Relative Clauses Non Defining

Respuesta correcta: A) My sister, who lives in Cuenca, is a doctor.

• A) My sister, who lives in Cuenca, is a doctor.The clause between commas adds extra information and is not essential.
• B) My sister who lives in Cuenca is a doctor.Without commas the clause identifies which sister is meant: a defining clause.
• C) The car which is parked outside is mine.'Which is parked outside' restricts the noun 'car': a defining clause.
• D) The students who study here pass the exam.The clause selects the students: a defining relative clause.

Respuesta correcta: B) A defining clause identifies the noun; a non-defining clause adds extra information

• A) There is no difference between the two typesThey differ in punctuation and in their function.
• B) A defining clause identifies the noun; a non-defining clause adds extra informationThe presence of commas and the role of the clause differ.
• C) Only the defining clause uses 'who'Both types use 'who', 'which' and 'that'.
• D) Only the non-defining clause uses a verbBoth clauses contain verbs, as any clause does.

Respuesta correcta: D) who

• A) which'Which' is used for things, not for people, even in a non-defining clause.
• B) thatDefining clauses allow 'that'; non-defining clauses normally do not.
• C) what'What' introduces a noun clause, not a relative clause about a noun.
• D) who'Who' is used in a non-defining clause that adds extra information about people.

Respuesta correcta: A) which

• A) which'Which' with commas introduces non-essential information about 'car'.
• B) who'Who' is for people, not for a car.
• C) what'What' cannot be the relative pronoun of a noun in this structure.
• D) whose'Whose' expresses possession, which is not the relation here.

Respuesta correcta: B) The teacher, who is from Quito, will retire.

• A) The teacher, that is from Quito, will retire.Non-defining clauses do not use 'that' in standard usage.
• B) The teacher, who is from Quito, will retire.A non-defining clause with 'who' between commas is correct.
• C) The teacher which is from Quito will retire.'Which' refers to objects; for people one uses 'who'.
• D) The teacher, who is from Quito will retire, retire.The comma placement makes the sentence ungrammatical.

Respuesta correcta: D) It refers to Maria

• A) It refers to the motherThe mother appears later in the sentence and is not the antecedent.
• B) It refers to both peopleA non-defining clause refers to a single antecedent.
• C) It has no referentThe antecedent is clearly identified by position and by commas.
• D) It refers to Maria'Who lives abroad' adds information about Maria, not about the mother.

Respuesta correcta: A) The students who study in the library pass the exam.

• A) The students who study in the library pass the exam.The clause selects a subgroup of students: a defining clause.
• B) The students, who study in the library, pass the exam.With commas the clause becomes non-defining and changes the meaning.
• C) The students which study in the library pass the exam.'Which' refers to objects; 'students' is a person noun.
• D) The students what study in the library pass the exam.'What' does not function as a relative pronoun here.

Respuesta correcta: B) The museum, which was built in 1990, is free on Sundays.

• A) The museum, who was built in 1990, is free on Sundays.'Who' is reserved for people.
• B) The museum, which was built in 1990, is free on Sundays.'Which' refers to 'the museum', a thing: a non-defining clause.
• C) The museum, what was built in 1990, is free on Sundays.'What' cannot serve as the relative pronoun of 'the museum'.
• D) The museum, whose was built in 1990, is free on Sundays.'Whose' expresses possession and needs a following noun.

Respuesta correcta: D) They mark the clause as additional, non-essential information

• A) They mark a list of itemsOnly one item is listed; commas here do not enumerate.
• B) They are required by the verb 'works'Punctuation follows the type of clause, not the verb.
• C) They are optional and carry no meaningRemoving them changes the meaning of the sentence.
• D) They mark the clause as additional, non-essential informationThe commas signal that the main clause stands without the relative clause.

Respuesta correcta: B) The book, that I borrowed, is on the table.

