مدونة التربية و التعليم في الجزائر – دروس، فروض، نتائج امتحانات مدونة التربية والتعليم في الجزائر | تحضير الدروس، فروض واختبارات، نتائج البكالوريا وBEM، مسابقات التوظيف، والتوجيه المدرسي للطلاب وأولياء الأمور.
Relative Clauses: Defining and Non-Defining – BAC Literary Stream
Relative clauses are used to give additional information about a noun. They are an important grammar topic for the BAC exam. Understanding the difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses is crucial.
1. What are Relative Clauses?
A relative clause is a dependent clause that modifies a noun. It begins with a relative pronoun (who, whom, which, that, whose).
Example: The student who studies hard will succeed. (who studies hard = relative clause modifying “student”)
2. Relative Pronouns
| Pronoun | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Who | For people (subject) | The man who called you is my friend. |
| Whom | For people (object) | The man whom you met is my friend. |
| Which | For things and animals | The book which I read was interesting. |
| That | For people and things (defining only) | The book that I read was interesting. |
| Whose | Possession | The student whose phone rang was embarrassed. |
3. Defining Relative Clauses
Defining relative clauses give essential information about the noun. Without this information, the sentence would not be complete. They are NOT separated by commas.
Examples:
- The man who lives next door is a doctor. (essential – we know which man)
- I like books that have a happy ending. (essential – specifies which books)
4. Non-Defining Relative Clauses
Non-defining relative clauses give extra information that is not essential. They ARE separated by commas. “That” cannot be used in non-defining clauses.
Examples:
- My father, who is a teacher, loves reading. (extra information)
- Paris, which is the capital of France, is beautiful. (extra information)
5. BAC Examples
Example 1 (BAC 2022): Combine: I met a man. He works in a hospital. Answer: I met a man who works in a hospital.
Example 2 (BAC 2021): Join using a relative pronoun: This is the house. I was born in this house. Answer: This is the house where I was born. OR This is the house in which I was born.
Example 3 (BAC 2020): Correct the error: My mother which is a nurse works hard. Answer: My mother, who is a nurse, works hard. (non-defining, use who, add commas)
6. Practice
1. The woman ____ lives next door is friendly. (who/which)
2. The car ____ I bought is very fast. (that/which)
3. My brother, ____ lives in London, is a lawyer. (who/which)
For more English lessons, check English Grammar and BAC Preparation.
📍 دروس مشابهة
- English – Comparative and Superlative Adjectives – BAC Literary Stream
- English – Reflexive and Emphatic Pronouns – 2nd Year – Literary Stream
- English – Pronunciation: Silent Letters and Word Stress – BAC
