Non-defining relative clauses

Article excerpt · target grammar marked

The castle, which was built in 1830 for a politician named John Keily, was designed by architects James and George Richard Pain.

Grammar Reference · Non-defining relative clauses

Non-defining: who

Use who for people. The clause is set off by commas and adds extra, non-essential information. Zuckerberg, who runs Meta, bought the castle.

Non-defining: which

Use which for things or places. Never use that in a non-defining clause. The estate, which covers 440 acres, is in Waterford.

Non-defining: whose

Use whose to show possession. Giancarla, whose family runs Rocco Forte Hotels, helped restore the estate.

Common error

Never use that in non-defining clauses. The deal, that was private ✗ → The deal, which was private ✓

01Exercise 1 — Form · Write the Correct Form

Non-defining relative clauses

1.Mark Zuckerberg, runs Meta, bought Strancally Castle.

2.The castle, was built in 1830, is in County Waterford.

3.Priscilla Chan, husband is the CEO of Meta, also signed the purchase.

4.James Dyson, bought Ballynatray House in 2024, is also a well-known entrepreneur.

5.The off-market deal, price was not made public, was reported by the Irish Times.

6.Stripe, was co-founded by John Collison, is a major payments platform.

02Exercise 2 — Transform

rewrite with the new structure

1.The estate covers 440 acres. It is in County Waterford.

2.Zuckerberg is the CEO of Meta. He bought the castle for his family.

3.The castle's stonework is made from sandstone and limestone. It was praised by heritage experts.

4.Michael Alen-Buckley restored the estate. His wife Giancarla's family runs Rocco Forte Hotels.

03Exercise 3 — About You

in your notebook

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

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