• A) The book, which I borrowed, is on the table.A non-defining clause with 'which' between commas is correct.
• B) The book, that I borrowed, is on the table.Non-defining clauses do not use 'that' in standard English.
• C) The book which I borrowed is on the table.A defining clause with 'which' and no commas is correct.
• D) The books, which I borrowed, are on the table.A non-defining clause with 'which' is also correct here.

Respuesta correcta: C) It identifies which man is meant

• A) It adds optional information about the neighbourWithout the clause the sentence would not identify the man.
• B) It describes the neighbour's jobThe clause gives no information about his occupation.
• C) It identifies which man is meantRemoving the clause would leave the reference ambiguous.
• D) It explains why the man calledThe clause states who called, not the reason for the call.

Respuesta correcta: B) whose

• A) who'Who' refers to people and cannot express possession here.
• B) whose'Whose roof' expresses possession within a non-defining clause.
• C) which'Which' cannot be followed by a noun in this possessive construction.
• D) what'What' does not express possession in this structure.

Respuesta correcta: C) The altitude explains the cool climate

• A) The climate is the cause of the altitudeThe causal relation runs from altitude to climate.
• B) Quito is the highest city in the worldThe text gives the altitude but makes no comparative claim.
• C) The altitude explains the cool climateThe relative clause supplies the reason for the stated effect.
• D) Quito has no warm seasonsThe text mentions a cool climate without denying warm periods.

Respuesta correcta: D) She passed the exam, which surprised everyone.

• A) She passed the exam which surprised everyone.Placed immediately after the noun, 'which' would refer to the exam itself.
• B) She passed which the exam everyone.The word order is not grammatical.
• C) She passed the exam, who surprised everyone.'Who' refers to people and cannot stand for an entire clause.
• D) She passed the exam, which surprised everyone.'Which' refers to the whole preceding statement, not to a noun.

Respuesta correcta: C) Ecuador, which is in South America, has 24 provinces.

• A) Ecuador which is in South America has 24 provinces.The clause here defines the country, which the proper name already does.
• B) Ecuador, that is in South America, has 24 provinces.Non-defining clauses do not use 'that'.
• C) Ecuador, which is in South America, has 24 provinces.Because 'Ecuador' already identifies the referent, the clause adds extra information.
• D) Ecuador, who is in South America, has 24 provinces.'Who' refers to people and cannot be used for a country.

Respuesta correcta: A) The hotel, that overlooks the park, is cheap.

• A) The hotel, that overlooks the park, is cheap.'That' is not permitted in a non-defining clause.
• B) The hotel, which overlooks the park, is cheap.This is the correct non-defining form with 'which'.
• C) The hotel which overlooks the park is cheap.This is a correct defining clause without commas.
• D) The hotels, which overlook the park, are cheap.A plural non-defining clause with 'which' is also correct.

Respuesta correcta: C) who

• A) which'Which' is not used for people.
• B) that'That' cannot introduce a non-defining clause.
• C) who'Who' refers to the people mentioned and adds non-essential information.
• D) whose'Whose' would express possession, which is not the relation described.

Respuesta correcta: D) They are always set off by commas

• A) They never use commasThey are usually enclosed in commas in standard punctuation.
• B) They only modify verbsRelative clauses modify nouns, not verbs.
• C) They can only follow proper nounsThey can follow any noun, common or proper.
• D) They are always set off by commasThe commas mark the clause as optional extra information.

Respuesta correcta: C) That the eruption happened last week

• A) That the volcano is the largest in the countryNo size comparison appears in the sentence.
• B) That the capital has no other volcanoesThe clause says nothing about other volcanoes.
• C) That the eruption happened last week'Which erupted last week' supplies a time detail about the eruption.
• D) That the ash damaged the housesThe sentence mentions ash over the capital, not damage to houses.

Respuesta correcta: A) Do you like the book that I recommended?

• A) Do you like the book that I recommended?The clause specifies which book is meant among several.
• B) Do you like the book, which I recommended?The commas make the clause non-defining and remove that specification.
• C) Do you like the book, what I recommended?'What' cannot be a relative pronoun here.
• D) Do you like the book, who I recommended?'Who' refers to people and cannot be used here.