The nominal group and relative clauses

The information contained by a nominal group can also be expanded through the addition of a clause containing further nominal groups. One type of clause common in nominal groups is a relative clause. A relative clause is dependent clause: that is, the information it contains cannot stand alone, it is dependent on the information contained in the previous (independent) clause. A relative clause is introduced by a relative pronoun such as who, whose, whom, that or which. Relative clauses can also be introduced by relative adverbs such as when, where, why. The function of relative clauses is to modify or describe a noun or pronoun in the independent clause (Oshima and Hogue, 1991: 208).

Here are some examples of relative clauses. The relative clause in each sentence is highlighted:

Notice that there are no commas in these sentences. This is because the relative clause is part of the nominal group: it serves to define and identify it. This type of relative clause is called a defining relative clause.

Another type of relative clause exists: the non-defining relative clause. Non-defining relative clauses provide additional information about the nominal group, but these types of relative clauses are NOT part of the nominal group. Below are some examples of non-defining relative clauses:

Defining relative clauses are a useful way of condensing information and avoiding unnecessary repetition in your writing. The repetition in the following sentences, for example, could be avoided by creating a defining relative clause.