Defining and Non-defining Relative Clauses

Defining and non-defining relative clauses are two types of relative clauses used in English to give more information about a noun.

Relative pronouns are who, which, that, whose, where, that.  That is often used instead of who or which.

Defining Clauses (Restrictive Clauses) define or identify exactly which person or thing we are talking about. They are essential to meaning. Without the clause, the sentence loses its meaning or becomes unclear. No commas are used.

• The man who is wearing a red jacket is my teacher. (Which man? The one in the red jacket — we need this info.)
• This is the book that won the award. (Which book? The one that won the award.)

Non-defining Clauses (Non-restrictive Clauses) give extra (non-essential) information about a noun that we already know. The sentence still makes sense without the clause. Use commas to separate the clause. We never use that in non-defining clauses.

• My uncle, who lives in Canada, is visiting next week. (Extra info: we already know who my uncle is.)
• The Eiffel Tower, which is in Paris, is very famous. (Extra info: we know what the Eiffel Tower is.)

Have Practice in Using Defining and Non-defining Relative Clauses

Exercise 1. Decide if the relative clause is defining or non-defining, and add commas if needed (for non-defining clauses).

1. The students who studied hard passed the test.
2. My sister who lives in Berlin is an engineer.
3. The car which broke down has been repaired.
4. Mr. Brown who is our neighbor is very kind.
5. The house that Jack built is still standing.
6. Paris which is the capital of France is beautiful.
7. The book that you gave me was very interesting.
8. Our manager who just returned from vacation called a meeting.
9. The shoes that are on the floor belong to Anna.
10. My brother who is a musician lives in London.
11. The painting which was stolen has been found.
12. The doctor who treated me was very professional.
13. The museum which we visited yesterday was amazing.
14. My phone which I bought last year is already outdated.
15. The teacher who helped me the most has retired.
16. My best friend who I met in college moved to Canada.
17. The cookies that she baked are delicious.
18. The restaurant which opened last month is already popular.
19. The river that flows through the city is very wide.
20. My dog who is very playful loves to chase birds.

Exercise 2. Fill in the blanks with the correct relative pronoun: who, which, where, when, whose, that.

1. The man ___ fixed my car was very friendly.
2. This is the book ___ I told you about.
3. I visited the town ___ my grandmother was born.
4. That’s the girl ___ brother is in my class.
5. The movie ___ we watched last night was amazing.
6. The teacher ___ helped me the most is retiring.
7. The hotel ___ we stayed had a beautiful view.
8. They live in a house ___ roof is painted blue.
9. I remember the day ___ we met for the first time.
10. She wore a dress ___ was made by her mother.
11. There’s a café ___ we used to go after school.
12. He’s the artist ___ paintings are in the gallery.
13. The phone ___ you lost has been found.
14. We met a girl ___ speaks five languages.
15. That’s the museum ___ they shot the film.
16. The festival ___ takes place every July is very popular.
17. This is the kind of food ___ I really love.
18. Do you know a shop ___ I can buy a gift?
19. The people ___ house burned down were given help.
20. He told me a story ___ I didn’t believe.

Exercise 3. Combine the sentences using a relative pronoun (who, which, where, when, whose, that).

1. A doctor is a person. The person helps sick people. → A doctor is a person who helps sick people.
2. I have a friend. She speaks six languages.
3. This is the car. My father bought it last week.
4. That’s the man. His son is in my class.
5. I remember the day. We first met on that day.
6. This is the house. I was born in this house.
7. The movie was great. We watched it yesterday.
8. She’s the girl. I told you about her.
9. The dog barked loudly. It lives next door.
10. Do you know the woman? She called earlier.
11. That’s the café. I met my wife there.
12. We visited a town. It was very old and beautiful.
13. This is my cousin. Her mother is a famous singer.
14. I know a place. We can relax there.
15. He told a joke. Nobody laughed at it.
16. I bought a phone. It doesn’t work well.
17. That was a time. I felt very happy then.
18. They built a bridge. It connects the two cities.
19. She has a son. He studies at university.
20. This is the park. We used to play there as children.