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Non-defining relative clauses
B2 B2 grammar · lesson 8 of 21
Non-defining relative clauses add extra information about a person or thing we have already identified. They make your writing smoother and more natural.
Defining or non-defining?
In B1 you learned defining relative clauses. They tell us which person or thing we mean, and the sentence needs them: The man who lives next door is a pilot.
A non-defining clause only gives extra information. We already know who or what we are talking about. If we remove the clause, the sentence still makes sense. We put commas around it (or a comma before it at the end of a sentence).
My brother, who lives in Dublin, is a pilot. (I have only one brother.)
Paris, which is the capital of France, is very busy in summer.
Maria, whose father is a chef, cooks very well.
We stayed at the Sea View Hotel, where we had a room with a balcony.
I met Ken in 2019, when I was working in Japan.
Rules
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| Use who for people, which for things | Our teacher, who is from Wales, is great. |
| Use whose for possession | Leo, whose car broke down, came by bus. |
| Use where / when for places and times | In 2010, when we met, I was a student. |
| You cannot use that | ✗ My flat, that is small, … ✓ My flat, which is small, … |
| You cannot leave out the pronoun | ✗ The film, I saw yesterday, … ✓ The film, which I saw yesterday, … |
Which for a whole sentence
Which can refer to the whole idea of the main clause, not just one noun. This is very common in speech.
Sam passed all his exams, which surprised everyone.
The train was late again, which meant I missed the meeting.
In formal English, prepositions can go before whom and which: My manager, to whom I sent the report, was pleased. In everyday English, the preposition usually goes at the end: My manager, who I sent the report to, was pleased.
Common mistakes
✗ My mother, that is a nurse, works at night.
✓ My mother, who is a nurse, works at night.
✗ Rome which I visited last year is beautiful.
✓ Rome, which I visited last year, is beautiful.
✗ He didn’t call me, what made me angry.
✓ He didn’t call me, which made me angry.
✗ Anna, who her sister is a singer, loves music.
✓ Anna, whose sister is a singer, loves music.