defining relative clause

Meanings

1. 1nouncountabletechnical

   A clause that tells you which person or thing is meant and cannot be left out without changing the meaning.

   Grammar: Countable: say 'a defining relative clause' or 'defining relative clauses'.

   Patterns

   • a defining relative clause with who/which/that
   • the noun + defining relative clause

   In 'The man who called you is my uncle', the words 'who called you' form a defining relative clause.

   A defining relative clause usually comes straight after the noun it describes.

   You can leave out 'that' when it is the object of a defining relative clause.

2. 2nouncountabletechnical

   This type of clause, used as a grammatical term when teaching or studying sentence structure.

   Grammar: Often contrasted with 'non-defining relative clause', which adds extra information.

   Patterns

   • identify a defining relative clause
   • a defining relative clause vs a non-defining one

   The teacher asked us to underline every defining relative clause in the paragraph.

   Students often confuse a defining relative clause with a non-defining one because both start with 'who' or 'which'.

Word forms

Common combinations

introduce a defining relative clause

Words like 'who', 'which' and 'that' introduce a defining relative clause.

a defining relative clause with 'that'

She wrote a defining relative clause with 'that' after the noun.

omit the relative pronoun

In object position you can omit the relative pronoun in a defining relative clause.

the noun before the clause

The noun before the clause is the one being identified.

Synonyms and how they differ

restrictive relative clause

The same thing; 'restrictive' is the term preferred in American linguistics, while 'defining' is common in British teaching materials.

Opposites

Word family

relative clause noun

Any clause that describes a noun and begins with a word like 'who' or 'which'.

relative pronoun noun

A word such as 'who', 'which' or 'that' that begins a relative clause.

define verb

To state exactly what something is or means.

Commonly confused: defining relative clause or non-defining relative clause?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “defining relative clause”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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