Restrictive And Non-Restrictive Relative Clauses Worksheet For Class 8
An identifying, restrictive or defining relative clause is required to identify the person or thing we are talking about. If you remove an identifying or restrictive relative clause, the sentence will not make much sense or it will have a different meaning.
Note that identifying relative clauses are not separated by commas.
Non-identifying or non-restrictive relative clauses are not required for the identification of the noun we are talking about. They merely provide additional information and they are separated by commas. Note that we cannot use ‘that’ to introduce a non-restrictive relative clause.
Study the example given below.
- People who smoke are more likely to get cancer.
Here the relative clause who smoke is identifying or restrictive because it is required to identify the people we are talking about.
If we remove the relative clause ‘who smoke’ from the sentence, we get ‘people are more likely to get cancer’.
As you can see, this sentence does not make complete sense or its meaning is different from the meaning of the original sentence.
Now another example is given below.
- Gauri, who was with me at school, is now a doctor.
Here the relative clause who was with me at school merely provides additional information. If we remove it, the sentence will still make complete sense.
Restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses worksheet
In the following sentences, state whether the relative clauses are restrictive or non-restrictive.
1. This is Maya, who was with me at college.
2. I know a man who sells watches in the town.
3. Last month I visited France, which is the fashion capital of the world.
4. My son, who lives abroad, is an architect.
5. Smitha, who is an accomplished writer, has won many awards.
6. She married an architect from Chennai, whom she met at a party.
7. Football, which is played all over the world, is my favourite game.
8. Malayalam, which is my mother tongue, is one of the languages spoken in India.
9. I have many friends whom I have known since childhood.
10. The wrist band which I bought for my daughter is made of platinum.
Answers
1. This is Maya, who was with me at college. (Non-restrictive relative clause)
2. I know a man who sells watches in the town. (Restrictive relative clause)
3. Last month I visited France, which is the fashion capital of the world. (Non-restrictive relative clause)
4. My son, who lives abroad, is an architect. (Non-restrictive relative clause)
5. Smitha, who is an accomplished writer, has won many awards. (Non-restrictive relative clause)
6. She married an architect from Chennai, whom she met at a party. (Non-restrictive relative clause)
7. Football, which is played all over the world, is my favourite game. (Non-restrictive relative clause)
8. Malayalam, which is my mother tongue, is one of the languages spoken in India. (Non-restrictive relative clause)
9. I have many friends whom I have known since childhood. (Restrictive relative clause)
10. The wrist band which I bought for my daughter is made of platinum. (Restrictive relative clause)