Relative Clauses: Non-Defining, whose/where/when
தொடர்பு வாக்கியங்கள் — மேம்பட்ட வடிவங்கள்
A comma before a relative clause changes its job entirely — from narrowing down which noun you mean to simply adding a side comment about a noun already identified.
Grammar Comparison
இலக்கண ஒப்பீடு
Commas turn 'which one' into 'by the way'
The man who called is my uncle. (no comma — tells you WHICH man) vs. My uncle, who called yesterday, is a doctor. (comma — extra info about an already-identified person)
தமிழில் இந்த வேறுபாடு காற்புள்ளி மூலம் குறிக்கப்படாது, ஆனால் அமைப்பு மூலம் தெளிவாகிறது
Tamil's participle-before-noun structure doesn't use punctuation to mark this distinction — context and the noun itself already make clear whether you're narrowing down an identity or just adding a comment. English relies specifically on commas: no commas means the clause is essential for identifying which noun you mean (defining), while commas around the clause mean it's just extra, removable information about a noun you've already named (non-defining). Also expand your relative-word toolkit here: whose (possession), where (place), and when (time) join who/which/that for more precise connections.
Vocabulary
சொற்கள்
| English | Pronunciation | Tamil |
|---|---|---|
| the man who called | thuh man hoo kawld | அழைச்ச மனிதன்aḻaicha manithan |
| My uncle, who called yesterday, is a doctor. | my UNK-uhl hoo kawld YES-ter-day iz ay DOK-ter | என் மாமா, நேத்து அழைச்சார், டாக்டர்.en māmā, nēththu aḻaichār, doctor. |
| the house where I grew up | thuh hows wair eye groo up | நான் வளர்ந்த வீடுnān vaḷarndha vīḍu |
| the person whose car this is | thuh PER-suhn hooz kar this iz | இது யாருடைய காரோ அந்த நபர்idhu yāruḍaiya kārō andha nabar |