Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Clauses—What’s the Difference?

A restrictive clause modifies the noun that precedes it in an essential way. Restrictive clauses limit or identify such nouns and cannot be removed from a sentence without changing the sentence’s meaning. A nonrestrictive clause, on the other hand, describes a noun in a nonessential way.

The terminology in this area of grammar can be confusing, so let’s get that out of the way. Because restrictive clauses provide key, identifying information, they are often referred to as essential clauses, and nonrestrictive clauses are also called nonessential clauses for the opposite reason. They are both types of relative clauses because the information they provide relates to the subject of another clause.

As if that weren’t enough, both function as adjective clauses, because they describe their noun antecedents.

Aren’t you glad we cleared that up?

Restrictive Clauses Narrow Things Down

Restrictive clauses are usually introduced by the relative pronouns that, who, whom, or whose. A restrictive clause can have an identifying function.

The astronaut who first stepped on the moon was Neil Armstrong.

The restrictive clause in this sentence is who first stepped on the moon. If we stripped it from the sentence, we would be left with this:

The astronaut was Neil Armstrong.

There is nothing grammatically wrong with this Spartan sentence. However, it does not have the same intent as the former example, which was to identify the person who first set foot on the moon’s surface.

A restrictive clause can also have a limiting function.

Children who eat vegetables are likely to be healthy.

If the restrictive clause who eat vegetables were removed from this sentence, the intended limits on the noun children would be no more.

Children are likely to be healthy.

Obviously, our intention with the first sentence was to point out which children, from among the world’s multitudes, perform a behavior likely to sustain their health. Thus, who eat vegetables is an essential element of that sentence.

Nonrestrictive Clauses Give Bonus Info

Nonrestrictive clauses provide additional but optional descriptions that can be excised from a sentence without altering its meaning or structure.

Kaylee, who just graduated from high school, is an accomplished figure skater.

While the nonrestrictive clause who just graduated from high school offers a good description of the subject of this sentence, Kaylee, the sentence retains its meaning without it.

Kaylee is an accomplished figure skater.

Commas and Relative Clauses

A broad rule you can apply to relative clauses in order to punctuate them correctly is that restrictive clauses are never offset by commas, whereas nonrestrictive clauses are. One way to remember this is that nonrestrictive clauses are removable, and commas mark the removable part of the sentence. Restrictive clauses, on the other hand, are essential; they need to blend with their sentences seamlessly, without commas.

Would you lend me the book, that you recommended last week?

Would you lend me the book that you recommended last week?

Oliver Twist which was Dickens’s second novel is a classic.

Oliver Twist, which was Dickens’s second novel, is a classic.

Deciding between That and Which

Confusion about when to use that and which has arisen for good reason: British and American English have different rules for them. In American English, that is used to introduce restrictive clauses, and which introduces nonrestrictive clauses.

The lamp, which was given to me by Aunt Betsy, is on the bedside table.

The lamp that Aunt Betsy gave me is on the bedside table.

In British English, it is often acceptable to substitute which in restrictive clauses.

The lamp which Aunt Betsy gave me is on the bedside table.

Of course, that could also be used acceptably in British English, which makes it safer, by default, to follow the American rule when in doubt. It also makes it easier to decide whether to insert commas, because if you follow the American rules, you can remember that commas should not precede that, but they should precede which.

A third option for the last example would be to rewrite it to omit all relative pronouns. If you can do that successfully, the clause is definitely restrictive.

The lamp Aunt Betsy gave me is on the bedside table.

Now that you have taken the time to learn these important rules, one thing has no restrictions at all: the limits of your writing.

Sequence of Tenses–Grammar Rules

The rules governing verb tenses are dictated by logic; an action in the future obviously cannot happen before an action in the past. In writing, it’s a matter of looking at your clauses and sentences and determining when each action is happening relative to everything else. The past must come before the present, and the present before the future, etc. Pay particular attention to the verb sequence when you have a dependent clause before an independent clause, or a result clause before the if-clause.

