A complex sentence is composed of two or more clauses. One of these clauses can be a nonrestrictive clause. Nonrestrictive clauses provide additional information about the subject of the sentence, but are not necessary to the overall meaning of the sentence. Knowing which words signal a nonrestrictive clause in a complex sentence is important for understanding the sentence’s meaning.
What Is A Nonrestrictive Clause?
A nonrestrictive clause is a clause that provides additional information about the subject of the sentence. It is not necessary to the overall meaning of the sentence, and can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence. For example, in the sentence “My brother, who is an engineer, is coming to visit”, the clause “who is an engineer” provides additional information about the subject, but is not necessary for understanding the sentence.
Common Word Signals for Nonrestrictive Clauses
There are several words that are commonly used to signal a nonrestrictive clause in a complex sentence. These words include:
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That: The word “that” is often used to introduce a nonrestrictive clause. For example, in the sentence “My brother, that is an engineer, is coming to visit”, the word “that” signals that the clause “is an engineer” is nonrestrictive.
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Which: The word “which” is also often used to introduce a nonrestrictive clause. For example, in the sentence “My brother, which is an engineer, is coming to visit”, the word “which” signals that the clause “is an engineer” is nonrestrictive.
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While: The word “while” is sometimes used to introduce a nonrestrictive clause. For example, in the sentence “My brother, while an engineer, is coming to visit”, the word “while” signals that the clause “an engineer” is nonrestrictive.
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Yet: The word “yet” is sometimes used to introduce a nonrestrictive clause. For example, in the sentence “My brother, yet an engineer, is coming to visit”, the word “yet” signals that the clause “an engineer” is nonrestrictive.
Understanding which words signal a nonrestrictive clause in a complex sentence is essential for correctly interpreting the
A complex sentence is formed by the combination of two or more independent clauses. These independent clauses are linked by the use of conjunctions such as “that”, “which”, “while”, “yet”, and many more. Each one of these conjunctions is used for a specific purpose, thereby showing a different relationship between the two independent clauses. Each one of these conjunctions can be used to signal a nonrestrictive clause in a complex sentence.
“That” is a very common conjunction used to signal a nonrestrictive clause in a complex sentence. This conjunction is used to indicate that the information following it is not essential to the sentence’s meaning. It is simply an aside or additional detail. For example, “I stepped into the classroom, that had been newly remodeled”. In this example “that” is used to reference the additional information about the room being newly remodeled.
“Which” is also a common conjunction used to signal a nonrestrictive clause. This conjunction is used to enclose additional information about a reference made in the sentence. For example, “The dog, which had been chasing a squirrel, was panting heavily”. In this sentence, the additional information about the dog chasing a squirrel is only used to provide additional information for clarity, not as an essential part of the sentence’s meaning.
“While” is another conjunction that can be used to signal a nonrestrictive clause in a complex sentence. This conjunction is used to indicate that one action occurred as the same time as another. For example, “I read a book while my brother was playing video games”. Here, “while” is used to indicate that the two separate actions are being presented as occurring at the same time.
“Yet” is the final conjunction used to signal a nonrestrictive clause. This conjunction is used to indicate that two actions are occurring in contrast to each other. For example, “She loves to cook, yet she hates to clean”. In this sentence, the two separate actions are being presented in contrast to one another.
In conclusion, conjunctions such as “that”, “which”, “while”, and “yet” are used to signal a nonrestrictive clause in a complex sentence. Each one has its own unique purpose to either introduce additional information or to present two actions occur simultaneously or in contrast.
