Comparison Chart. What is a defining relative clause? While both types of relative clauses add extra information to the sentence, a defining relative clause clearly adds detail about a specific noun that is defined. Examples: “My brother who finished university this summer is spending the year travelling.” “The house whose doors are shuttered is rumoured to be haunted!” In both the examples above, you can see an extra clause in the middle of the sentence following the words “who” or “whose” which contain additional information. They relate to a specific noun that has been pointed out uniquely identified: “my brother” or “the house”. So how do you put together a defining relative clause? You’ll need to use a relative pronoun such as “who”, “whose” or “which”. An important point to note is that without the additional clause, the sentence would not retain the same meaning. What is a non-defining relative clause? N
