Relatives

A relative clause is one kind of dependent clause. It has a subject and verb, but can't stand alone as a sentence. It is sometimes called an “adjective clause” because it functions like an adjective—it gives more information about a noun.

•Defining relative clauses: give essential information to understand the sentence. We need the relative to understand the sentence.

• Non-defining relative clauses: give EXTRA information. If we remove the relative clause, the sentence still makes sense.