Nonrestrictive Relative Clause

Understanding Nonrestrictive Relative Clauses

A nonrestrictive relative clause provides additional, non-essential information about a noun or pronoun. Its presence does not alter the fundamental meaning of the sentence, and it is typically separated by commas.

Key Concepts

• Essential vs. Non-Essential: Unlike restrictive clauses, nonrestrictive clauses are not crucial for identifying the noun they modify.
• Comma Usage: Nonrestrictive clauses are always set off by commas (or sometimes dashes or parentheses).
• Pronoun Usage: They often begin with which (for things) or who (for people), but not typically that.

Deep Dive

Consider the difference: “My brother, who lives in London, is visiting next week.” The clause ‘who lives in London’ is nonrestrictive because the speaker likely has only one brother, and the clause simply adds extra detail.

Contrast this with a restrictive clause: “My brother who lives in London is visiting next week.” Here, the clause is essential to identify which brother is visiting, implying the speaker has more than one brother.

Applications

Nonrestrictive clauses are used to:

• Add descriptive details.
• Provide background information.
• Enhance sentence complexity and flow.

Challenges & Misconceptions

A common mistake is omitting the commas, which can turn a nonrestrictive clause into a restrictive one, changing the intended meaning. Another is using that to introduce a nonrestrictive clause, which is grammatically incorrect.

FAQs

Q: When should I use a nonrestrictive clause?
Use it when the information is interesting but not vital to identify the noun.

Q: Can nonrestrictive clauses start with ‘that’?
No, ‘that’ is generally used for restrictive clauses.