Non-defining or defining? The rules for non-defining relative clauses tend to be easier that those for defining relative clauses.   Rules for non-defining relative clauses. Commas come before and after the relative clause. (You can easily see where the clause is). The relative clause is extra information. If you remove it, the main clause keeps its same meaning. If you talk about people, you always use “who” as a subject / object pronoun. (You don’t have the complication of being able to use “that” or remove the pronoun). If you talk about animals or objects, you always use “which” as a subject … Continue reading 3/3 Relative Clauses (Summary)

As mentioned in the previous article about non-defining relative clauses (which you should read first), relative clauses add extra information to a sentence by defining a noun. They are usually divided into two types – non-defining relative clauses and defining relative clauses. This article will discuss defining ones, which are much more difficult than non-defining ones.   Defining relative clauses Look at this sentence: The woman who lives next door works in a bank. ‘who lives next door’ is a defining relative clause. It tells us which woman we are talking about. Look at some more examples: Look out! There’s the dog that … Continue reading 2/3 Defining Relative Clauses (high B2)