Teacher Guide / Instructions
A non-defining or non-essential clause gives us more information about the person or thing we are talking about. If a non-defining relative clause is removed from a sentence, we lose some detail, but the overall meaning of the sentence remains the same. Non-defining relative clauses are always set off from the rest of the sentence with commas or parentheses.
Relative clauses can define the subject of the sentence:
• Miranda, who used to go to the same university as me, is having a baby.
Or the object of a sentence:
• We went to a lovely restaurant, where we both had steak.
Or the sentence as a whole.
• She gave me some money, which was very nice of her.
Common Mistakes:
Some Students do not put the non-defining relative clause close to the noun it describes.
• The chemicals flow into rivers, which are toxic. (wrong)
• The chemicals, which are toxic, flow into rivers. (correct)
Teacher Guide
A non-defining or non-essential clause gives us more information about the person or thing we are talking about. If a non-defining relative clause is removed from a sentence, we lose some detail, but the overall meaning of the sentence remains the same. Non-defining relative clauses are always set off from the rest of the sentence with commas or parentheses.
Relative clauses can define the subject of the sentence:
• Miranda, who used to go to the same university as me, is having a baby.
Or the object of a sentence:
• We went to a lovely restaurant, where we both had steak.
Or the sentence as a whole.
• She gave me some money, which was very nice of her.
Common Mistakes:
Some Students do not put the non-defining relative clause close to the noun it describes.
• The chemicals flow into rivers, which are toxic. (wrong)
• The chemicals, which are toxic, flow into rivers. (correct)
Teacher Guide
A non-defining or non-essential clause gives us more information about the person or thing we are talking about. If a non-defining relative clause is removed from a sentence, we lose some detail, but the overall meaning of the sentence remains the same. Non-defining relative clauses are always set off from the rest of the sentence with commas or parentheses.
Relative clauses can define the subject of the sentence:
• Miranda, who used to go to the same university as me, is having a baby.
Or the object of a sentence:
• We went to a lovely restaurant, where we both had steak.
Or the sentence as a whole.
• She gave me some money, which was very nice of her.
Common Mistakes:
Some Students do not put the non-defining relative clause close to the noun it describes.
• The chemicals flow into rivers, which are toxic. (wrong)
• The chemicals, which are toxic, flow into rivers. (correct)