Relative clauses - non-defining relative clauses

Relative clauses add extra information to a sentence by defining a noun. They are usually divided into two types –  Defining relative clauses and  Non-defining relative clauses.

Non-defining relative clauses

Look at this sentence.

My grandfather, who is 87, goes swimming every day.

‘who is 87’ is a non-defining relative clause. It adds extra information* to the sentence. If we take the clause out of the sentence, the sentence still has the same meaning. (Non-defininig relative clause లోని extra information ను తీసివేసినా, meaning లో పెద్ద తేడా ఉండదు.)

Look at some more examples.

My eldest brother, whose work takes him all over the world, is in the USA at the moment.

The film, which stars Maheshbabu, is going to be released soon.

In the first sentence, it is clear which brother is being talked about and the relative clause provides extra information.

In the second sentence, the speaker thinks you know which film you are talking about, and the information about Mahesh Babu is just something interesting.

Defining or non-defining?

Remember that defining relative clauses are used to add important information. The sentence would have a different meaning without the defining relative clause.

 I’m going to wear the shirt that I bought in Hyderabad. 

 The shirt, which is a lovely dark blue colour, only cost 500 rupees. 

The first sentence with a defining relative clause tells us which shirt. The second sentence, with a non-defining relative clause, doesn’t tell us which shirt– it gives us more information about the shirt. The context (which is missing here) makes it clear which shirt is being talked about.

Non-defining relative clauses can use most relative pronouns (which, whose etc,) but they CAN’T use ‘that’ and the relative pronoun can never be omitted. ( Non-defining relative clause లో THAT వాడరాదు)

The film, that stars Chiranjeevi, is released on Friday.

Non-defining relative clauses are more often used in written English than in spoken English. You can tell that a clause is non-defining because it is separated by commas at each end of the clause.

What Is A Relative Clause?

( In detail )

A relative clause is a phrase that adds information to a sentence.( Sentence కు extra information ను add చేసేదే Relative Clause.)
All relative clauses describe a noun, and they begin with one of these relative pronouns or relative adverbs.

Relative Pronouns

WHO (to describe people – subject)
The woman who works in the bank is my neighbour.
WHOM (to describe people – object)
My cousins, one of whom is a doctor, live in England.
WHOSE (to describe possession)
The man whose car was stolen went to the police station.
THAT (to describe things – defining relative clauses)
I’m selling the computer that I bought in the U.S.
WHICH (to describe things – non-defining relative clauses)
I’m selling this computer, which has a 250-GB hard drive, for ₹ 5,000.

Relative Adverbs

WHEN (to describe times)
My favourite season is fall, when all the leaves change colour.
WHERE (to describe places)
I visited the neighbourhood where I grew up
WHY (to give a reason)
Do you know the reason why the schools are closed today?

Relative Clauses = Better Sentences In English
(Relative Clauses sentence కు అందాన్ని తెస్తాయి.)
Here is an example of some English sentences without relative clauses:

Yesterday I met a man. He works in the circus.
I bought a cell phone. It has internet access.
There’s the restaurant. I ate at that restaurant last night.

These sentences are correct, but they are very short and simple. You can use relative clauses to make your sentences in English sound more fluent and natural:

Yesterday I met a man who works in the circus.
I bought a cell phone that has internet access.
There’s the restaurant where I ate last night.

Defining And Non-Defining Relative Clauses

Non-defining relative clauses add EXTRA information to the sentence