A Non-Defining Adjective Clause is extra information in a sentence. It is not necessary for the meaning of the sentence.
A Defining Adjective Clause, the type of Adjective Clause studied in Grammar 6-1 and 6-2, is a necessary part of a sentence, as it defines which noun the speaker is referring to.
- The phlebotomist who sat down was Mike. (Defining Adjective Clause)
- (In this sentence, you can't omit "who sat down." It is defining which phlebotomist.)
- The patient, who I had never met before, was looking at me strangely. (Non-Defining Adjective Clause)
- (In this sentence, you can omit "who I had never met before." It is simply extra information.)
Non-Defining Adjective Clauses give us secondary (I.E. extra) information about a person or thing.
- My friend John, who is from Mexico, contracted Ebola.
- The CDC’s report, which is on the table, was completed yesterday.
Defining Adjective Clauses are more common in spoken English. Non-Defining Adjective Clauses are more formal and common in writing. In speaking, we usually say two sentences instead of one sentence with a Non-Defining Relative Clause.
- My friend Nelly loves the physician Hippocrates. Nelly is from Colombia. (Spoken)
- My friend Nelly, who is from Colombia, loves the physician Hippocrates. (Written)
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