NON- DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
Defining relative clauses
We use defining relative clauses to give essential information about someone or something information that we need in order to understand what or who is being referred to. A defining relative clause usually comes immediately after the noun it describes.
We usually use a relative pronoun (e.g. who, that, which, whose and whom) to introduce a defining relative clause (In the examples, the relative clause is in bold, and the person or thing being referred to is underlined.):
They’re the people who want to buy our house.
Here are some cells which have been affected.
They should give the money to somebody who they think needs the treatment most.
She’s now playing a woman whose son was killed in the First World War.
Spoken English:
In defining relative clauses we often use that instead of who, whom or which. This is very common in informal speaking:
They’re the people that want to buy our house.
Here are some cells that have been affected.
Como ya explicamos arriba las relatives clauses u oraciones de relativo son frases que se unen a una oración principal y sirven para dar información sobre una persona, objeto o lugar que se ha mencionado previamente en la oración principal.
Son, por tanto, oraciones subordinadas que se unen a la frase principal mediante los relative adverbs or pronouns (pronombres o adverbios relativos), palabras que actúan como nexo entre ambas.
Las relative clauses u oraciones de relativo equivalen a oraciones subordinadas adjetivas y, por tanto, hemos de diferenciar entre:
1. Oraciones subordinadas adjetivas especificativas (defining relative clauses)
2. Oraciones subordinadas adjetivas explicativas (non-defining relative clauses)
Cada una tiene unas características y el uso de los pronombres o adverbios relativos cambiará en función del tipo de oración. En este post explicaremos las oraciones subordinadas adjetivas explicativas o non-defining relative clauses.
NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES (explicativas)
Las non-defining relative clauses se caracterizan por dar información extra sobre la persona, cosa o lugar al que nos referimos en la oración principal. La información que añaden las non-defining clauses no es necesaria para comprender a qué nos referimos y, como actúan a modo de explicación.
