Answers

1. What is a restrictive clause?

a. A restrictive clause modifies a noun in a

way that is essential to the meaning of

the sentence.

b. Can it be removed from a sentence without

losing the essential meaning?

i. No. It cannot be removed without

losing or changing the original

purpose of the sentence.

2. What is a nonrestrictive clause?

a. A nonrestrictive clause modifies a noun

in a way that is not essential to the

 meaning of the sentence. It adds

information, but we don’t need it.

b. Can it be removed from a sentence without

losing the essential meaning?

i. Yes. It can be removed without losing

or changing the original purpose of

the sentence.

3. State whether the following sentences use

restrictive or nonrestrictive clauses.

a. The Raven, which is Edgar Allen Poe’s most

famous poem, is read by many students.

i. Nonrestrictive. This is visibly obvious

because of the commas. Also, “which

is Edgar Allen Poe’s most famous

 poem” can be removed while

maintaining the essential meaning of

the sentence.

b. Can you tell me the name of the song that

you mentioned before?

i. Restrictive. Visibly we can tell

because there are no commas.

Second, removing “that you

mentioned before” removes an

essential part of the sentence that we

need, so we can’t remove it.

c. I called the girl who I met at the party

i. Restrictive. No commas tells us right

away. Second, if we remove “who I

 met at the party” we have no idea

what girl we’re talking about, so it

must remain.

d. I ate lunch at McDonalds, which is my

favorite restaurant

i. Nonrestrictive. Commas tell us

quickly. And, removing “which is my

favorite restaurant” is only additional

information, we can remove it if we

want.