When an independent clause is in the past tense, any dependent clauses must also be written in the past tense, not the present tense or the future tense. Consider the example below for an illustration of this rule:

The cat was bathing because his feet are dirty.

The cat was bathing because his feet will be dirty.

Because the tense of the independent clause is in the past (was bathing), the verb in the dependent clause should also be in the past, as illustrated in the sentence below:

The cat was bathing because his feet were dirty.

As with many rules in English, however, there is an exception. In cases where a universal truth is conveyed, the present tense may be used after the past tense. Consider this example:

Even the early doctors knew that washing hands prevents infection.

The fact that handwashing prevents infection is a universal truth that doesn’t change with time, so it can be expressed in the present tense. Of course, the rule regarding the sequence of tenses doesn’t mean that the actual verbs have to be in chronological order, just the actions. We can put the dependent clause at the beginning of the sentence, as illustrated below:

Athena will continue to learn English when she gets to the States.

It’s alright to have the future tense (will continue) before the present tense (gets) because the temporal conjunction (when) shows that the second action actually happens first.

Surprise, Suprise or Surprize —Which Is Correct?

• Surprise is the correct way to spell the word.
• Surprize was once an alternative spelling, but it’s very rarely used today.
• Suprise is not an acceptable way to spell surprise.

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Once upon a time, it was possible to choose between two spellings of surprise, but nowadays there’s only one.

How to Spell Surprise

There is only one generally accepted spelling of surprise: two r’s and two s’s in total. Spelling the word without the first r—suprise—is an easy mistake to make. We often don’t pronounce the first r, suh-prize, which might lead you to think that there’s no r there at all. But there is:

Sylvia surprised us when she came home for the holidays.

He came home to find an unpleasant suprise—his dog had chewed up all of his shoes.

I’m throwing my sister a big surprise party for her birthday.

It’s not a suprise if you knew it was going to happen.

Surprize was once a common alternative spelling of surprise, but it’s now considered archaic, so you should avoid it.

It was a surprisingly comfortable flight.

The surprize came too late.

Examples

These screaming children were so excited when Iron Man made a surprise appearance at a birthday party.

The Daily Mirror

So, there was plenty of surprise when an email from the iPhone maker dropped into inboxes earlier in the week.

Irish Examiner

What can you do if you’re on the receiving end of surprise billing?

CBS News

In some cases, learning a couple of very helpful spelling rules can help you avoid making a spelling mistake, but with surprise, you need to remember that there are two r’s and two s’s. This one isn’t a matter of choice like apologise-apologize or realise-realize.

Truly or Truely —Which Is Correct?

• Truly is the only acceptable way to spell the adverbial form of the adjective true.
• Truely is not an alternative spelling; it’s a common mistake.

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Some adjectives like nice, fine, and blue retain their final e when adding the adverb suffix -ly: nicely, finely, and bluely. With truly, this is not the case.

Is It Truly or Truely?

Although some monosyllabic adjectives ending with “e” retain it when they adopt the -ly suffix to become adverbs, true isn’t one of them. This might be the reason some people mistakenly think that truely is the way to spell the word. It’s not. Truly is the only accepted spelling:

We would truly like to see you back next summer.

You have to end your letters with “yours truely“.

It was a truly wonderful performance.

I truely made an effort to finish the essay on time.

That girl can truly sing like an angel.

This is not what we truely wanted for Christmas.

Examples

The study is crammed full with old books, scattered manuscripts and mysterious potions, and the beasts as well as their individual habitats themselves are truly impressive.

Variety

Most of the time, the parents mean well and truly want to help.

CNBC

First of all, you need to truly understand the amount of work that is required.

Forbes

Most of us make spelling mistakes from time to time. Some words seem to almost invite us to make mistakes. “Forty” and “fourty” are such a pair, “preferably” and “preferrably” are another, and there is always “foolproof” and “fullproof” to keep us on our toes.

