It’s really not too hard if you remember these two types of clause: Nonrestrictive Clauses and Restrictive Clauses A nonrestrictive clause can be eliminated from a sentence without losi
Trang 1Which vs That in Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Clauses
If you’re puzzled about whether to us which or that, don’t panic! It’s really not too hard if you
remember these two types of clause: Nonrestrictive Clauses and Restrictive Clauses
A nonrestrictive clause can be eliminated from a sentence without losing the basic meaning of the
sentence We should use the word which for these types of clauses Nonrestrictive clauses will be set
apart from the rest of the sentence by dashes, commas, or parentheses as in these three examples:
The watch which had been in her family for over sixty years was stolen
Jamie’s kite, which was blue and green, was flying high in the sky
Tiffany’s graduation speech (which had caused a great deal of controversy at the
commencement ceremony) was printed in the local paper
Try reading the sentences without the nonrestrictive clauses Is the basic message of each sentence the same?
A restrictive clause is a clause that is vital to the meaning of the sentence Don’t even try to take
these clauses out of the sentence unless you really want to change the meaning! We use the word
that to mark these types of clauses Because restrictive clauses are vital to sentences, they will not be
set apart with punctuation as shown in these examples After you have read the sentences, go back
and circle the clauses (the part that begins with that) If you read what’s left of the sentences, you
can see that much of the meaning has been lost or changed
The dog that is running down the street is mine
The watch that my mother bought me for my birthday is my favorite watch!
The tests that I have studied for usually go really well
PRACTICE EXERCISE
Now it’s your chance to practice the new grammar knowledge you’ve gained! Fill in the blanks
with either which or that depending on the sentence Good luck!
1 Down by the mall there is a store reminds me of the store by Missy’s house
2 We walked through the entire store ( sold all kinds of kid’s toys) just to see Santa
3 She saw the movie had recently been released with a group of her friends
4 India is a country I would like to visit someday
5 Frankenstein, _ was written by Mary Shelley when she was only seventeen, touches upon many issues that are relevant in our modern society
6 When we were driving to John’s house, we saw the accident _ had held up traffic on the freeway
7 I jogged every morning around the park had the goat statue
8 Maggie worried that she had forgotten to pay her phone bill _ was due yesterday
9 Bobby and Ryan were raising money for the new equipment, _ included new balls and bats
as well as new uniforms
10 We awaited the arrival of the books _ we had ordered online
Answers: 1 that, 2 which, 3 that, 4 that, 5 which, 6 that, 7 that, 8 that, 9 which, 10 that.
Now it’s your turn to write the sentences! How interesting can you make them? Write two
sentences using which in nonrestrictive clauses.
1 _
2 _
Now write two sentences using that in restrictive clauses.
1 _
Trang 22 _
Restrictive vs Non-Restrictive Clauses
Relative clauses can be broken down into two types: (1) restrictive and (2) non-restrictive A
restrictive clause provides information that is pertinent or essential to the meaning of the sentence.
A non-restrictive clause, also called a parenthetical or an appositive, contains information that is
extra Information contained in a non-restrictive clause may be removed from the sentence
altogether without changing the overall meaning of the sentence Because this information is not crucial to the meaning of a sentence, it is set apart with commas, or, more emphatically, with dashes,
or parentheses
Both kinds of clauses can be signaled by the use of wh word (which, when, where, and who) That is
used to signal a restrictive clause Because a restrictive clause contributes to the basic meaning of the sentence, it is not separated from the rest of the sentence with commas or other surrounding
punctuation
The meaning of a sentence can be altered by whether a clause is punctuated so as to show that it is a restrictive clause (giving crucial information) or a non-restrictive clause (giving extra information)
A summary table follows
Restrictive Non-Restrictive (appositive/parenthetical)
a begins with wh words or that may begin with wh words
b presents highly relevant information gives “extra” information
c is not separated from the sentence is separated by commas, dashes, or parentheses
Examples of non-restrictive clauses:
Bill Clinton, who was the former President, cheated on his wife
Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights, which I read in my Victorian novels class this semester, is
a classic
We know that these are non-restrictive clauses because the subjects’ names are given; therefore the
wh clauses are just giving extra information so it is appropriate that these clauses be set off by
commas
Examples of restrictive clauses:
The woman whom I met at the baseball game was wearing my same shirt
The on-screen kiss that I like the best is the one at the end of the movie Clueless.
We know that these are restrictive clauses partly because they are not set aside by commas, but also because we need the information to know what is being talked about
PRACTICE EXERCISE
Read the following sentences and put commas around the non-restrictive clauses Put an N after the sentences that are non-restrictive Put an R after the sentences that contain a
restrictive clause.
Leave those sentences without internal punctuation A few of the sentences could be either, but the meaning would change.
1 Charles Dickens who was great writer in the late 19th Century is the author of Little Dorrit
2 The piece of chocolate cake which probably has a million calories in it was delicious
3 My favorite place to ski is Snow Basin in Utah which is one of the least crowded resorts
4 The guy that my old roommate married is boring
5 He reads and studies maps for fun which is no exaggeration
6 I love the weather which has been so nice lately in Arizona
Trang 37 My graduation from Arizona State University this August which I am extremely elated about has been hard earned
8 I am jealous of the guy in my neighborhood who drives a hot 1969 Chevy Camaro
9 Methods of Teaching English which is my favorite class this semester meets on Tuesday nights
10 I had the answer that made the most sense
Answers: 1 N, 2 N, 3 N, 4 R, 5 N, 6 R, 7 N, 8 R, 9 N, 10 R
Decide which clauses or phrases are non-essential and which are essential and punctuate accordingly.
1 Mr John McCarthy who lives in Toronto is kind and intelligent
2 The Mr John McCarthy who lives in Toronto is kind, but the one who lives in Ottawa is cruel
3 A clause which gives no necessary information is non-essential
4 Psychiatrists who hate to talk to people are usually unsuccessful
5 The second clause which was clearly non-essential was set off with commas
6 All fraternity men who get caught growing marijuana will be expelled
7 My great-grandfather Baldwin who spent most of his life in Alberta used to make his own hickory furniture
8 Priscilla was determined to marry no man who could not repair a wristwatch
9 The person who draws the lucky number will receive a four-pound codfish
10 The old gentleman frying tomatoes is the city constable
11 “Silent Night,” now being sung by the North Bay Children’s Choir is my favorite hymn
12 Perkins working overtime on Saturdays hoped to finish the job by September
13 The question of thermodynamics in family life which so many scientists have ignored is fully treated in one of John Black’s last books
14 I often felt that Mrs Twig was not fond of either of her children, but it was clearly the
daughter whom she hated
15 Redwoods growing on the crest of mountains seldom attain a height of more than 50 feet
16 Colonel Stone who had been 3 years in Africa began to grow homesick
17 The Germans who lost the war suffered fewer casualties than did the victors
18 My aunt who lives in Kingston will spend Christmas with me
19 The old house which is situated on the hill has finally been sold
20 J.B Smith who lives only two blocks away owns a purple cow
21 John Jiles who just inherited a million dollars is now celebrating in the pub
22 Sally Thompson whom you will meet tonight is my third cousin
23 People who know 40 languages are geniuses
24 Please help all the students who fail this exam
25 The author is Samuel Johnson who was born in England