Restrictive and Non-Restrictive Clauses

Adjective Clauses
Restrictive and Non-Restrictive Clauses	Framed \| Unframed

Read & Contrast

The way you punctuate a sentence with a clause can change it meaning!

RESTRICTIVE -- REFERS TO A SPECIFIC ONE/ KIND -	NONRESTRICTIVE -- REFERS TO ALL
USE NO COMMAS	USE COMMAS
The bio-scientist who creates green energy will make a profit. (True for one kind of bio-scientist.)	The bio-scientist, who creates green energy, will make a profit. (True for all scientists classified as bio-scientists.)
The "green" household that reduces waste will save energy. (True for one kind of household.)	The "green" household, which reduces waste, will save energy. (True for all green households.)

NOTE: Who or that can be used, not which.

NOTE: Who or which can be used, not that.

household=all the people living and working in the house

Join the two sentences into one. Decide whether to add commas to the clause:

If the clause adds information that helps identify noun, don't add commas.
If the clause adds "extra" (non-identifying information) to the noun it modifies, add comma(s).

#	SENTENCE AND CLAUSE	YOUR RESPONSE	REVEAL ANSWER
1	The cat is independent. (true of all cats) CLAUSE: He loves freedom.	use commas no commas	The cat is independent.
2	The dog needs to be taken away. (true of one dog) CLAUSE: The dog bit five children.	use commas no commas	The dog needs to be taken away. The others can stay.
3	The rabbits hopped out into the field. (true of some.) CLAUSE: They wanted to eat alfalfa grass.	use commas no commas	The rabbits hopped out into the field. The others stayed in their holes.
4	The birds catch the worms. (true of some) CLAUSE: They wake up early.	use commas no commas	The birds catch their worms.
5	Dogs are treasured. (true of some dogs) CLAUSE: They love their owners.	use commas no commas	The dog are treasured .
6	Dogs are treasured. (true of all dogs) CLAUSE: They love their owners.	use commas no commas	The dog are treasured .
7	People may suffer heart disease or diabetes. (true of some people) CLAUSE: They are obese. (extremely overweight)	use commas no commas	People may suffer heart disease or diabetes.
8	Athletes have fewer health problems. (true of all athletes) CLAUSE: They exercise daily.	use commas no commas	Athletes have fewer health problems.
9	People get better cardio-exercise. (true of some people) CLAUSE: who go on walks twice a day	use commas no commas	People get better cardio-exercise.
10	The bald eagle is a bird of prey. (true of all eagles) CLAUSE: It has a wing-span of about 75 inches.	use commas no commas	The bald eagle is a bird of prey.

Julie Sevastopoulos - ESL Department - College of San Mateo - San Mateo, CA 94402 USA