Which restrictive comma

But in reality, many writers have as much difficulty differentiating between restrictive and non-restrictive clauses as they do sorting out the words that should begin them.

A non-restrictive clause describes a word without restricting or limiting its meaning. It helps to think of a non-restrictive clause as non-essential. It interrupts the main point of the sentence, adding extra, "by the way" information that is interesting but not entirely necessary. Here are some examples:. Notice that in all three cases, the non-restrictive clause can disappear from the sentence without affecting the main idea.

To signal that a non-restrictive clause is merely an interruption or elaboration, we set it off with a pair of commas—or one comma if, as in the second example, the clause is at the end of the sentence. Notice also that the clause in the third example begins with which , not that , since which is the right pronoun to begin a non-restrictive clause.

A restrictive clause is just the opposite. It restricts or limits the meaning of the word or words it describes. No mere interruption or interjection, it provides information that is essential to the main idea.

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. Real-time suggestions, wherever you write. Catherine Traffis. This means the clause is non-restrictive.

The third sentence is a trick! If there are multiple gyms five minutes from your house, you would use that to specify the one with the racquetball courts. However, if there is only one gym five minutes from your house, the clause is non-restrictive, and you would use which.

Note: Closed-captioning and a full transcript are available for this vidcast. General Writing Grammar. That vs. Which One of the more challenging grammar concepts in the English language is the difference between the words that and which. Using That Whether to use that and which depends on whether the clause it introduces is restrictive or non-restrictive. Example 2: Laptops [noun] that are used for gaming purposes [restrictive clause] are usually more expensive.

Because Faulkner has written numerous novels, the writer must specify which one of them he's referring to. Setting the title off with commas would suggest that it could be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence; however, the title is essential for meaning. For the same reason, restrictive clauses are not set off from the rest of the sentence by commas or other punctuation.

These clauses usually begin with that or who. In this example, the speaker does not need just any shirt. It must be loose and comfortable. Because the phrase changes the meaning of the word "shirt," the phrase is restrictive.