Non-defining relative clauses
Add extra information with commas and who/which/whose/where — and never use that in these clauses.
In this lesson you will
- Use non-defining relative clauses with commas
- Avoid ‘that’ in non-defining clauses
- Use ‘which’ to comment on a whole sentence
Learn
A non-defining clause adds extra information about something already identified. It uses commas and could be removed: My brother, who lives in Canada, is a doctor.
Use who, which, whose, where, when — never that — and never leave the pronoun out.
which can comment on the whole previous clause: She passed all her exams, which* was a big surprise.*
Compare: My sister who lives in Oslo… (I have several sisters — defining) vs My sister, who lives in Oslo, … (I have one sister — extra information).
Examples
- Paris, which is the capital of France, attracts millions of tourists.
- Our teacher, whose husband is Brazilian, speaks Portuguese.
- We visited Kyoto, where we stayed in a temple.
- The train was late, which meant I missed the meeting.
Vocabulary
extra information
details that aren’t essential
capital
the city where the government is
attract
make people want to come
comment
say something about
essential
necessary
Practice
My car, ___ is ten years old, still runs well.
Speaking
Describe five people or places important to you, adding extra information with non-defining clauses (My best friend, who…, My hometown, where…).
Writing
Write a short biography (80–100 words) of a famous person using at least four non-defining relative clauses.
Lesson quiz
London, ___ has a population of about nine million, is very diverse.
Review
Key points
- Extra information, with commas.
- who, which, whose, where, when — never that.
- which can refer to a whole clause.
What you learned
- ✓ I can add extra information.
- ✓ I avoid ‘that’ in these clauses.
- ✓ I can comment with which.
Grammar reference: Relative clauses: who, which, that, where, whose, Punctuation