Identifying and non-identifying clauses Posted By Manjusha in English Grammar
Some relative clauses identify or classify nouns: they tell us which person or thing, or which kind of person or thing, is meant. These are called identifying, defining or restrictive relative clauses. Consider the example given below. People who take physical exercise live longer. Here the relative clause is who take physical exercise. This relative clause is identifying, since it is required for identification: without it, we would have only People live longer, which does not identify the people under discussion. Other examples are given below. The restaurant which we visited last night was pretty good. Paris is a city I have always wanted to visit. She married a man that she met on a bus. Identifying relative clauses usually follow immediately after the nouns that they modify, without a break: they are not separated by commas in writing. This is because the noun would be incomplete without the relative clause, and the sentence would make no sense or have a different meaning. A non-defining relative clause is not required for identification. It serves only to provide additional information. Non-identifying clauses are normally separated by commas. Janet, who does my hair, has moved to another hairdresser’s. Here the relative clause is who does my hair. This relative clause is non-identifying, since it is not required to identify Janet: it merely provides additional information. Another example is given below. She married a smart architect from Beijing, whom she met on a bus. That That is common as a relative pronoun in identifying clauses. It can refer to things and in an informal style to people. This is the boy that won the first prize. (OR … who won the first prize.) Here is the man that I told you of. (OR … of whom I told you.) In non-identifying clauses, that is unusual. This is John, who won the first prize. (BUT NOT This is John, that won the first prize.) In identifying relative clauses, we often leave out object pronouns. In non-identifying clauses this is not possible. I still remember the men (whom) I knew in my youth. (identifying) Be loyal to the friends (that) you have. (identifying) I feel sorry for the man (whom) she married. She went to work with my cousin, whom she later married. (NOT She went to work with my cousin, she later married.) Thanks. With best regards, Braille Section Team Anna Centenary Library Chennai -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Brailleacl" group. To post to this group, send email to braille...@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to brailleacl+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Brailleacl" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to brailleacl+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- your friend chaaru. if anyone can do it, you too can do it. if noone can do it, you must do it. send me a personal mail by clicking chaaru.au...@gmail.com Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
