Front

What is a restrictive clause?

Back

A restrictive clause is a part of a sentence that provides essential information about the noun it modifies. It cannot be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Front

What is a nonrestrictive clause?

Back

A nonrestrictive clause adds extra information to a sentence but is not essential to its meaning. It can be removed without altering the main idea of the sentence.

Front

How do you identify a restrictive clause in a sentence?

Back

A restrictive clause usually does not have commas around it and is necessary to understand which specific person or thing is being referred to.

Front

How do you identify a nonrestrictive clause in a sentence?

Back

A nonrestrictive clause is typically set off by commas and provides additional information that can be omitted without changing the sentence's overall meaning.

Front

What punctuation is used with nonrestrictive clauses?

Back

Nonrestrictive clauses are always set off by commas.

Front

What punctuation is used with restrictive clauses?

Back

Restrictive clauses do not use commas.

Front

Example of a restrictive clause in a sentence.

Back

The book that I borrowed from the library is fascinating.

Front

Example of a nonrestrictive clause in a sentence.

Back

My brother, who lives in New York, is visiting us next week.

Front

What happens if you remove a restrictive clause from a sentence?

Back

Removing a restrictive clause changes the meaning of the sentence or makes it unclear.

Front

What happens if you remove a nonrestrictive clause from a sentence?

Back

Removing a nonrestrictive clause does not change the main meaning of the sentence; it only removes extra information.