English Grammar: Relative Clauses Defining and Non-Defining – 2nd Year Secondary – Algeria

Relative Clauses: Defining and Non-Defining

Relative clauses give extra information about a noun. They start with relative pronouns: who, whom, which, that, whose, when, where, why.

Relative pronouns

Pronoun	Used for	Example
who	people (subject)	The man who called is my uncle.
whom	people (object, formal)	The person whom I met was kind.
which	things/animals	The car which is red is mine.
that	people or things	The book that I read was great.
whose	possession	The girl whose father is a doctor.
where	places	The town where I was born.
when	time	The day when we met.
why	reason	The reason why he left.

Defining relative clauses

Provide essential information. Without it, the sentence meaning changes. No commas.

“The student who studies hard will succeed.” (specific student)

Non-defining relative clauses

Provide extra information (not essential). Use commas. “That” cannot be used.

“My brother, who lives in London, is a doctor.”

Omitting the relative pronoun

In defining clauses, the pronoun can be omitted when it is the object: “The book (that) I read was excellent.”

Exercises

Exercise 1: Combine the sentences using a relative pronoun:

1. I saw the woman. She won the lottery.
2. This is the house. I grew up in it.
3. He is the doctor. His clinic is downtown.

Learn more: Gerunds and Infinitives and The Present Perfect Tense.