Non-defining relative clauses

Article excerpt · target grammar marked

The Irish language, which had been spoken by fewer than 100,000 people as a first language, was suddenly trending. The Irish government, which has been supporting the language since independence in 1922, has invested heavily in television, radio, and education.

Grammar Reference · Non-defining relative clauses

Non-defining: who

Adds extra info about a person. The teacher, who trained in Dublin, speaks three languages. — remove it, the sentence still works.

Non-defining: which

Adds extra info about a thing. The app, which launched last year, has ten million users. — always separated by commas.

Whose / where / when

Possession, place, time. The town, whose population fell, is now recovering. Same comma rule applies.

Common error

The app, that launched last year... ✗ — never use that in a non-defining clause. Use which.

01Exercise 1 — Form · Write the Correct Form

Non-defining relative clauses

1.The documentary, was filmed in Connemara, won three awards.

2.Rosa Mendes, grew up speaking two languages, now runs a language school.

3.The 1840s, the famine struck, changed Irish society permanently.

4.Galway, many Irish speakers still live, hosts an annual language festival.

5.The Duolingo course, is free to use, now has millions of learners.

6.The young presenter, parents both speak Irish, became a TV star at 22.

02Exercise 2 — Transform

rewrite with the new structure

1.TG4 launched in 1996. It gave Irish a modern identity.

2.Séamas de Faoite posts videos online. He has over 200,000 followers.

3.The famine began in 1845. It destroyed many Irish-speaking communities.

4.The diaspora community is spread across the world. Their families left Ireland generations ago.

5.Connemara is a region in the west of Ireland. Many people there still speak Irish daily.

6.The 1990s saw a new wave of interest in Irish. TG4 launched during this decade.

03Exercise 3 — About You

in your notebook

Personalise: complete five sentences about yourself using the target grammar.

Non-defining relative clauses01classplan.ai