Why not use “which” instead of “what“? —-> He pulled the cloth off what looked like a pie.”
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"What" is an interrogative pronoun while "which" may be used as interrogative pronoun or a relative pronoun. In the sentence "He pulled the cloth off which looked like a pie.", "which" is a relative pronoun used as the subject of the relative clause "which looked like a pie". This relative clause is used as an adjective clause modifying the noun "cloth". Better say "He pulled the cloth which looked like a pie off." or "He pulled off the cloth which looked like a pie."
- John Kenmuir(AKA John Connor) Cambridge certified teacher since 1998, former IELTS speaking examiner
To put it simply, you can't (use "which" instead of "what") in this sentence. In "He pulled the cloth off what looked like a pie", the dependent clause "what looked like a pie" is the object noun. If you replace "what" with "which", the dependent clause "which looked like a pie" is an adjective phrase, not an object noun. You'd have to include an object noun before "which" in order to make a proper sentence. The result would be "He pulled the cloth off the ________ which looked like a pie" (and "which looked like a pie" would describe the missing word "_______").
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- How many more English words (Homographs) and definitions can you think of ?
English words that are spelled the same, pronounced the same, but have different meanings: # Homographs 1. Bank (financial institution) and bank (slope or incline) 2. Bat (flying mammal) and bat (sports equipment) 3. Bolt (fastener) and bolt ( sudden movement) 4. Cloud (weather phenomenon) and cloud (collection of data or applications online) 5. Dish (plate or serving container) and dish (prepare and serve food) 6. Draft (preliminary version of a document) and draft (current of air) 7. Light (not heavy) and light (source of illumination) 8. Match (small stick used to produce fire) and match (competition or sporting event) 9. Mean (intend to convey) and mean (unkind or unpleasant) 10. Park (outdoor recreational area) and park (to leave a vehicle in a stationary position) 11. Pen (writing instrument) and pen (enclosure for animals) 12. Pole (long, thin piece of wood or metal) and pole (northern or southern end of the Earth) 13. Right (correct or proper) and right (direction or location)
