This document discusses defining and non-defining relative clauses. Defining relative clauses provide essential information to identify the person or thing being described, and do not use commas. Non-defining relative clauses provide extra, non-essential information and are set off by commas. Relative pronouns like who, that, which, and whose are used differently in defining and non-defining clauses. The document provides examples of sentences using defining and non-defining relative clauses with people, things, animals, time, and place.

1. RELATIVE CLAUSESDefiningrelativeclausesNon-definingrelativeclausesAna Ángeles López RodríguezIES Julio Caro BarojaFuenlabrada MadridAbril 2010

2. Definingrelativeclauses

3. People: whoorthat as thesubject.I´vegot a friend. He collectsstamps.

4. I´vegot a friendwho/ thatcollectsstamps.

5. Thisis Jean. Shebought my car.I´vegot a friend.

6. Jean isthepersonwho/ thatbought my car.People: whoorthat as thesubject.Whenwetalkaboutpeople, that can beusedinstead of who. Thisislesscommon, butwestill do it, especially in speech.HaveyoumettheboythatSueisgoingtomarry.

7. People: whoorthat as thesubject.My friendswholive in Birminghamare comingnextmonth.Studentswho do notlikerevisingbeforetheexamsgetworseresults.

8. People: Whomorwho as objectorwithprepositions.whomistheobjectform of who and it has tobeusedafterprepositions, its use is formal.thistheperson(who) I sold my car to.(speech) WHO can beomitted

9. Thisisthepersontowhom I sold my car. (formal)Things & Animals: whichorthat.

10. Things & Animals: whichorthat.I lovehighheelshoes.I especiallylovetheItalianleathershoes.I loveItalianleathershoeswhich are highheel.Are thesetheItalianhighheelshoesthatyouboughtfor me?

11. Possessive: whoseWhosemeans of whom, and usuallyreferstopeople.Possessive + relative = WHOSEThisistheboy. Hissisterisstayingwithus.Thisistheboywhosesisterisstayingwithus.

12. Place: where // time: whenAfterwordsfor time and place, we can use when and where as relatives.Do youknow a shop where I can findsandals? (…=a shop at which…)

13. I´llneverforgetthedaywhen I firstmetyou. (…= thedayonwhich…)Non-definingrelativeclauses

14. Differences : Defining or Non-definingDEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSESThey give relevant and important information to complete the meaning of the main clause. When the relative pronoun is the object or goes with a preposition, it can be omitted.We don´t use the commas to separate the relative clause.NON-DEFINIG RELATIVE CLAUSESThey give extra information but not essential to understand the meaning of the main clause.They go between commas.The relative pronouns are never omitted. That is never used with the non-defining relative clauses.