Restrictive and Nonrestrictive
English relative clauses
Relative clauses in the English language are formed principally by means of relative pronouns. The basic relative pronouns are who, which, and that; who also has the derived forms whom and whose. Various grammatical rules and style guides determine which relative pronouns may be suitable in various situations, especially for formal settings. In some cases the relative pronoun may be omitted and me…
Participle
A participle is a form of a verb that is used in a sentence to modify a noun, noun phrase, verb, or verb phrase, and plays a role similar to an adjective or adverb. It is one of the types of nonfinite verb forms. Its name comes from the Latin participium, a calque of Greek μετοχή "partaking" or "sharing"; it is so named because the Ancient Greek and Latin participles "share" some of the categories of the adjective or n…
Which sentence contains a restrictive phrase?
The sentence that contains a restrictive phrase is, "The window in the living room provides the best natural sunlight. The correct answer is option D. Explanation: A restrictive phrase is an adjective phrase that adds more meaning to the sentence. It is an important part of the sentence and should not be set off by commas.
Which sentences contain a restrictive clause?
Real-Life Examples of Restrictive Clauses
- It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues. ...
- The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. ...
- I live in that solitude which is painful in youth but delicious in the years of maturity. ...
- A man's character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation. ...
What is a restrictive participial phrase?
The ones with commas are restrictive participial phrases; the ones without commas are nonrestrictive participial phrases. When adjective clauses are reduced to participial phrases, the participial phrase inherits the restrictive or nonrestrictive status of its parent adjective phrase.
Which is sentence include a restrictive clause?
A restrictive clause restricts or defines the meaning of a noun or noun phrase and provides necessary information about the noun in the sentence. It is not separated from the rest of the sentence by commas. Restrictive clauses are more common in writing than nonrestrictive clauses.
What is an example of a nonrestrictive phrase?
A nonrestrictive element describes a word whose meaning is already clear without the additional words. It is not essential to the meaning of the sentence and is set off with commas. Example: The children needed sturdy shoes, which were expensive.
What is a restrictive statement?
A restrictive clause restricts or defines the meaning of a noun or noun phrase and provides necessary information about the noun in the sentence. It is not separated from the rest of the sentence by commas. Restrictive clauses are more common in writing than nonrestrictive clauses.
What is a restrictive and nonrestrictive phrase?
A restrictive clause introduces information that is necessary to the meaning of the sentence. A nonrestrictive clause can be removed without changing the meaning. Restrictive clauses require no punctuation; nonrestrictive clauses are usually separated from the independent clause with commas.
What is a non restricted phrase?
A nonrestrictive phrase or clause is one that adds information but is not essential to the meaning of the sentence.
How do you write a restrictive clause?
Restrictive clauses are usually introduced by the relative pronouns that, who, whom, or whose. A restrictive clause can have an identifying function. The astronaut who first stepped on the moon was Neil Armstrong. The restrictive clause in this sentence is who first stepped on the moon.
What is restrictive relative clause with example?
Restrictive Relative Clauses A relative clause is defining when its input is necessary to understand the noun it explains; without it, the noun does not make much sense. Examples: The woman who lives across the street watches my cat when I go on vacation. The person whom I called today was my high school teacher.
Which sentence contains a non-restrictive clause?
The correct sentence is - The teacher packed picnic lunches for all the students—which they loved—and ate lunch outside with them at recess. A nonrestrictive clause is a type of adjective clause offering additional detail on a word that already has a specific meaning.
What is the difference between restrictive and non-restrictive modification?
restrictive modifiers. A non-restrictive modifier adds information that is not essential to our understanding of the sentence; if we remove it from the sentence, the basic meaning of the sentence does not change. A restrictive modifier identifies, or limits the reference of, the noun it modifies.
What are the 5 relative clauses?
We attach relative clauses to independent clauses using relative pronouns or relative adverbs. There are five relative pronouns—that, which, who, whom, and whose—and three relative adverbs—where, when, and why. Deciding when to use “that” and “which” can be puzzling. “That” refers to things and never refers to people.
What is a restrictive element and what is the comma rule?
A restrictive element defines or limits the meaning of the word it modifies and is therefore essential to the meaning of the sentence. Because it contains essential information, a restrictive element is not set off with commas.
Can you use which in a restrictive clause?
In today's usage which and that are both used to introduce restrictive clauses, those which cannot be removed from the context of the sentence, and which is also used to introduce nonrestrictive clauses, those which provide additional information but can be removed without the sentence falling apart.
Which statements describe characteristics of a restrictive clause?
It adds nonessential information to the sentence. It contains a subject and a verb. It is not set apart by punctuation.
What is a restrictive covenant on a property?
A restrictive covenant is a contract between 2 landowners. One landowner promises the other landowner not to carry out certain acts on their own land. Restrictive covenants usually happen when somebody selling land wishes to restrict what the buyer can do with it.
Which is used with restrictive clauses?
Whether to use that and which depends on whether the clause it introduces is restrictive or non-restrictive. A restrictive clause means that the information in the clause is necessary to understand the preceding noun. For a restrictive clause, use that.
What is non restrictive relative clause?
A nonrestrictive relative clause is a relative clause (also called an adjective clause) that adds nonessential information to a sentence. In other words, a nonrestrictive relative clause, also known as a non-defining relative clause, doesn't limit or restrict the noun or noun phrase it modifies.
What's the meaning of dependent clause?
A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb but does not express a complete thought. A dependent clause cannot be a sentence.
