DEFINING AND
NON-DEFINING
PHRASES AND
CLAUSES
Defining phrases and clauses
They are clauses and phrases that sometimes single out a particular thing or person from two
or more similar things or people, showing which one or ones we are talking about.
It’s the last house on the right This is the hotel we stayed in
The phrase and clause printed in bold are ‘defining’ (they are sometimes also known as
Non-defining phrases and clauses
They are not just clauses and phrases that ‘don’t define’. They are clauses and phrases which
don’t define in that particular context even though the same words in the same place, if spoken or punctuated differently, might do so.
Defining: our house if the one with the new paint
(the new paint distinguishes our house from all the other houses).
Non-defining: our house is the last one in the
street, with the new paint (incidentally, it also has new paint).
Types of defining and non-defining phrases and clauses
Phrases in apposition: we use them to restate something we have said immediately before. Often the two things are equivalent, or one of
They gave me a bottle of elderflower cordial, my favourite drink.
Someone told me to try paracetamol, a pain reliever.
Often the second phrase simply provides
additional information about the first - as in both these examples. These phrases are non-defining.
Phrases in apposition can also have a defining function.
In the following, the phrases the electrician and
the politician are each in apposition to Gordon Brown, and they each define or identify which
Gordon Brown we are concerned with. I’m Gordon Brown the electrician,
In the following, the first phrase in apposition is non-defining (there is only one ‘Daniel
Day-Lewis’) whereas the second is defining (people in Britain often know several John Smiths):
I once saw Daniel Day-Lewis, the actor, walking
through Leicester Square with John Smith, the then leader of the Labour Party.
Preposition phrases: they can also have either a defining or a non-defining function.
In the first of the following examples, with the
yellow stripe has a defining function, identifying
which of several bags belongs to me. In the
second example, with all the kids is non-defining.
The bag with the yellow stripe is mine.
Participle clauses: they are not usually separated from the rest of the sentence by intonation in speech, or by commas in writing.
We gave everything to the woman begging on the stairs.
The tree planted in memory of the earthquake victims has finally borne fruit.
In the following, the participle clauses are non-defining. We use intonation (or, in writing, punctuation) to separate them from the rest of
the sentence.
They burst into the open, shouting and singing as if they had escaped from jail.
He found the missing watch, buried under a pile of rubbish.
Infinitive clauses
Defining infinitive clause: we abandoned the
plan to renovate the barn because we couldn’t get planning permission.
Non-defining clause (here it merely provides additional information about her intention): her
original intention, to stay in Paraguay till Christmas, still seems like the best one to me.
Relative clauses
Both defining and non-defining relative clauses are similar to other kinds of defining and
non-defining clauses and phrases in terms of meaning, information and punctuation.
The following contains two defining relative clauses. The first identifies which scarf (the one you liked), and the second identifies the person
who received it (the organiser of my stay).
I gave the scarf you liked to the person who organised my stay.
The following contains a non-defining clause, providing additional, descriptive detail.
The house, whose doors and windows had been wide open the last time we had passed it, stood
All relative pronouns can be used in defining clauses. We don’t use that in non-defining
clauses. Style
Learners are often taught that we only use non-defining clauses in written English.
Although it may be true that we use them less frequently in speaking, we certainly do use them
in the spoken language.
The bus came at last, which was an enormous relief.
I gave this vase to my brother, who gave it to mum, who gave it back to me.
Non-defining relative clauses are rarer in spoken English when they qualify the subject of the main
clause (and are embedded within the main clause), particularly if they are quite long. This is because these clauses can make the
sentence quite difficult to understand by
postponing the important information that usually follows the subject.
The Borough Council, whose resources have dwindled further in the recent cutbacks, are now considering closing another of their advice centres.
The house, whose doors and windows had been wide open the last time we had passed it, stood
Ambiguous cases
Teachers as well as learners sometimes feel
frustrated because they can’t work out whether a particular phrase or clause is defining or
non-defining. In fact, although (as in all the examples so far in this chapter) the distinction is sometimes very clear, there are also cases in which phrases and clauses are not clearly one or the other. This
In fact, although (as in all the examples so far in this chapter) the distinction is sometimes very clear, there are also cases in which phrases and
clauses are not clearly one or the other. This is true of the following.
There’s one on the shelf in the corner.
Pronunciation
We usually make a distinction in whether
something is defining or non-defining by the way we use intonation. A defining phrase is part of a
larger group of words. We use intonation to show that this is all one group (which hasn’t
worked properly for years is defining)
A: Which TV packed up?
B: The one which hasn’t worked properly for years (one intonation group)
Non-defining information usually forms a group on its own.
We use intonation to show this, and we may also pause briefly between each information group:
The TV, which hasn’t worked properly for years (separate intonation group), has finally packed
Punctuation
It is usually suggested that non-defining clauses and phrases are separated from the main clause
by commas. This is sensible advice to give to learners, and enables them to choose between defining and non-defining clauses and phrases in
However, we often leave out the commas where the context makes it clear that a clause or phrase
doesn’t have a defining function. As the following demonstrates, this practice is very widespread
through a range of genres.
newspaper report, information on packaging, history, ‘literacy’ fiction, popular fiction, formal
SUMMARY
Defining phrases and clauses: they single out a particular thing, showing what we are talking
about.
It’s the last house on the right This is the hotel we stayed in
Our house is the one with the new paint
SUMMARY
Apposition: we use it to restate something we have said immediately before.
Someone told me to try parecetamol, a pain reliever.
I’m Gordon Brown the electrician, not Gordon Brown the politician.
SUMMARY
Grammatical uses
prepositional phrases: the bag with the yellow
stripe is mine
participle clauses: we gave everything to the
SUMMARY
Grammatical uses
infinitive clauses: we abandoned the plan to
renovate the barn because we couldn’t get planning permission.
relative clauses: I gave the scarf you liked to the
SUMMARY
Embedding: on Sunday – the last day – we had
some decent weather.
Non-defining phrases and clauses: they only define if there is something that distinguishes it
on a particular context.
Our house is the last one in the street, with the new paint (incidentally, it also has new paint).
