Relative clauses — the parts of a sentence starting with words like "which," "who," "that," or "whose" — add extra detail to a sentence but can make it feel long and confusing if you are not used to spotting them.
What is a relative clause? A relative clause gives more information about a noun mentioned earlier in the sentence. For example: "The scientist, who had spent thirty years studying coral reefs, published her findings in 2019." The clause "who had spent thirty years studying coral reefs" simply adds detail about the scientist — it is not the main point of the sentence.
Why this matters for comprehension. If you do not recognize a relative clause, you might mistakenly think the extra detail is the sentence's main idea, when it is actually a side note. This can lead to answering questions based on the wrong part of a sentence.
A simple trick: try removing the clause. You can often remove a relative clause (between its commas) and the sentence will still make grammatical sense: "The scientist published her findings in 2019" still works fine without the middle section. This confirms the clause was extra detail, not the core message.
Watch for clauses without commas too. Some relative clauses do not have commas around them and instead directly restrict meaning, such as: "Students who study consistently tend to score higher." Here, the clause "who study consistently" is essential — it specifies which students, so it cannot be removed without changing the meaning.
Build this recognition through practice. The more academic passages you read, the more automatically you will spot relative clauses and separate essential information from added detail. Readlify's passages are written in authentic academic style, giving you consistent, realistic exposure to this exact sentence pattern.