Final answer:
Animate and inanimate relative clauses are used in English grammar to provide additional information about a noun or pronoun. An animate relative clause describes a living thing, while an inanimate relative clause describes an object or non-living thing.
Step-by-step explanation:
Animate and inanimate relative clauses are used in English grammar to provide additional information about a noun or pronoun. An animate relative clause refers to a clause that describes a noun or pronoun that represents a living thing, such as a person or an animal. For example, in the sentence 'The sloth carried her baby on her back,' the relative clause 'that carried her baby on her back' describes the noun 'sloth,' which represents a living thing.
On the other hand, an inanimate relative clause refers to a clause that describes a noun or pronoun that represents an object or a non-living thing. For example, in the sentence 'A tornado destroyed the neighborhood,' the relative clause 'that destroyed the neighborhood' describes the noun 'tornado,' which represents a non-living thing.
It is important to note that the distinction between animate and inanimate relative clauses is based on the noun or pronoun being referred to, not the verb used in the clause.