7 Things You Write Every Day That You Probably Forgot About

In some ways, everyone is a writer. Have you thought about how much writing you do in one day? Don’t overlook these seven daily writing tasks!

Emails

According to Lifewire.com, people around the world send more than two billion emails per day. That’s 2.4 million emails every second! The format of some emails closely resembles that of physical letters. For example, business emails contain the salutation, body, and closing that you would find in a business letter. Other emails are like articles or bulletins, providing news and information. How do you use email?

Instant Messages

Even if you are reminding your husband to pick up some mustard on his way home from work, an instant message counts as writing! Some people don’t mind writing out whole phrases. Others try to keep messages as short as possible. IMs (instant messages) often contain slang, abbreviations, and shorthand. For example, ROFL means “rolling on the floor laughing.” Can you guess what LMK means?

Lists

Lists are also writing exercises. One of the most common types is the grocery list, which enumerates all the things someone needs to buy at the store. However, people make lists for all kinds of reasons. A to-do list details what someone plans to accomplish in a given period of time. If you are moving, you may make an inventory, a list of all the items included in an individual box. This article itself is a listicle, an article that provides brief explanations of topics in a list form. Lists are all around you if you look. Can you think of some other types of lists?

Forms

A trip to the bank or the driver’s license bureau may involve some writing. You might have to fill out forms with account details to receive service. If you are applying for a job, you may even have to include some short answer responses to questions.

Journaling

Writing doesn’t have to be for the public. Do you sometimes record your daily affairs in a journal or private blog? Most people already know that journaling improves mental health, but did you realize it can also be good for your body? James Pennebaker, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin has found that journaling strengthens the immune system and decreases the severity of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. How’s that for motivation to pick up your journal tonight?

Agendas

When you jot down the time and date of an appointment in a datebook, accurate writing is more important than ever. One mistake could cost you, so this form of writing needs your full attention. Putting things down in writing does more than help you remember them. Seeing all your appointments and due dates in one place can help you to manage your time wisely and avoid scheduling conflicts.

Captions

When you post a picture to social media, do you provide a little explanation of what it is? Often, these descriptions are informative or amusing ways to share your memories. If you haven’t tried adding a caption, visit the Frequently Asked Questions section of your social media site to find out how.

Now, do you agree? Everyone is a writer! Surely, though, this list is not exhaustive. What other ways do you use writing every day?

Grammar Basics: What is the correct word order in English?

Word order in English is fixed for most speaking and writing.

In English, sentences start with a subject and are immediately followed by a verb. In questions, this order is switched.

She is a friend.

Is she a friend?

To learn more about grammar and to help us celebrate National Grammar Day this March, visit our new resource page.

What Does Ikr Mean?

• Ikr stands for I know, right.
• Use ikr to agree with something someone said.

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While some of the phrases used in text speak originated in that medium, others, like ikr, are adopted from everyday life.

The Meaning of Ikr

Ikr is an abbreviation for the phrase “I know, right.” The phrase first appeared during the early 1990s, and its first uses in electronic communication can be traced back to at least 2004.

The phrase itself has been a pet peeve for some language commentators. The phrase “I know,” on its own, signals that we are aware of something another person is saying, or that we agree with it. According to some critics, adding the word “right” turns the phrase into a question. However, the “right” in “I know, right” is actually just a way of adding emphasis. Using “isn’t it” instead of “right” can also work in a similar way.

How to Use Ikr

Ikr is a little different from I know or yes because it can show that you strongly agree, or that you agree with someone’s disbelief. It can also convey a feeling of relief that someone else shares your feelings about something.

The abbreviation ikr is mostly used in informal communication, especially online or through texting. There’s no need to write it in all caps, although you can if you want to. It’s not written with a comma between the k and the r.

Examples

Jane looks better with shorter hair. Ikr, and the new color suits her well, too.

There’s no chance I’m going to be ready for tomorrow’s quiz. Ikr, Ms. Stevens is too demanding.

He’s such a snob. IKR?!

People shouldn’t be saying “right” after “I know.” Ikr ��