Practice B2 relative clauses with defining and non-defining exercises. Clear explanations, examples, and tests to improve your English grammar fast.
Relative Clauses: Defining and Non-Defining Exercises
Relative clauses are used to give information about a noun. They help us to link sentences and avoid repetition and to make our English more natural and fluent. At B2 level it is important to know well the difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses.
What is a Relative Clause?
Relative clauses are parts of a sentence that describe a noun. It normally starts with a relative pronoun like who, which, that, whose, where or when.
Example:
- The woman who lives next door is a doctor.
- This is the book that I told you about.
Defining Relative Clauses
A defining relative clause gives information about the noun which is important. Without it the sentence would be incomplete or unclear.
We do not use commas for defining clauses.
Examples:
- Students who study regularly get better results.
- The phone that I bought yesterday is already broken.
- People who work hard often succeed.
Highlights:
- The clause is important for us to know who or what we are speaking about.
- We can use who, which, that (that is common in informal English).
- Sometimes the relative pronoun can be omitted :
- The book (that) I read was amazing.
Non-Defining Relative Clauses
A non-defining relative clause gives us extra (non-essential) information. It’s not needed to make the sentence clear.
We must place commas around the clause.
Examples:
- My brother, who lives in London, is a teacher.
- This car, which I bought last year, is very reliable.
- Istanbul, which is a historic city, attracts many tourists.
Highlights:
- The information is additional, not required.
- We can’t use that in non-defining clauses.
- The relative pronoun is not omissible.
Defining vs Non-Defining: The Difference Explained
| Feature | Defining Clause | Non-Defining Clause |
|---|---|---|
| Importance | Essential information | Extra information |
| Commas | No commas | Use commas |
| “That” | Can be used | Cannot be used |
| Omission | Possible | Not possible |
Compare:
- The students who passed the exam are happy. (Only some students)
- The students, who passed the exam, are happy. (All students)
Mistakes to avoid
Incorrect: Using commas in defining clausesCorrect: The book that I borrowed is interesting. Incorrect: Using “that” in non-defining clauses
Correct: My car, which is very old, still works. Incorrect: Omitting the relative pronoun in non-defining clauses
Correct: My friend, who I met yesterday, is very kind.