What is restrictive clause?
What Is a Restrictive Clause? (with Examples) A restrictive clause is a clause that identifies the word it modifies. A restrictive clause is essential for meaning. A restrictive clause is not offset with commas. For example: The boy who broke the window is at the door. (The shaded text is a restrictive clause.
What is the difference between restrictive clauses and non-restrictive clauses?
Restrictive clauses contrast with non-restrictive clauses. Unlike restrictive clauses, non-restrictive clauses are not essential for meaning. They just provide bonus information. Non-restrictive clauses are so unessential, they can be deleted, put in brackets or – more commonly – offset with commas.
How to make a sentence sound natural?
You can often reduce your word count and create a more natural-sounding sentence by omitting a "which," "that," or "who" at the start of a restrictive clause. Strike a balance with clarity though. If the omission makes your text less clear, don't go with it.
What is the art of preventing people from taking part in affairs that properly concern them?
Politics is the art of preventing people from taking part in affairs that properly concern them. (Remember that Americans don't like using "which" to start a restrictive clause.) It's worth saying, at this point, that "that" never starts a non-restrictive clause (not in British English or American English).
Do you put a comma around a restrictive clause?
Don't put commas around a restrictive clause (i.e., one that's essential for identification). (NB: If you'd happily delete your clause, then it's not a restrictive clause, and it should be offset with commas.)
Can you delete a non-restrictive clause?
We could delete the non-restrictive clause or put it in brackets if we wanted. That's a good test for a non-restrictive clause: Test for a Non-restrictive Clause. If you'd happily put it in brackets or delete it, use commas. Writers often ask whether they put a comma before "who" and "which.".
Is restrictive clause shaded or bold?
In each example, the restrictive clause is shaded, and the noun it identifies is in bold.
What does it mean when a phrase is restrictive?
Definition: A phrase is restrictive (also called essential) if it narrows down the word it modifies. It tells which one of a noun you are writing about. A restrictive phrase is necessary to the meaning of the sentence.
What is a nonrestrictive phrase?
A phrase is nonrestrictive (also called nonessential) if we know exactly who or what is being written about without the phrase. A nonrestrictive phrase is simply adding extra information. Nonrestrictive phrases need commas around them.
Do restrictive phrases have commas?
Restrictive phrases do not have commas around them. The man wearing the white jacket is our coach. There are several men. Wearing the white jacket restricts which man is the coach. If we take the phrase out, we don't know who the coach is.
When can a relative pronoun be omitted?
When the relative pronoun functions as the object of the sentence, it can (and usually is) omitted from the relative clause.
What is a relative clause?
Relative Clause. This is a clause that generally modifies a noun or a noun phrase and is often introduced by a relative pronoun ( which, that, who, whom, whose ). A relative clause connects ideas by using pronouns that relate to something previously mentioned and allows the writer to combine two independent clauses into one sentence.
Why do we put commas in a sentence?
It uses commas to show that the information is additional. The commas almost act like parentheses within the sentence. If the information between the commas is omitted, readers will still understand the overall meaning of the sentence. A nonrestrictive clause is also known as a nonessential clause or phrase.
Why use relative clauses in a sentence?
Use relative clauses to create more sentence variety.
Why do we reduce relative clauses?
In academic writing, relative clauses are often reduced for a more concise style. This also creates more sentence variety. When reducing a relative clause, it is necessary to delete the relative pronoun and either delete or change the verb. Here are some examples:
Can a relative pronoun be deleted in a nonrestrictive clause?
A relative pronoun cannot be deleted in a nonrestrictive clause. CORRECT: Minneapolis, which has a population of about 400,000, is the largest city in Minnesota. INCORRECT: Minneapolis, has a population of about 400,000, is the largest city in Minnesota. CORRECT: I had to fix my printer, which I bought less than a year ago.
What is the difference between a restrictive clause and a nonrestrictive clause?
A restrictive clause modifies the noun that precedes it in an essential way. Restrictive clauses limit or identify such nouns and cannot be removed from a sentence without changing the sentence’s meaning. A nonrestrictive clause, on the other hand, describes a noun in a nonessential way.
What would happen if the restrictive clause who eat vegetables was removed from this sentence?
If the restrictive clause who eat vegetables were removed from this sentence, the intended limits on the noun children would be no more.
Why are restrictive clauses considered essential clauses?
Because restrictive clauses provide key, identifying information, they are often referred to as essential clauses, and nonrestrictive clauses are also called nonessential clauses for the opposite reason. They are both types of relative clauses because the information they provide relates to the subject of another clause.
Why is Grammarly important?
Grammarly can save you from misspellings, grammatical and punctuation mistakes, and other writing issues on all your favorite websites. Be the best writer in the office. The terminology in this area of grammar can be confusing, so let’s get that out of the way. Because restrictive clauses provide key, identifying information, ...
Why are relative clauses considered adjectives?
They are both types of relative clauses because the information they provide relates to the subject of another clause. As if that weren’t enough, both function as adjective clauses, because they describe their noun antecedents.
Is it acceptable to substitute which in restrictive clauses?
In British English, it is often acceptable to substitute which in restrictive clauses.
Do you put a comma on a relative clause?
Commas and Relative Clauses. A broad rule you can apply to relative clauses in order to punctuate them correctly is that restrictive clauses are never offset by commas, whereas nonrestrictive clauses are. One way to remember this is that nonrestrictive clauses are removable, and commas mark the removable part of the sentence.
