🔼RELATIVE CLAUSES 

(DEFINING AND NON-DEFINING)🔽

DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

➔ Function:

The defining relative clauses give us additional information about a noun. It can not be eliminated from the sentence without affecting the basic meaning.

As its name suggests, the "defining relative clauses" offer essential information to define or identify the person or thing we are talking about.

The "defining relative clauses" are composed of a relative pronoun (sometimes omitted), a verb and other optional elements, such as the subject or object of the verb. Commas are not used to separate the specific relative proposal from the rest of the sentence. Commas or parentheses are used to delimit another type of relative clauses, the explanatory or "non-defining relative clauses".

➔ Grammar:

Defining relative clauses:
It does not need commas to separate them from the rest of the sentence.	.- The movie which/that we saw last week was directed by Martin Scorsese. .- The director who/that won the award not at the ceremony. .- We stayed in the place where we had our honeymoon.
It goes after the name they refer to.
You can use which / that to refer to things. You can use who / that to refer to people. You can use where to refer to places.
Subject and object relative clauses:
A noun can be the subject or object of a relative defining clause.	The actress who wore the exquisite at the end of the movie is a model. (subject)
When the noun is the object of the relative clause, the relative pronoun can be omitted.	The dress (that/which) the actress wore at the end of the movie is exquisite. (object)

➔ Structure:

	Person	Thing	Place	Time	Reason
Subject	Who/That	Which/That	-
Object	Who/That	Which/That	Where	When	Why
Possession	Whose	Whose	-

➔ Examples: 

1.- Children who hate chocolate are uncommon.

2.- They live in a house whose roof is full of holes.

3.- An elephant is an animal that lives in hot countries.

4.- Let's go to a country where the sun always shines.

5.- The reason why I came here today is not important

➔ Exercices:

Read the sentences. Underline the relative relative clause and place an X next to the sentences where the relative pronoun can be left.

1. - The song which plays at the end of the movie has been a big hit this summer.

2. - Look! He's the actor who I was telling you about.

3. - The company that sold me the car has gone bankrupt.

4. - The Australian dancer who got the part is unknown in her home country.

5. - I recognized the famous landmarks which the director used in several scenes.

6. - Do you remember the woman who promised to invite us to the party?

NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

➔ Function:

A non-defining relative clause gives us additional information about a noun.

The relative clause could be removed from the sentence without affecting the basic meaning.

Sometimes it can be used to refer to places.

The "non-defining relative clauses" are composed of a relative pronoun, a verb and other optional elements, such as the subject or object of the verb. Commas or parentheses are always used to delimit non-specific relative clauses and separate them from the rest of the main clause.

➔ Grammar:

Non-defining relative clauses:
They are separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.        It can only come after the noun to which they refer.	The Charleston museum, which is the oldest museum in the U.S., was built in 1773.
You can only use who refers to people, and what places and things refer to.      Sometimes it can be used to refer to places.	Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter, now acts in the theater. The college, which specializes in languages, is near New York City. Seattle, where my parents live, is a very beautiful place.

➔ Structure:

	Person	Thing	Place
Subject	Who	Which	-
Object	Who	Which	Where
Possession	Whose	-	-

➔ Examples:

1.- John's mother, who lives in Scotland, has 6 grandchildren.

2.- My friend John, who went to the same school as me, has just written a best-selling novel.

3.- My grandmother, who is dead now, came from the North of England.

4.- We stopped at the museum, which we had never visited before.

5.- I've just come back from London, where John lives.

6.- Yesterday I met a woman named Susan, whose husband works in London.

➔ Exercices:

Write sentences with relative clauses not defined, using the given information.

1. - The Paris Opera Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the world. It was founded in 1669.

The Paris Opera Ballet, which was founded in 1669, is the oldest ballet company in the world.

2. – Harry Houdini was born in 1874 in Budapest. He was a famous magician.

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3. – Swan Lake was based on Russian folktales. It was written by Tchaikovsky.

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4. – The Sydney Opera House was designed by Jorn Utzon. It opened in 1973.

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5. - The first opera was called Dafne. It was performed in 1598.

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