defining and non-defining relative clauses

Presentation

relative clauses

Designed by

Lillian Chávez

Non-defining clauses

They give us extra information about something. We don't need this information to understand the sentence.

I live in London, which has some fantastic parks.

More examples

My grandfather, who is 70, goes swimming everyday.

The house, which was built in 1883, has just been opened to the public.

My mom, who has been baking for years, made us cupcakes.

The library, which is full of books, is my favorite place to go.

Who vs which

Which

Who

The house, which is very big, is also very cold!

My father, who is a civil engineer, built this house.

+info

+info

Let's practice with non-defining relative clauses

Complete the non-defining relative clauses

Prepositions in non-defining relative clauses

You can modify the relative pronoun in non-defining relative clauses using quantifiers or determiners such as: many, all, most + of. When talking about people, the relative pronoun who changes to whom. EX. The audience, many of whom had seen the movie before, all stood up and applauded. The relative pronoun which stays the same: He offered me a pile of books, many of which were battered and torn. You cannot use the relative pronoun "that" in non defining relative clauses. Ex. He offered me a pile of books, many of that were battered and torn.

Defining relative clauses

+info

They’re the people who want to buy our house.This is the cat which was found on the street.

Defining relative clauses give us essential information about the person or thing mentioned.

They give us information that we need in order to understand what or who is being referred to

John likes the woman who lives next door.

I met the boy who speaks Chinese.

Here are some cells which have been affected.

Whose vs who

• John likes the girl who/that studies Chinese.

(who- the girl)

• John likes the girl whose father is a police man.

(whose- the girl's father)

• The child whose bicycle has been lost cried

(whose- the child's bicycle)

+info

Whom vs who

Whom will you invite to the party?The lady to whom you spoke, is 100 years old. (con quien) The girl to whom you spoke, is my girlfriend. (con quien) The students, most of whom were Spanish, passed the test. (muchos de los cuales) Check the difference: who, whom Who is in charge of refunds? (quién) Whom should I contact about the refund? (a quién) Who is invited to the party? (quién) Whom will you invite to the party? (a quién)

Let's practice with defining relative clauses

Choose: who, which, whose

Watch

Put the statements in the correct order

Prepositions in defining relative clauses

Prepositions normally come at the end of a defining relative clause in informal written and spoken styles. The woman that/who you are talking to. (NOT: The woman to that/ to who you are talking).

Relative clauses with prepositions

He is the man from whom I'm getting the loan.

That is the apartment into which I'm moving.

My friends, many of whom are from Morelia, don't stick to their budgets.

I bought many clothes, the most expensive of which, was a dress.

THE END

That's all folks!