Unit: 10 

Grammar:                             Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Clauses P: 148     

       (Independent and dependent clauses)

       I.            Introduction:

A relative clause starts with a relative pronoun. The relative pronouns are:

Subject	Object	Possessive
who	who/whom	whose
which	which	whose
that	that	-

We use relative pronouns to introduce relative clauses. Relative clauses tell us more about people and things:

• Lord Thompson, who is 76, has just retired.
• This is the house which Jack built.

We use:

·         who and whom for people

·         which for things

·         that for people or things.

·         Whose for possesion

    II.            Restrictive vs. Nonrestrictive Clauses :

Depending on the information contained within a clause, it can be either restrictive or nonrestrictive (essential or nonessential). 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.

1)      Restrictive Relative Clauses:

Restrictive clauses are essential to the meaning of the sentence and do not need commas to separate them from the complete sentence.

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.

● The car that hit the cat was red and yellow.

● The school whose Writing Center we are visiting is really impressive.

2)      Nonrestrictive Relative Clauses:

A relative clause is non defining when it can be deleted without affecting the meaning of the sentence; in this case it should be surrounded by commas.

Examples:

● Ms. Johnson , who is very beautiful, is a smart teacher.

● The plumber , whom I called this morning, is already here!

● The car , which I was driving in my senior year, caught fire on I35 in Missouri.

● The car , whose driver jumped out before the accident, was completely destroyed.

Nonrestrictive clauses are not necessary, so they are placed within commas to set them off from the noun they are modifying.

3)      Exercises :

1. Is the clause in the sentence restrictive (R) or nonrestrictive (N-R)?

·         I want to buy the socks that are red. R N-R

·         The store, where we usually buy groceries, is closed. R N-R

·         She is crying, which means she is sad. R N-R

·         The lecture that we must attend has already begun. R N-R

2. Complete the sentences using restrictive clauses only.

·         I want to buy the jacket ___________________________________________________.

·         Sarah left to find the one __________________________________________________.

·         The students __________________________________ always receive fabulous grades. The food _______________________________________________ has disappeared!

3. Complete the sentences using nonrestrictive clauses only.

·         The student went to the store, _______________________________________________. John Wayne, _______________________________, made millions of dollars as an actor. 6

·         My favorite book, ______________________________, is about mothers and daughters.

·         Jessica left for the public library, ____________________________________________.