One of the most common issues I encounter when editing is people not using restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses correctly.
What’s a restrictive clause?
We use a restrictive clause when we want to differentiate an object from similar objects. Let’s say, for example, that you’re giving someone directions to your home.
- I live on Main Street.
Okay, but unless there’s only one house on Main Street, this information isn’t particularly useful. Let’s say your home is the only red one on the street. You could say something like this:
- I live on Main Street in the house that is red.
The clause “that is red” is a restrictive clause. It restricts the type of house.
What’s a non-restrictive clause?
But what if your home is the only house on the street. Well, now the colour of your house doesn’t really matter, so if you decide to mention the colour, you’d use a non-restrictive clause. Functionally, the main difference between restrictive and non-restrictive clauses is that the latter is offset with a comma:
- I live on Main Street in the house, which is red.
One thing you might have noticed in my two examples is switching between that and which. Over the years, it’s become a common practice to use that for restrictive clauses and which for non-restrictive clauses. This might be a good practice to get into yourself; although using which for restrictive clauses has been around for a long time.
Now, that and which aren’t the only ways to write restrictive clauses. Here are some more examples:
- Have you asked my children Pat and Jody?
- Have you asked my children, Pat and Jody?
In the first example, the speaker likely has more than two children, but they want to specify (or restrict) just two of them. In the second example, there are only two children, and their names are Pat and Jody.
- The bakery where Jeremy works is having a sale tomorrow.
- The bakery, where Jeremy works, is having a sale tomorrow.
In the first example, there are likely multiple bakeries, and the speaker wants to restrict which one they’re referring to: the one where Jeremy works. In the second example, there’s only one bakery, and it happens to be where Jeremy works.
If you have a question about restrictive and non-restrictive clauses, please leave a comment below.
