Which that restrictive clause

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.

Here are a few examples: I want to thank my father , Mark Smith, for all of his love and support. With the nonrestrictive clause omitted: I want to thank my father for all of his love and support. The hypothesis , which I tested throughout the research, was rejected. With the nonrestrictive clause omitted: The hypothesis was rejected. I have found the article , which I have been looking for. With the nonrestrictive clause omitted: I have found the article.

A relative pronoun cannot be deleted in a nonrestrictive clause. Reduced Relative Clauses In academic writing, relative clauses are often reduced for a more concise style. Here are some examples: Gun control is a controversial issue that is about personal rights.

Related Resources. Student Wellness and Disability Services Any concerns about accessibility of materials on this site or compatibility with assistive technology should be addressed to disability mail. Walden Departments, Centers, and Resources. Because the information they supply is essential to the intended meaning of the sentence, they are not set off by commas.

They simply add information that otherwise would not be provided. Non-restrictive clauses are set off by commas because the information they provide is supplementary, not essential to the meaning of the sentence. In such cases, a comma all by itself can transform the meaning of the sentence. He helped the native guides who were sick with malaria. Not all the guides had malaria, and we helped only those who were sick with malaria.

He helped the native guides, who were sick with malaria. It also changes the sentence to imply that we helped all the guides and all of 'em were sick with malaria. Got it? R estrictive and non-restrictive elements are not always introduced by relative pronouns. Sometimes they simply are treated as essential restrictive or non-essential non-restrictive elements.

In such cases, too, the comma is crucial to the meaning. If the omission makes your text less clear, don't go with it.

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