Lecture Notes: Restrictive and Non-Restrictive Clauses

Introduction

• Objective: Understanding restrictive and non-restrictive clauses.

Restrictive Clauses

• Definition: A clause necessary to identify the word it modifies.
  • Characteristics:
    • Often begins with "who" or "that".
    • No commas are used.
• Example:
  • Sentence: "The astronaut who first stepped on the moon was Neil Armstrong."
  • Explanation: "who first stepped on the moon" is a restrictive clause describing "the astronaut."

Non-Restrictive Clauses

• Definition: A clause not necessary to identify the word it modifies.

  • Characteristics:
    • Often begins with "who" or "which".
    • Commas are used to set off the clause.

• Examples:

  • Sentence 1: "Johnny, who just graduated from college, is an excellent pilot."
    • Explanation: "who just graduated from college" is a non-restrictive clause providing extra information. Without it, the sentence "Johnny is an excellent pilot" is still complete.
  • Sentence 2: "The Jones brothers, which lived down the street, went to school with me."
    • Explanation: "which lived down the street" is a non-restrictive clause providing additional information. Without it, "The Jones brothers went to school with me" is still a complete sentence.

Differences Between Restrictive and Non-Restrictive Clauses

• Restrictive Clause: Essential for sentence completion.
  • Without it, the sentence is incomplete.
• Non-Restrictive Clause: Provides additional, non-essential information.
  • With or without it, the sentence remains complete.
• Comma Usage:
  • Restrictive Clauses: No commas.
  • Non-Restrictive Clauses: Commas are used.

Conclusion

• Key Takeaway: Restrictive clauses are essential and do not use commas, while non-restrictive clauses provide extra information and use commas.
• Advice: Practice identifying and using both types of clauses for clarity in writing.

---

End of Lecture Notes