Relative Clauses
| A relative clause tells something more about a noun. There are two kinds of relative clauses: restrictive and non-restrictive. Knowing the difference between these two types of clauses will help you punctuate them correctly. Non-restrictive clauses add non-essential, though often interesting, details to a sentence. Consider this sentence: The man wearing the blue shirt, who is sitting on the right, makes good wine. In this sentence the clause who is sitting on the right is not essential information; it does not tell the reader which man is being discussed, it merely adds a detail about his clothing. Restrictive clauses add information that is essential to the sentence, as in The man who is sitting on the right makes good wine. In this sentence, the clause who is sitting on the right is essential information; it tells the reader which man is being discussed: the one in the middle or the one on the right. What's the difference between the first and second example sentences? The commas around the relative clause in the first sentence signal a reader that this is non-essential information; in spoken English, brief pauses before and after the clause would let a listener know that this is merely extra information. There are no commas around the relative clause in the second example as it is essential to the meaning of the sentence that the man on the right is being discussed. |
| The pink flowers which are growing near the table grow wild in this area. |
| Don't use a comma if it's important information! |
| The pink flowers, which are growing near the table, smell sweet. |
| Place commas around extra information! |
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