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- We always use a relative pronoun or adverb to start a non-defining relative clause: who, which, whose, when or where (but not that).
learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/b1-b2-grammar/relative-clauses-non-defining-relative-clausesRelative clauses: non-defining relative clauses - LearnEnglish
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What is the difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses?
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Do you use a relative pronoun or adverb?
We always use a relative pronoun (who, which, whose or whom) to introduce a non-defining relative clause (In the examples, the relative clause is in bold, and the person or thing being referred to is underlined.)
- Where
- When
- Why
- Defining and Non-Defining Relative Clauses
Whereis an adverb of place, so it is used to refer to location. The place can be any kind of location, such as a country, city, geographical region, house, or shop. It replaces the preposition plus relative pronoun 'in which' or 'at which', which tend to be used only in formal contexts, such as academic writing or formal speech. Take a look at thes...
Whenis an adverb of time, and so it is used to introduce a relative clause that relates to time. So the noun theclause refers to will be a time generally or such things as a time of day, a day, a week, a year, or an era. Again it replaces a preposition plus relative pronoun, in this case the words 'in which', 'at which', or 'on which', which are re...
Whyis an adverb of reason. The relative clause is thus relating to why something happened. In this case it is replacing 'for which': We can leave out 'the reason' if the sentence still makes sense without it:
There are certain rules with relative adverbs related to whether the relative clause is defining or non-defining. Remind yourself of the difference between defining and non-defining relative clausesif you are not sure. Defining relative clauses provide essential informationabout the noun being modified, and they cannot be omitted from the sentence....
Defining vs non-defining relative clauses. In a defining relative clause, the information is essential to identify who or what we are talking about, whereas in non-defining relative clauses, we just add extra information, which is not necessary. Compare: My brother who lives in Cardiff is much older than me.
Non-defining relative clauses, also known as non-restrictive relative clauses, provide additional information that is not essential to the understanding of the sentence. This information, if removed, does not alter the main message of the sentence because it is merely additional data.
A relative adverb is an adverb that introduces an adjective clause. The relative adverbs are 'where,' 'when,' and 'why.' In the sentence 'I know a place where eagles roam,' the word 'where' is a relative adverb.
In non-defining (non-restrictive) relative clauses, only these two pronouns are common: ‘ who ’ (for persons/people) ‘ which ’ (for things and animals) Example: “Apple pie, which is one of my favourite cakes, is very easy to make.”.
