Ever wondered how to add more detail and precision to your sentences? That's where relative clauses come into play! These versatile grammatical structures allow us to provide additional information about people, places, or things within a sentence.

In English, it is common to add information on a subject by adding more sentences to the speech; this way the speaker/writer can elaborate on the topic as much as they want in an organized way. However, it is possible to give additional information without creating more sentences, in a more fluid and natural way, using relative pronouns. This results in either defining relative clauses or non-defining relative clauses.

In this post we will learn about relative clauses at level II, so the explanation is in English and the examples shown have an intermediate difficulty.

What are relative clauses?

A relative clause is a type of subordinate clause that modifies a noun or noun phrase in the main clause, providing additional information about it. This additional information can include characteristics, qualities, descriptions, or relationships associated with the noun. They begin with a relative pronoun, such as who, whom, whose, which or that, or a relative adverb, such as when, where, or why. You can find more information about relative pronouns here.

Uses of relative clauses

We use the relative clauses for:

1. Adding descriptive or identifying information to a noun.

The book that I am reading is fascinating. (The relative clause "that I am reading" describes which book is fascinating.)

2. Specifying or defining a noun in more detail.

The woman who lives next door is a doctor. (The relative clause "who lives next door" specifies which woman is being referred to.)

3. Providing additional details about a noun's characteristics.

I need a pen that writes smoothly. (The relative clause "that writes smoothly" specifies the kind of pen needed.)

4. Avoiding repetition in a sentence.

I met a girl yesterday who plays the piano beautifully. (Instead of saying "I met a girl yesterday. The girl plays the piano beautifully," the relative clause combines the information into one sentence.)

5. Clarifying or giving context to a noun.

This is the reason why I couldn't come to the party. (The relative clause "why I couldn't come to the party" explains the reason for not attending the party.)

Defining and non-defining clauses

There are two types of relative clauses: defining and non-defining. Defining clauses are like the main characters of a story; they're essential to understanding the sentence. Non-defining clauses, on the other hand, are like bonus details—they add more information but aren't necessary for understanding the main point.

We use defining clauses to specify or identify someone or something, while non-defining clauses provide extra details about someone or something already identified. Understanding these clauses is vital for clear communication in writing, helping us convey our thoughts precisely and avoid confusion. So, let's unravel the mystery of defining and non-defining clauses and discover how they enhance the power of our sentences!

Defining relative clauses structure

Defining relative clauses adds essential information to understand the sentence, either for a person or an object; it is considered information important enough to fully grasp the meaning and thus cannot be omitted.

This information can be placed in the middle of the main sentence or at the end of it, as it can be observed in the following examples.

The kid who crashed his bike into the river by the crossroad was Tommy.
The fifth vessel that wore the name of USS Enterprise was commissioned in 2363 by Starfleet.
The Queen of England had several dogs of the corgi breed when she was alive.
The place where the Titanic sank in 1912 due to an iceberg has remained undisturbed to this day.

Non-defining relative clauses structure

Non-defining clauses give additional information regarding the subject but, contrary to the defining relative clause information, it is not essential for the understanding of the subject, be it a person or an object.

Similar to the defining relative clause, the added information can be placed in the middle of the main sentence or after it, however, it is placed between or after commas, making the non-defining relative clause easy to identify.

Tommy, who was the son of Martha, crashed his bike on the river by the crossroad.
The USS Enterprise-D, which was the fifth vessel with that name, was commissioned in 2363 by Starfleet.
The Queen of England, when she was alive, was fond of the breed of dogs named corgis.
The Titanic sank in 1912 due to an iceberg into the bottom of the ocean, where it remains since.

Relative clauses - Level II