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.
English — Grammar: Relative Clauses (Defining and Non-Defining) — 2nd Year Secondary — Literary Stream — Baccalaureate — Algerian Curriculum
Relative clauses are used to give additional information about a noun without starting a new sentence. They are introduced by relative pronouns: who, whom, which, that, whose. This lesson covers the two types of relative clauses.
Defining Relative Clauses
Defining relative clauses give essential information that identifies the noun. Without this information, the sentence would be incomplete or unclear. They are NOT separated by commas.
Examples:
“The man who lives next door is a doctor.” (essential – which man?)
“The book that you gave me is interesting.” (essential – which book?)
Non-Defining Relative Clauses
Non-defining relative clauses give extra information that is not essential. They are separated by commas. The noun is already identified, so the clause just adds detail.
Examples:
“My father, who is 60 years old, still works hard.” (extra information about my father)
“Paris, which is the capital of France, is a beautiful city.”
Relative Pronouns Usage
- Who: for people (subject). “The woman who called you is my sister.”
- Whom: for people (object, formal). “The man whom you met is my uncle.”
- Which: for things and animals. “The car which is red is mine.”
- That: for people and things (only in defining clauses). “The film that I watched was good.”
- Whose: for possession. “The student whose bag was stolen is upset.”
Omitting the Relative Pronoun
In defining relative clauses, when the relative pronoun is the object, it can be omitted. Example: “The book (which/that) I read was fantastic.”
Exercises
- Join the sentences using a relative pronoun: “I like the film. I saw it yesterday.”
- Add commas where necessary and identify the type: “My brother who lives in London is coming home.”
- Write 2 sentences with defining and 2 with non-defining relative clauses.
Similar Lessons
📍 Related Lessons:
- اللغة الإنجليزية – Direct and Indirect Speech: Rules and Transformations – 2nd Year Secondary (Literary Stream) – BAC – Algerian Curriculum
- English — Conditional Sentences: Type 0, 1, 2, 3 — 2nd Year Secondary
- English — Literature: Introduction to Shakespearean drama — 2nd Year Secondary Literary Stream — Algerian Curriculum