This document discusses defining and non-defining relative clauses. Defining relative clauses identify a specific noun and use "who", "which", or "that". Non-defining clauses provide extra information about a noun and cannot use "that". Examples are given of rewriting sentences to add defining and non-defining relative clauses.

2. We use defining relative clauses to say exactly which
thing(s)/person(s) we are describing in a sentence.
Defining relative clauses start with a relative pronoun
‘who’, ‘which’ or ‘that’, and come immediately after
the noun or pronoun they refer to.

3. Which relative pronoun only describes people? who
ORBIS volunteers teach doctors who live in remote places
how to cure blindness.
ORBIS doctors operate on people who have eye problems.
Which relative pronoun only describes things? which
The charity which tries to cure blindness is called ORBIS.
Cataracts is a problem which causes blindness.
Which relative pronoun describes both people
and things?
that
The boy that was blind could see again after the operation.
ORBIS is a non-profit organisation that aims to help cure
blindness.

4. Practice

5. Rewrite the following sentences by adding the phrases below as
defining relative clauses.
cured her blindness helps to look after animals received an award
I sent you just had an eye operation raised money for the poor in China
1 The charity is called World Wide Fund for Nature.
2 The doctor is very famous.
3 The Christmas card was designed by a blind student.
4 The charity concert was very successful.
5 The girl has been a volunteer worker for ten years.
6 Where is the baby boy?
The charity which/that helps to look after animals is called World
Wide Fund for Nature.
The doctor who/that cured her blindness is very famous.
The Christmas card which/that I sent you was designed by a blind student.
The charity concert which/that raised money for the poor in China
was very successful.
The girl who/that received an award has been a volunteer worker for
ten years.
Where is the baby boy who just had an eye operation?

6. We use non-defining relative clauses to give more
information about the thing(s)/person(s) we are
describing.
The ORBIS plane flies to remote areas.
The ORBIS plane, which has an operating room, flies to remote areas.
The cost of one operation is as little as HK$300.
The cost of one operation is as little as HK$300, which is less than the
price of a computer game.
Helen’s mother donated $1000.
Helen’s mother, who is a volunteer worker at Cancer Research, donated
$1000.
The ORBIS doctors operated on Li Wei.
The ORBIS doctors operated on Li Wei, who had been hit by a rock.
* We cannot use ‘that’ in non-defining relative clauses.

7. Practice

8. Combine the following sentences using non-defining
relative clauses.
1 The New Year cards cost $3 each. They were designed by Alan.
2 After the operation, my grandmother could see again. My grandmother is
seventy-three years old.
3 The Charity Club has eighty members. It was set up last year.
4 Project Hope sent a thank-you note to the school. The school raised $8000 in the
charity walk.
5 Dr Wilson has worked for ORBIS for fifteen years. He is a very good eye
doctor.
6 Our school organised a charity show for two hundred children. The children
came from three different orphanages.
After the operation, my grandmother, who is seventy-three years old, could see again.
The New Year cards, which were designed by Alan, cost $3 each.
The Charity Club, which was set up last year, has eighty members.
Project Hope sent a thank-you note to the school, which raised $8000 in the charity
walk.
Dr Wilson, who is a very good eye doctor, has worked for ORBIS for fifteen years.
Our school organised a charity show for two hundred children, who came from three
different orphanages.