHERE THEY WERE 64 84 IT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE 64 85 IT TO WHERE YOU ARE 62 86 ONE IN WHICH THEY ARE 62 87 ONE IN WHICH HE WAS 61 88 ME OF WHEN I USED 61 89 ME TO WHERE I COULD 60 90 ME FOR WHAT I HAD 60 91 IT TO WHERE I AM 60 92 EVERYONE FOR WHO THEY ARE 60 93 US WITH WHAT WE NEED 60 94 YOURSELF WITH WHAT YOU CAN 60 95 IT AS WHAT IT IS 59 96 YOU ON WHAT YOU SHOULD 59 97 YOURSELF ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT 59 98 IT FOR WHAT YOU WILL 58 99 ME TO WHERE I NEED 57

100 YOU WITH WHAT YOU WANT 57

B1 vocabulary:

appear, attention, despite, environment, limit, none, operate, operates, position, purpose, purposes, sense, society, track, whatever, wherever, whether

This point should probably cover questions.  If the wh-word or the phrase it is part of is the complement of a preposition, in formal style
the preposition moves to the front together with its complement:

To what companies does it apply?