Non-defining relative clauses
A non-defining relative clause adds extra information about a noun we can already identify. It sits between commas, uses who, which, where or whose, and never uses that.
How it works
- Put commas around the clause, or one comma before it at the end of the sentence.
- Who for people, which for things, where for places, whose for possession. Never that.
- You cannot leave out the pronoun: My boss, who is from Hue, …
- Use it after names and unique things: Da Lat, which is in the highlands, …
- Which can refer to the whole previous clause: He passed the exam, which surprised everyone.
- It is common in writing and careful speech. In conversation people often use two sentences.
Examples
My manager, who has worked here for 20 years, is retiring next month.
Hoi An, which is famous for its lanterns, gets very busy at weekends.
We stayed in Nha Trang, where my aunt runs a small hotel.
The flight was cancelled, which meant we had to stay another night.
Mr Long, whose daughter is in my class, gave me a lift.
Common mistakes
Wrong: My father,
thatis a teacher, loves reading.Right: My father, who is a teacher, loves reading.
Wrong: He didn't call me back,
thatmade me angry.Right: He didn't call me back, which made me angry.
Wrong:
Hanoi which is the capitalhas many lakes.Right: Hanoi, which is the capital, has many lakes.
Practice
1 of 13Fill the gap.
Level: EGP Clauses (relative): non-defining clauses with who and which are a B1 point; which referring back to a whole clause is listed later, around B2. Written for Gloss.