Non-defining relative clauses
· The man who has four dogs lives on the second floor. (The relative clause identifies who we are talking about; it is defining; so no commas)
·
Ms Wilson, who lives on the first floor, is not very polite. (The clause gives us extra information, but it is not necessary; it is non-defining, so commas are used)
·
My new laptop, which I bought last week, doesn't work. (It adds extra information, but not essential; it is non-defining, so commas are used)
Relative pronouns in non-defining clauses
| Person | Thing | Place | Time | |
| Subject | who | which | |
|
| Object | who/whom | which | where* | when* |
| Possessive | whose | whose | |
|
My father, who lives in Wales, is 83.
The weather, which had been good all year, suddenly turned nasty.
Jim, whose car had broken down, arrived at the party very late.
I used to live in London, where I was born and went to school.
IMPORTANT
- In non-defining clauses, you cannot use ‘that' instead of who, whom or which.
- You cannot omit the relative pronoun, even when it is the object of the verb in the relative clause:
He gave me the present, which I opened immediately
- The preposition in these clauses can go at the end of the clause:
This is Miami, which you have all heard about
- Which at the beginning of a non-defining relative clause, can refer to all the information contained in the previous part of the sentence:
He was very quiet, which was unusual for him
Join the sentences with a non-defining clause
1. Rose Lynley is going to be the new boss. We met her last week.
2. Cosmic Park is an enormous place. There is a sports pavilion there.
3. My friend Lucas loves watching horror films. He is a vet.
4. "Gandhi" is an example of a serious film. It won an Oscar.
5. We often go to visit our friends in York. York is only thirty miles away.
6. Ms Harrison has gone into hospital for some tests. Her health hasn't been very good recently.
7. Thomas looks much nicer without his beard.His beard made him look much older.
8. Next weekend I'm going to Aberdeen. My sister lives in Aberdeen.
9. The population of London is now falling. London was one of the largest cities in the world.
10. Robert wanted to take the mountain road. His tyres were nearly new.
As you know, kangaroos are native to Australia. Do you know where the word kangaroo derives from? Fill in the blanks with a relative pronoun. Choose from who, which, whose. If the relative is not needed, write a hyphen (-). You will learn something about this fantastic Australian animal.
The word kangaroo1
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| By Fir0002. GNU Free Documentation License |
The word kangaroo derives from the Guugu Yimidhirr word gangurru refers to a grey kangaroo. The name was first recorded as "Kangooroo or Kanguru" on 4 August 1770. It was Lieutenant (later Captain) James Cook recorded it on the banks of the Endeavour River at the site of modern Cooktown, when HM Bark Endeavour was beached for almost seven weeks to repair damage sustained on the Great Barrier Reef. Guugu Yimidhirr is the language of the people live in the area.
A common myth people have frequently told about the kangaroo's English name is that 'kangaroo' was a Guugu Yimidhirr phrase for "I don't understand you." According to this legend, Captain James Cook and naturalist Sir Joseph Banks were exploring the area when they happened upon the animal. They asked a nearby local what the creatures were called. The local responded "Kangaroo", meaning "I don't understand you", which Cook took to be the name of the creature.
Male kangaroos are called bucks, boomers, jacks, or old men; females are does, flyers, or jills, and the young ones are joeys. The collective noun is used for kangaroos is a mob, troop, or court. Kangaroos are often colloquially referred to as roos.
1 Adapted from wikipedia.org
Rephrasing
Rewrite the sentences. Use defining or non-defining relative clauses
1. John can be very impolite. He is an excellent tennis player.
John ...
2. Lisa Mott died in 1989. She is buried in Hurlingham Chapel.
Lisa Mott ...
3. This is the story of a woman. Her husband suddenly loses his memory.
This is the story of a woman ...
4. Where are the glasses? I bought them last week.
Where are the glasses ...
5. Julian wasn't very pleased. His name was missed off the list.
Julian ...
6. I know a garden. Beautiful flowers grow there.
I know a garden ...
7. Mrs Parker is going to visit her son. He has been living in Toronto for six years.
Mrs Parker ...
8. He couldn't come to the wedding. It was a pity.
He couldn't come ...
9. Bruce works for a company. It makes furniture.
Bruce ...
10. The shoes were very comfortable. I was wearing them yesterday.
The shoes ...
11. Many Irish people emigrated to the USA in the 19th century. A famine was the reason.
A famine was the reason ...
12. Jerry is really nice. We met him last Saturday.
Jerry ...