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Defining and Non-defining Relative Clauses
NON-DEFINING In this sentence; London is an interesting place to
live. We understand the subject, we know which London we are
talking about, so the sentence makes sense. We could (but dont need
to) add more information; London, which has a population of around
seven million, is an interesting place to live. Because the extra
information relative clause isnt necessary to understand the
subject, we use commas to show it can be removed. It is a
non-defining relative clause. You cannot use that instead of
which
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DEFINING
In this sentence; The man was from Scotland We do not know which
man is being talked about, we need a clause telling us more about
the subject; The man who sold me my car was from Scotland Because
we need this clause to tell us which man we mean, it has no commas.
It is a defining relative clause, and in this example we can use
that instead of who; The man that sold me my car was from
Scotland
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In these two sentences, look at the defining relative clauses,
what is the subject verb and object of each?
1) The man that sold me my car was from Scotland
2) The man that I bought my car from was from Scotland
In which sentence can the pronoun be left out?
ELIPSIS OF DEFINING RELATIVE OBJECT PRONOUNS
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SV O1) The man that sold me my car was from Scotland S V direct
O2) The man that I bought my car from was from Scotland
OR: S V direct O 2) The man I bought my car from was from
Scotland
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Read the 3 short stories on this and the following 2 pagesI went
walking in the hills in Scotland last summer. You can walk for
miles without meeting anyone. One day, I met a man walking up the
only mountain in Scotland. The man, who said he was from Glasgow,
was walking for charity.
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Story 2I went in the bar and there were only two men in there.
One man was reading the newspaper and the other man was talking to
the barman. The man who had the newspaper looked up at me but said
nothing.
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Story 3I met three teachers yesterday when I went in the
staffroom, but I only asked your question to one of them, because
the teacher who I asked is a specialist in that sort of thing.
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Questions:1) Which sentences in the stories are defining and
which are non-defining? (Which sentences have commas?)
2) Which sentences can you use "that" in?
3) In which sentence/s can you leave out the pronoun?
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I went walking in the hills in Scotland last summer. You can
walk for miles without meeting anyone. One day, I met a man walking
up the only mountain in Scotland. The man, who said he was from
Glasgow, was walking for charity.
The clause in red is a non-defining clauseYou cannot use "that"
here.You cannot leave out the pronoun?
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I went in the bar and there were only two men in there. One man
was reading the newspaper and the other man was talking to the
barman. The man who/that had the newspaper looked up at me but said
nothing.
The clause in red is a defining clauseYou can use thatYou cannot
leave out who/that as it is the subject of had
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I met three teachers yesterday when I went in the staffroom, but
I only asked your question to one of them, because the teacher
(who/that) I asked is a specialist in that sort of thing.
The clause in red is a defining clauseYou can use thatYou can
leave out who/that as it is the object of asked
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Concept Check: Match a letter to a number
A) The students, who all had tickets, went into the museum.
B) The students who all had tickets went into the museum.
1) Some of the students had tickets and some did not. Only the
students with tickets went into the museum.
2) All the students had tickets and all the students went into
the museum.
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A & 2: Non-definingA) The students, who all had tickets,
went into the museum.2) All the students had tickets and all the
students went into the museum.
B & 1: DefiningB) The students who all had tickets went into
the museum.1) Some of the students had tickets and some did not.
Only the students with tickets went into the museum.
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Defining/Non-defining Relative ClausesREVISION
1) Can you use that in non-defining relative clauses?The Queen,
____ lives in Buckingham Palace, has three sons.Some say that Tony
Blair, ____ is Prime Minister, should resign.
2) Can you use that in defining relative clauses?The book ____ I
bought yesterday cost over 10.oo.The person ____ told me about the
show was also a staff member.The house ____ I live in now is
smaller than the old one.
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1) Can you use that in non-defining relative clauses? NOThe
Queen, who lives in Buckingham Palace, has three sons.Some say that
Tony Blair, who is Prime Minister, should resign.
2) Can you use that in defining relative clauses? YESThe book
thatI bought yesterday cost over 10.oo.The person that told me
about the show was also a staff member.The house that I live in now
is smaller than the old one.
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3) Can you always use that in defining relative clauses?The
house ____ I live now is smaller than the old one.The cupboard in
____ he put the old newspapers has collapsed.
4) Can you leave out the object pronoun in non-defining relative
clauses?The Queen, ____ everyone loves, has the highest valued
private art collection in the world.
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3) Can you always use that in defining relative clauses? NOThe
house where I live now is smaller than the old one.The cupboard in
which he put the old newspapers has collapsed.
4) Can you leave out the object pronoun in non-defining relative
clauses? NOThe Queen, ____ everyone loves, has the highest valued
private art collection in the world.
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5) Can you leave out the subject pronoun in non-defining
relative clauses?The Queen, ____ opened the gallery, is also a
patron.
6) Can you leave out the object pronoun in defining relative
clauses?The book ____ I bought yesterday was second-hand.
7) Can you leave out the subject pronoun in defining relative
clauses?The man ____ told me all about the book works in a
bookshop.
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5) Can you leave out the subject pronoun in non-defining
relative clauses? NOThe Queen, who opened the gallery, is also a
patron.
6) Can you leave out the object pronoun in defining relative
clauses? YESThe book I bought yesterday was second-hand.
7) Can you leave out the subject pronoun in defining relative
clauses? NOThe man who told me all about the book works in a
bookshop.
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Relative Pronouns: Pronoun representing it or there?
A) I have a house. I bought it. Its nice
The house______(where/which) I bought is nice
B) I have a house. I live in it. Its nice
The house _____(where/which) I live in is nice.
C) I have a house. I live there.
The house ______ (where/which) I live is nice.
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Relative Pronouns: Pronoun representing it or there?
A) I have a house. I bought it. Its nice
The house which I bought is nice
B) I have a house. I live in it. Its nice
The house which I live in is nice.
C) I have a house. I live there.
The house where I live is nice.
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Noun Clauses & Relative Clauses: Add a clause using which or
what1) S. V. O. I know the book
2) S. V. I know
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Noun Clauses & Relative Clauses: Add a clause using which or
what1) S. V. O. I know the book which
2) S. V. I know what
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Now try using which or what here1) ________ you did was wrong.2)
I saw_____ he bought.3)We like____ you did.4) I saw the book_____
he put in his bag.5) The book____he bought cost 1.6) I bought _____
you told me to buy.
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1) What you did was wrong.2) I saw what he bought.3)We like what
you did.4) I saw the book which he put in his bag.5) The book which
he bought cost 1.6) I bought what you told me to buy.
