NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
The information in these clauses is not essential. It tells us more about someone or something, but it does not help us to identify them or it.
Compare:
- Dogs that like cats are very unusual. (This tells us which dogs we are talking about).
- Gorillas, which are large and orignate in Africa, can sometimes be found in zoos. (This gives us some extra information about gorillas – we are talking about all gorillas, not just one type or group).
- John’s mother, who lives in Scotland, has 6 grandchildren. (We know who John’s mother is, and he only has one. The important information is the number of grandchildren, but the fact that she lives in Scotland might be followed with the words “by the way” – it is additional information).
Punctuation
Non-defining relative clauses are always separated from the rest of the sentence by commas. The commas have a similar function to brackets:
- My friend John has just written a best-selling novel. (He went to the same school as me)
- My friend John, who went to the same school as me, has just written a best-selling novel.
Relative pronouns in non-defining clauses
|
Person |
Thing |
Place |
| Subject |
who |
which |
|
| Object |
who/whom |
which |
where |
| Possessive |
whose |
|
|
Notes
- In non-defining clauses, you cannot use ‘that’ instead of who, whom or which.
- You cannot leave out the relative pronoun, even when it is the object of the verb in the relative clause:
- He gave me the letter, which was in a blue envelope.
- He gave me the letter, which I read immediately
- The preposition in these clauses can go at the end of the clause, e.g.
- This is Stratford-on-Avon, which you have all heard about.
This pattern is often used in spoken English, but in written or formal English you can also put the preposition before the pronoun: e.g. Stratford-on-Avon, about which many people have written is Shakespeare’s birthplace.
- Non-defining clauses can be introduced by expressions like all of, many of + relative pronoun:
|
Person |
Thing |
|
all of
|
+ whom |
+ which |
|
any of
|
+ whom |
+ which |
|
(a) few of
|
+ whom |
+ which |
|
both of
|
+ whom |
+ which |
|
each of
|
+ whom |
+ which |
|
either of
|
+ whom |
+ which |
|
half of
|
+ whom |
+ which |
|
many of
|
+ whom |
+ which |
|
most of
|
+ whom |
+ which |
|
much of
|
+ whom |
+ which |
|
none of
|
+ whom |
+ which |
|
one of
|
+ whom |
+ which |
|
two of etc…
|
+ whom |
+ which |
Examples
- There were a lot of people at the party, many of whom I had known for years.
- He was carrying his belongings, many of which were broken.
- The relative pronoun which at the beginning of a non-defining relative clause, can refer to all the information contained in the previous part of the sentence, rather than to just one word.
- Chris did really well in his exams, which was a big surprise. (= the fact that he did well in his exams was a big surprise).
- A socialist and a conservative agreed on the new law, which is most unusual. (= the fact that they agreed is unusual).
Examples
- My grandmother, who is dead now, came from the North of England.
- I spoke to Fred, who explained the problem.
- The old man looked at the tree, under which he had often sat.
- We stopped at the museum, which we’d never been into.
- She’s studying maths, which many people hate.
- I’ve just met Susan, whose husband works in London.
- He had thousands of books, most of which he had read.
object same orignate pronoun
Person similar looked have of
sentence used clauses
Person envelope
these relative etc
essential which information
Punctuation
Nondefining exams often This with expressions unusual information which
both which
a pronouns nondefining pronoun whom of
help nondefining information surprise
Object they grandchildren years
gives novel brackets
group
these gorillas like number husband commas which
Examples
talking of
have were school eg
of
Africa have of
Notes
which
each hate
people many large bestselling me
which who whom written just that leave pronoun Gorillas written which
than StratfordonAvon them There surprise
grandchildren that does formal which written unusual
Examples
from whowhom relative written agreed clauses Dogs which
half might spoken of
whose clause
This gave of
clauses of
just clauses CLAUSES
The friend grandmother just followed many people relative of
RELATIVE read were school whom which also clauses exams rest which extra about before clause broken
sat
about
This know words most socialist some dead which additional birthplace
which gorillas whom relative whom relative information problem
blue
