Can you explain the differences between non-restrictive relative clauses and restrictive relative clauses?

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Welcome to our lesson on relative clauses. Relative clauses are dependent clauses that modify nouns by providing additional information about them. They contain a subject and verb, begin with a relative pronoun, and modify a noun in the main clause. Let's look at two examples: 'The book that I read' and 'My sister, who lives in Paris.' In both cases, the relative clause gives us more information about the main noun. Restrictive relative clauses provide essential information that identifies or limits the noun they modify. They have several key characteristics: they are essential for meaning, use no commas, can use relative pronouns like 'that', 'who', or 'which', and cannot be removed without changing the sentence's meaning. For example, 'The students who studied hard passed the exam' versus 'The students passed the exam.' The restrictive clause 'who studied hard' is essential because it specifies which students passed. Without it, the meaning changes significantly, suggesting all students passed rather than just those who studied hard.