DEFINING & NONDEFINING RELATIVE
CLAUSES
RELATIVE CLAUSES :
A relative clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a
noun or a noun phrase.
EX: ‘The man who is smoking is the murderer.
The noun the man is modified by the relative clause
.
‘who is smoking ‘ .
 Relative clauses give essential information to define or
identify the person or thing that is being talked of.
Relative clauses are 2 types:
1. Defining clause
2. Non-Defining clause
> The information relative clauses provide can either
define something [Defining clause],
the girl who is standing there is a world champion in
karate
provide additional unnecessary information
[Non-Defining clause],
Michael Jackson, who was a famous singer, died of an
overdose.
DEFINING
VS NON-DEFINING
o Identify or classify
nouns
o Indicate the subject
o This clause follows the
subject immediately
without a break i.e. no
pauses/commas.
o Describe & provide extra
information about the
person/thing identified.
o This clause and subject are
normally separated by
pauses/commas.
Relative clauses can be introduced by :
1. A relative pronoun : who, whom, which, that,
whose
‘the man who is standing there is a famous
writer’
2. A relative adverb : where, why, when
‘the restaurant where I have dinner is nice’
3. None of them :
‘the man I met is extremely talented.’
RELATIVE PRONOUNS:
The relative pronouns link the main clause and the relative
clause.
Who– subject/object pronoun for people
‘they caught the man who stole my wallet’
Whose- for possessions
‘my friend whose name is Tom lives next door’
That – subject/object pronoun for people, animals, things.
(who or which are also possible)
‘he likes the vase that is over there’
Which – subject/object pronoun
‘I read the book which is on the table’
Which- referring to a whole sentence
‘they were unsuccessful which is disappointing’
Whom- object pronoun for people
‘the boy whom I was told about got the best grades is
math’
RELATIVE ADVERBS :
Where- refers to a place
‘the park where we went was pleasant’
When- refers to a time
‘there are times when I feel really lonely’
Why – refers to a reason
‘that was why she rejected the offer’
NOTE:
SUBJECT PRONOUN:
The relative pronoun that is not followed by a noun or
pronoun. They can’t be omitted.
‘the apple which is lying on the table is sweet’
OBJECT PRONOUN:
The relative pronoun is followed by a noun or pronoun.
They can be omitted.
‘the film which we watched yesterday was fantastic’
HOW TO IDENTIFY WHETHER THE RELATIVE CLAUSE IS
DEFINING OR NON-DEFINING
The defining clause is characterized by presence of
• Articles: the, a, an
• Proper nouns: Ramu, Anusha, Divya
• Possessive adjectives: my, our, your, his, her, their
• Demonstrative pronouns: this, that, those, these
Ex: the woman who is sitting on the bench works hard.
defining relative clause
the woman, who is sitting on the bench, works hard.
non-defining relative clause.
COMMA makes a difference:
My son, who is good at math, is here.
Only son
My son who is good at math, is here.
One of many sons
Restricted rules where ‘that’ is to be used instead of
‘which’
1. After superlative degree:
Ex: this is the most interesting book that is written on
grammar
2. After- same/only/very
Ex: this is the only thing that I possess.
3. After all/who
ex: ‘all that glitters is not gold’
4. Living and inanimate/animate together
Ex: “I saw a man and a dog that were passing through
the tunnel”
REWRITE USING RELATIVE CLAUSES
1. Tom bought a book. The book is by Charles Dickens.
2. The men had chainsaws. They were using them to cut
down the trees.
3. I spoke to a sales assistant, she had red hair.
4. Joe found coins in a field. He took his father there.
5. Miss Williams is my favourite teacher. She teaches math.
ARE THESE CLAUSES DEFINING OR NON DEFINING?
1.London, which is the capital of England, is one of the
largest cities in the world.
2. This is the dress my mother had made for me.
3. Queen Elizabeth II, who is 83, has been the queen of
England for 57 years now.
4. The hotel where we halted was very spacious.
5. That’s the girl who came to me.
6. I was the one who looked after the old bunglow.