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Restrictive Relatives

All families have difficult relatives, and English is no exception. The big problem with post-modifying relative clauses is keeping track of whether they are restrictive or non-restrictive, because the way we punctuate depends on this distinction. A restrictive relative clause is needed to "restrict" or specify exactly which example of the noun phrase is being talked about. A non-restrictive relative clause adds information but it is extra stuff, not really needed to make it clear who or what is being talked about, and so it gets sets off by punctuation, usually commas, as in sentence (1). Restrictive relative clauses, as in sentence (2), are not set off by punctuation.

(1) The man, who has blue eyes, is very handsome..
(2) The man who has blue eyes is very handsome.
Sentence (1) assumes that we already know what man is being talked about--hence the definite article the. That he has blue eyes is just an additional piece of information, possibly relevant to the judgment that he is handsome. Sentence (2) assumes that we have been talking about more than one man and that we are singling out the one with blue eyes for favorable comment.

When you are setting off any sentence element, you want punctuation both before and after, usually the same punctuation-at the end of a sentence a non-restrictive post-modifying relative clause can make do with a period after it, and there are some other exceptions. If you put a comma at the end of a relative clause, though, always put one in front of the relative pronoun. This is another case where punctuating by one's breathing can be misleading. After a long relative clause, even a restrictive one, one can feel like a breath, but never punctuate a sentence like this:

(3) The man who has been following me around lately, is at least very handsome.

Exercise 1: Restrictive vs. Non Restrictive

For each of the following unpunctuated sentences, say whether the relative clause is (A) restrictive or (B) non-restrictive. Punctuate accordingly.
1.01 I still recall Marcia Funk who was my first big crush.
1.02 Marcia was the girl who first made me write poetry.
1.03 She did not however give me my first kiss which came from Harriet White.
1.04 Harriet was the first in our class to wear lipstick which she renewed at lunch and recess.
1.05 She liked to wear jeans that were very tight.
1.06 She claimed to be dating a boy who was in high school.
1.07 Most people thought though that Harriet who boasted about everything was making him up.
1.08 Unlike Marcia who appeared to have real breasts or at least real bras Harriet had no figure to speak of.
1.09 That at least was the consensus in my circle which was both obsessed with and totally ignorant of such matters.
1.10 Marcia also had eyes which were like bright suns or so I wrote at the time.
1.11 She was also said to have lips that were made for kissing not that our poet had the courage to attempt it.
1.12 Harriet who was known to be "hot to trot" was on the other hand available to be kissed.
1.13 For what might follow we turned to the movies of the day which were not much help.
1.14 Movie married couples slept in twin beds which our own parents apparently could not afford.
1.15 It did not occur to us that our parents might suffer from some of the same urges which troubled our own nights.
1.16 It may be my memory which is none too accurate somewhat exaggerates the innocence of those days.

The distinction between restrictive and non-restrictive applies to other forms of post-modifiers as well, particularly to noun phrases:

(1) My brother Bill laughed.
(2) My brother, Bill, laughed.
(3) My brother who is a doctor laughed.
(4) My brother, who is a doctor, laughed.
(5) Bill, who is a doctor, laughed.

You would always use sentence (1) above if you have more than one brother and want to specify which. Sentence (2) implies that you have only one brother but want to remind the listener or reader what your brother's name is. Since we are dealing here with a short name, you could also use (1) in this situation to avoid junking up your prose with commas. Used properly, sentence (3) has a restrictive relative clause implying that you have more than one brother, with only one brother being a doctor. Sentence (4) implies either that you have only one brother or that your reader already knows which brother is being talked about. Unless there were, say, a whole room full of people named "Bill," relative clauses modifying names, like (5) above, are always non-restrictive.

More on That. The restrictive/non-restrictive distinction is a serious sticking point for some students. One clue is the use of that, which can only be properly used in restrictive relative clauses. One also hears occasionally that one should not use which with restrictive relative clauses. This is another one of those handbook rules with little basis in Standard English practice. In truth, which can be used interchangeably with that to introduce restrictive relatives.

Exercise 2: More Restrictive vs. Non Restrictive

This distinction causes a lot of people trouble. It's time for another exercise. Say which of the following unpunctuated sentences have restrictive relative clauses:
2.01 Angela who I'd loaned a book to was one of my favorite students.
2.02 The chair which I was sitting on was in the back corner.
2.03 The contestants were serenaded by Dick Cheney whose vocal skills were surprising.
2.04 The cops caught me at a moment when I was unarmed.
2.05 He promised to give the award to the winner whichever party they came from.
2.06 His bride had invited her and Alvaro whose last name turned out to be Silvia to dinner.
2.07 A life whose meaning depends on the luck of survival would not be worth living.
2.08 The student came up next to the front desk on which Professor McRoy was perched.
2.09 These were all men of whom he had heard before.
2.10 We are going to Cancun on Tuesday when the flights are cheaper

How Much of This Will be on the Test?
You can expect to be tested ad nauseum on recognizing restrictive vs. non-restrictive relative clauses, and some testing on recognizing in errors in punctuating them.