both/all/many of whom/which

Mainly in written English, clauses can be joined together using a construction like both/many of
whom/which. This construction is used instead of using two separate sentences.

Examples:

For people:

I met Sally’s brothers. One of them had been at school with me.
 I met Sally’s bothers, one of whom had been at school with me.

Several guests arrived at the restaurant. None of them were wearing ties.
 Several guests arrived at the restaurant, none of whom were wearing ties.

There were a lot of people at the party. I didn’t know most of them.
 There were a lot of people at the party, most of whom I didn’t know.

Two people work in my office. I don’t like either of them.

 Two people work in my office, neither of whom I like.

For things:

I bought a dozen eggs. Eight of them were broken by the time I got home.
 I bought a dozen eggs, eight of which were broken by the time I got home.

She has countless pairs of shoes. Some of them need repairing.

 She has countless pairs of shoes, some of which need repairing.

He lent Mary some magazines. She had read all of them.

 He lent Mary some magazines, all of which she had read.

I took Bob a packet of biscuits. He had eaten nearly all of them by the time I left.
 I took Bob a packet of biscuits, nearly all of which he had eaten by the time I left.

We also use this type of construction in sentences like this:

I read an interesting newspaper article the other day. The gist of it was that eating chocolate can
help to reduce heart disease.
 I read an interesting article the other day, the gist of which was that eating chocolate can help
to reduce heart disease.

Martin arrived in his car. The front half of it was painted pink and the back half of it was painted
purple.
 Martin arrived in his car, the front half of which was painted pink and the back half of which
was painted purple.
Practice:

Rewrite the following pairs of sentences, joining them with a construction similar to
those above:

1. A group of boys were there. I knew most of them

_______________________________________________________________________.

2. We have a variety of problems. Some of them are insoluble.

_______________________________________________________________________.

3. She lent me some records. Half of them were scratched.

_______________________________________________________________________.

4. I spoke to various people. None of them could help me.

_______________________________________________________________________.

5. You’ll meet some of my friends tonight. One of them is a famous actor.

_______________________________________________________________________.

6. There are a lot of accidents on our roads. Many of them are caused by drink-driving.

_______________________________________________________________________.

7. Bill introduced me to the members of his club. All of them are extremely wealthy.

_______________________________________________________________________.

8. He went climbing with a group of friends. Few of them had any experience.

_______________________________________________________________________.

9. Three buses passed us. All of them were full.

_______________________________________________________________________.

10. I offered him some food. He ate very little of it.

_______________________________________________________________________.

11. We watched two movies. I didn’t like either of them

_______________________________________________________________________.
12. A box arrived for me in the post. The top of it had been opened.

_______________________________________________________________________.