clause is thus set o in commas. If the commas are omitted, the meaning of the sentence changes to suggest that more than one actor is being talked about, and the only way to distinguish which one is the soap opera
star is to note who drives aFerrari. This who clause is then a
restrictive clause and is not set off in commas.
How can you tell if a clause is nonrestrictive or restrictive There is no hard-and- fast
rule. However, the essential question is whether the main action or condition of the sentence is understandable without the clause. In the example, the actor is a soap opera star (and we know it) whether or not we know what kind of car the actor drives. It might be interesting that it’s a snappy sports car but it does nothing to change our understanding of the main point being conveyed the actor is a soap opera star. We might also learn in nonrestrictive
clauses that the actor is tall, blond,
and speaks uent French. All those points would not change the basic fact of the actor’s starring role.
When the commas are taken out of the sentence, the nature of the clause changes.
Somehow we can grasp the identity of the soap opera star only by knowing what kind of car the star drives. Apparently other actors and stars drive other cars, and that is what sets them apart from the soap opera star. The information is essential to understanding the main point of the sentence and is therefore part of a restrictive clause.
Because
punctuation varies with the type of clause, it is important to understand and master this abstract grammatical category. Without good comprehension of it,
you are prone to make errors that might embarrass you.
Besides punctuation,
you must also consider proper pronouns when writing clauses that might be restrictive or nonrestrictive. It is wrong to begin nonrestrictive adjectival clauses (modifying
nouns or
noun phrases) with
“that.” WRONG The building, that is standing in ruins,
is old RIGHT The building, which is standing in ruins, is old or The building that is standing in ruins is old The examples show that nonrestrictive adjectival clauses must begin with which or some other
relativepronoun. The choice of pronoun is an additional signal to the reader that the information in the clause is not as important as other statements in the sentence and is therefore nonrestrictive.
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