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comma/not before 'who' [relative pronoun]: Where is James, who was...

Use the comma, as 'who was waiting for me' is non-defining.

(And don't use it if it is defining: 'Where is the James who was waiting for me?')
Hi, I decided to use this thread to post a question on defining and non-defining relative clauses. In one of the FCE coursebooks I have come across a passage where I had to put relative pronouns and commas, if necessary.

Justin Timberlake was one of several singers ............. were first discovered on the popular TV show The Mickey Mouse Club ........ first began in the 1950s. Other Club singers ......... went on to become famous were Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

I would choose as follows:

Justin Timberlake was one of several singers who/that were first discovered on the popular TV show The Mickey Mouse Club, which first began in the 1950s. Other Club singers who/that went on to become famous were Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

However, some of my friends opt for 'Other Club singers, who went on to become famous, were Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.'
Shouldn't we here define the club singers? If no, what's the difference in meaning?
Thanks for help!
Hi, I decided to use this thread to post a question on defining and non-defining relative clauses. In one of the FCE coursebooks I have come across a passage where I had to put relative pronouns and commas, if necessary.

Justin Timberlake was one of several singers ............. were first discovered on the popular TV show The Mickey Mouse Club ........ first began in the 1950s. Other Club singers ......... went on to become famous were Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

I would choose as follows:

Justin Timberlake was one of several singers who/that were first discovered on the popular TV show The Mickey Mouse Club, which first began in the 1950s. Other Club singers who/that went on to become famous were Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

However, some of my friends opt for 'Other Club singers, who went on to become famous, were Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.'
Shouldn't we here define the club singers? If no, what's the difference in meaning?
Thanks for help!

Restrictive clause:
Other Club singers who went on to become famous were Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.
= Some people who (a) were other Club singers, and (b) went on to be famous include: Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera.

Non-restrictive clause:
Other Club singers, who went on to become famous, were Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.
Other Club singers went on to become famous.
Other Club singers were Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

The restrictive clause (without commas) is correct here.
Thanks a lot! :)

One more thing..I was wondering if this sentence is ok:

In the 1990s and the 2000s, decades in which 'boy bands' and 'girl bands' became popular, music fashion was heavily influenced by hip-hop.

My question is about the comma after 2000s. It's ok to put 'decades' between the comma and the pronoun? I thought comma is put between the noun and a non-defining relative clause.

Thanks! :)
The sentence is fine. The phrase in commas ("decades...") is a supplementary noun-phrase in apposition to "the 1990s and the 2000s", and the clause "in which..." is actually a defining relative clause.
Thank you for help :)

However, I am a little bit confused now. I thought the information between the commas is extra information, therefore a non-defining clause. The sentence makes sense without the part in commas. Could you explain this? :)
You can call the information between the commas a non-defining (or supplementary) phrase, but it is a noun-phrase consisting of a noun ("decades") qualified by a defining relative clause ("in which 'boy bands' and 'girl bands' became popular"). In other words, the defining relative clause is inside your non-defining noun-phrase. The noun "decades" is not part of the relative clause.
hmmm...ok :) Thanks a lot!

I'll try this one. What if we change the sentence to 'In the 1990s and the 2000s, when 'boy bands' and 'girl bands' became popular, music fashion was heavily influenced by hip-hop'. Is this now a typical non-defining clause?
Your "when"-phrase is more likely to be analysed as a supplementary time-adjunct.

An example of a non-defining relative clause would be:
During the decades of the 1990s and the 2000s, in which 'boy bands' and 'girl bands' became popular, music fashion was heavily influenced by hip-hop.
Hello again! :)

another exercise from relative clauses and another question from me :)

I need to combine the following sentences:

A job was advertised. A lot of people applied for it. Few of them had the necessary qualifications.

The sentence should start with 'Few of'
My idea is:

Few of the people who applied for the job, which was advertised, had the necessary qualifications.

Is it ok? or there should not be commas?
Hello again! :)

another exercise from relative clauses and another question from me :)

I need to combine the following sentences:

A job was advertised. A lot of people applied for it. Few of them had the necessary qualifications.

The sentence should start with 'Few of'
My idea is:

Few of the people who applied for the job, which was advertised, had the necessary qualifications.

Is it ok? or there should not be commas?

I believe there should be no commas in "Few of the people who applied for the job which was advertised had the necessary qualifications."
The sentence needs to describe the specific job that was advertised.
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