Relative Clauses

The main focus of the 5^th session of „Text Production“ on November 23^rd was on relative clauses. Next to definitions and different exercises, we also practiced the usage of comma in this session. Relative clauses are non-essential parts of sentences. They can add meaning, but if they are removed, the sentence still function grammatically. Mainly they are used to identify or define the noun which precedes. There are two different types of relative clauses in English.

1)Defining relative clauses:

We use defining clauses to give essential information about someone or something. If we remove a defining relative clause out of a sentence, the meaning of the sentence will change.  The information which we give with a defining relative clause is important to understand what or who is being referred to out of a larger group of people or things. This type of relative clauses usually comes after the noun it describes and is not separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.

This is the girl who wants to buy my bike.

à If I wouldn´t use the clause “who wants to buy my bike”, then my interlocutor can´t  know which girl I actually mean.

2) Non-defining relative clauses:

This type of relative clauses is used to give extra information about the person or thing. But the information, which is given, does not help us to define what we are talking about. In contrast to defining relative clauses, non-defining relative clauses are separated by commas from the rest of the sentence. If this clause is removed out of the sentence, the sentence would still be grammatically correct and the meaning wouldn´t be changed. We only would give the interlocutor less detail.

That Mall, which is the largest in Europe, opens 7 days a week.

à The meaning wouldn´t be changed, if we remove the clause „which is the largest in Europe“. This clause only gives additional but irrelevant information about the noun, which is already identified by the determiner that.