Er staan vaak voorzetsels in relatieve bijzinnen en een relatief voorzetsel is het voorzetselvoorwerp. In het Engels van alledag wordt het voorzetsel normaal gesproken aan het end van de relatieve bijzin geplaatst en het voornaamwoord mag bijgevoegd of weggelaten worden. In formeel Engels wordt het voorzetsel voor het relatieve voornaamwoord geplaatst en in dit geval kan het voornaamwoord worden weggelaten. In de onderstaande voorbeelden kunnen de voornaamwoorden tussen haakjes weggelaten worden.
Voorbeelden
| Informeel Engels | Formeel Engels |
|---|---|
| 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. |