English — Defining and Non-Defining Relative Clauses — BAC — Literary Stream

Defining and Non-Defining Relative Clauses

Relative clauses are subordinate clauses that give extra information about a noun or pronoun in the main clause. They are introduced by relative pronouns (who, which, that, whose, whom, where, when) and are essential for creating complex sentences.

Defining Relative Clauses

Defining relative clauses give essential information needed to identify the person or thing being talked about. Without this information, the sentence would be incomplete or unclear. Example: “The students who study hard will pass the exam.” (Essential: we need to know which students). Relative pronouns in defining clauses: who/that for people, which/that for things, whose for possession, where for places, when for times. Defining clauses do NOT use commas.

Non-Defining Relative Clauses

Non-defining relative clauses give extra, non-essential information about a noun that is already clearly identified. The information is additional, not necessary for understanding. Example: “My brother, who lives in London, is a doctor.” (Extra information: we already know who my brother is). Non-defining clauses are ALWAYS separated by commas. Relative pronouns: who (never “that” for people), which (never “that” for things), whose. Examples: “The Eiffel Tower, which is in Paris, is a famous landmark.”

Omitting the Relative Pronoun

In defining relative clauses, the relative pronoun can be omitted when it is the object of the clause: “The book (that/which) I bought is interesting.” (who/that is the object). But you CANNOT omit the pronoun when it is the subject: “The student who won the prize is my friend.” (who is the subject). In non-defining clauses, you can NEVER omit the relative pronoun.

Examples

• Defining (person): “The woman who lives next door is a teacher.”
• Defining (thing): “The film that we watched was excellent.”
• Non-defining (person): “My mother, who is 60, still works every day.”
• Non-defining (thing): “The Sahara, which is the largest desert, spans 11 countries.”

Exercises

• Join the sentences with a relative clause: “I met a girl. Her father is a famous writer.”
• Add commas where needed and identify the clause type.
• Rewrite omitting the relative pronoun where possible: “The car which I bought is red.”

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📍 دروس مشابهة

• درس الاقتصاد: الميزانية العامة للدولة – الإيرادات والنفقات – السنة الثالثة ثانوي
• التنمية في العالم: مؤشرات التنمية والفجوة بين الشمال والجنوب – الثالثة ثانوي (بك
• الدوال الأسية (Exponentielles): تعريف، خصائص، دراسة دالة، تمارين بكالوريا محلولة