Nonrestrictive Clauses
* Definition: These clauses provide extra information about a noun but are not essential to the sentence's meaning. You could remove them, and the sentence would still make sense.
* Example: "My dog, who loves to chase squirrels, is a golden retriever." The clause "who loves to chase squirrels" tells us more about the dog, but it's not crucial to understand that the dog is a golden retriever.
Why Commas Are Needed
* Clarity: Commas act like signposts, indicating that the enclosed information is additional and not part of the main sentence structure. They help the reader distinguish between essential and non-essential information.
* Avoiding Misinterpretation: Without commas, the sentence could be misinterpreted. Imagine if the example above was written without commas: "My dog who loves to chase squirrels is a golden retriever." It could be confusing if the reader thinks "my dog who loves to chase squirrels" is the entire subject of the sentence.
* Grammatical Structure: Commas are used to separate elements within a sentence, including nonrestrictive clauses. They maintain the correct flow and grammatical structure.
Example: Restrictive vs. Nonrestrictive
* Restrictive (No Comma): "The dog that loves to chase squirrels is a golden retriever." Here, the clause "that loves to chase squirrels" is essential for identifying which dog we're talking about.
* Nonrestrictive (Commas): "The dog, which loves to chase squirrels, is a golden retriever." Here, we already know which dog we're talking about, and the clause "which loves to chase squirrels" adds extra information.
In Summary
Commas around nonrestrictive clauses help maintain clarity, avoid misinterpretations, and ensure proper grammatical structure. They signal that the information within the clause is supplementary and not crucial to understanding the core meaning of the sentence.