NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
The information in these clauses is not essential. It tells us more about someone or something, but it does not help us to identify them or it.Compare:
- Dogs that like cats are very unusual. (This tells us which dogs we are talking about).
- Gorillas, which are large and orignate in Africa, can sometimes be found in zoos. (This gives us some extra information about gorillas - we are talking about all gorillas, not just one type or group).
- John's mother, who lives in Scotland, has 6 grandchildren. (We know who John's mother is, and he only has one. The important information is the number of grandchildren, but the fact that she lives in Scotland might be followed with the words "by the way" - it is additional information).
Non-defining relative clauses are always separated from the rest of the sentence by commas. The commas have a similar function to brackets:
- My friend John has just written a best-selling novel. (He went to the same school as me)
- My friend John, who went to the same school as me, has just written a best-selling novel.
