Sentence Complexity and Embedding

Adjective Clauses

Restrictive v. Nonrestrictive Relative Clauses

Activity 16.7 shows that there are actually two different types of relative clauses in English. One is called a restrictive relative clause, and the second is called nonrestrictive. Restrictive relative clauses are called restrictive because they set a limit on, or restrict, the head noun that they modify in some way. One way they do this is through the definition or specification of the head noun. That is, the relative clause helps identify the noun it modifies more specifically than if the information were absent. When we read the sentence with a restrictive relative clause, we feel we don’t know much about the noun. Restrictive relative clauses are written without commas.

Nonrestrictive relative clauses are those that act as adjuncts (information that is joined to or adjoined to) to the nouns they modify. They are called nonrestrictive because they do not set any further limit or provide any further specification of the head noun. They merely supply additional descriptive information. Nonrestrictive relative clauses are always set off by commas from the rest of the sentence. When we read the sentence without the relative clauses, we don’t really feel anything of importance has been left out.

Activity 16.8: Restrictive v. Nonrestrictive Relative Clauses

Exercise A – First identify whether the relative clause in each sentence is a restrictive or a nonrestrictive clause. Then, using the main clause as a guide, tell the difference in meanings of the sentences.

1. The children who wanted to slide brought sleds.
2. The children, who wanted to slide, brought sleds.
3. The children who wanted to play hockey brought skates.
4. The children, who wanted to play hockey, brought skates.

Exercise B – To see how the difference between the two types of clauses shows up in extended text, read the following short paragraphs. Find the relative clauses in each and be ready to label each as restrictive or nonrestrictive and explain the meaning in the context of the text.

Last weekend we brought a youth group to the park. The children who wanted to slide brought sleds, and the children who wanted to play hockey brought skates.

Last weekend we brought a youth group to the park. The boys, who wanted to slide, brought sleds. The girls, who wanted to play hockey, brought skates.

Last weekend we brought a youth group to the park. The children, who wanted to slide, brought sleds, and the children, who also wanted to play hockey, brought skates.

Last weekend we brought a youth group to the park. The children, who wanted to slide and play hockey, brought sleds and skates.

Exercise C - Identify whether the following sentences have restrictive or nonrestrictive relative clauses.

1. Cheetahs, which can run 70 miles per hour, are built for speed. ______________________________
2. Cheetahs that are raised in captivity live longer than wild cheetahs. _________________________
3. I picked the beans which were mature. _________________________________
4. I picked the beans, which were mature. ________________________________
5. People along the river, who had received warnings, escaped the flood. _____________________
6. People along the river who had received warnings escaped the flood. _______________________
7. The local newspaper, which told the girl’s story on page 1, raised all the needed money. _________________________________
8. The local newspaper which told the girl’s story on page 1 raised all the needed money. _________________________________

Answers

The exercises in Activity 16.8 should help to show the differences in meanings between restrictive and nonrestrictive relative clauses. As noted earlier, restrictive clauses put a limit on the head noun. In this way, the relative clauses gives the impression to a reader that there are others involved than the ones being talked about. For example, when some one says, “I picked the beans which were mature,” the impression is that there were lots of beans in the garden. Some of them were mature and some weren’t, and the speaker only picked the mature ones. In contrast, when someone says, “I picked the beans, which were mature,” the impression is that the speaker picked all of the beans because all of them were mature, and none are left in garden now.

Adjective Clauses 5