What Are Defining And Non-defining Relative Clauses?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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In defining relative clauses, the pronouns who, whom, and which are often replaced by that in spoken English. In non-defining relative clauses,

you cannot replace other pronouns with that

.

What is non-defining relative clause examples?

Here are some more examples of a non-defining relative clause used in a sentence: My mum, who has been baking for years, made us cupcakes.

I walk to school with my friend, whose house is next door to mine

. My friend, whom I’ve known for years, came to my house today.

What are defining relative clauses?

Relative clauses

give us information about the person or thing mentioned

. Defining relative clauses give us essential information – information that tells us who or what we are talking about. … We usually use a relative pronoun or adverb to start a defining relative clause: who, which, that, when, where or whose.

What is a non-defining relative clause?

Non-defining relative clauses (also known as non-restrictive, or parenthetical, clauses)

provide some additional information that is not essential and may be omitted without affecting the contents of the sentence

.

What is the difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses?

A defining relative clause identifies who or what we are speaking about, whereas a non-defining relative clause just gives us more information about who or what we are speaking about. … A non-defining relative clause

is separated from the main part of the sentence by commas

.

What are the 3 types of dependent clauses?

  • Adverbial Dependent Clauses.
  • Relative Dependent Clauses.
  • Noun Dependent Clauses.

Why can’t we use that in non-defining relative clauses?

In non-defining relative clauses,

you cannot replace other pronouns with that

. You also cannot leave out the relative pronoun in non-defining relative clauses, in the way you sometimes can in defining relative clauses. The pronoun is required, even when it is the object of the verb in the relative clause.

What are examples of relative clauses?

  • The bike (which / that) I loved was stolen.
  • The university (which / that) she likes is famous.
  • The woman (who / that) my brother loves is from Mexico.
  • The doctor (who / that) my grandmother liked lives in New York.

How do you use non-defining relative clauses?

We always use

a relative pronoun or adverb

to start a non-defining relative clause: who, which, whose, when or where (but not that). We also use commas to separate the clause from the rest of the sentence.

What are the two types of a relative clause?

Generally, there are two types of relative clauses:

restrictive (defining) clause and non-restrictive (non-defining) clause

. In both types of clauses, the relative pronoun can function as a subject, an object, or a possessive pronoun (“whose”).

How do you identify a relative clause?

  1. First, it will contain a subject and a verb.
  2. Next, it will begin with a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, that, or which) or a relative adverb (when, where, or why).

Why do we use relative clauses?

A relative clause

can be used to give additional information about a noun

. They are introduced by a relative pronoun like ‘that’, ‘which’, ‘who’, ‘whose’, ‘where’ and ‘when’.

How do you teach relative clauses?

The easiest way to teach relative clauses to your ESL students is to start with

two simple sentences, two independent clauses

, which contain the same noun. For example, The boy is tired. The boy is carrying a heavy backpack.

What is relative clause and its types?

A relative clause connects ideas by using pronouns that relate to something previously mentioned and allows the writer to combine two independent clauses into one sentence. A relative clause is also known as an adjective clause. There are two types of relative clauses:

restrictive and nonrestrictive

.

What is a defining clause?

Defining clauses, also called restrictive clauses,

serve an important function

. … A subject, verb, and a relative pronoun (who, whose, where, when, which, or that) distinguish relative clauses from other types of clauses, though not all three are needed.

What are examples of independent clauses?

  • I enjoy sitting by the fireplace and reading.
  • Waiting to have my car’s oil changed is boring.
  • She wants to travel the world and see wonderful sights.
  • Our planets revolve around the sun.
  • The professor always comes to class fully prepared.
  • Hurricanes strengthen over warm waters.
Ahmed Ali
Author
Ahmed Ali
Ahmed Ali is a financial analyst with over 15 years of experience in the finance industry. He has worked for major banks and investment firms, and has a wealth of knowledge on investing, real estate, and tax planning. Ahmed is also an advocate for financial literacy and education.