Restrictive Clauses | Examples & Definition

A restrictive clause, also known as an essential or defining clause, provides essential information that identifies a noun or noun phrase in a sentence. A restrictive clause is not separated by commas and can’t be removed from a sentence without changing the meaning or making the meaning ambiguous or unclear.

Restrictive clauses typically begin with the relative pronouns “that,” “who,” “whom,” or “whose.”

What is a restrictive clause?

A restrictive clause is one of two types of relative clauses (the other type is a nonrestrictive clause), which act as adjectives in sentences to give more information about a noun or pronoun.

Like all relative clauses, restrictive clauses are dependent clauses—they cannot stand on their own as a sentence. They follow the noun they modify and typically begin with the relative pronouns “that,” “who,” “whom,” or “whose.”

Restrictive clauses are often used to narrow down the noun they describe by answering the implied question “which one?” When they are removed from a sentence, the sentence typically still makes grammatical sense. However, the meaning may change, or the sentence may be too vague to be meaningful.

Restrictive vs nonrestrictive clauses

The other type of relative clause is a nonrestrictive clause (or nonessential clause), which also acts as an adjective to give information about a noun.

However, unlike restrictive clauses, nonrestrictive clauses give extra, nonessential information and can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Nonrestrictive clauses are always set off from the rest of the sentence by commas, while restrictive clauses are not.

Additionally, note that restrictive clauses are often used with nouns representing general categories (“the man,” “the train”), while nonrestrictive clauses are often used with more specific nouns (“my dad,” “the train to Edinburgh”). With proper nouns (e.g., “Caroline,” “Mt. Everest”), nonrestrictive clauses are almost always used.

At times, the choice of restrictive or nonrestrictive clause depends entirely on the meaning you wish to communicate. Remember that restrictive clauses are used when a noun requires further identification or narrowing, and nonrestrictive clauses are used to give optional additional information.

Relative pronouns

All relative clauses begin with a relative pronoun. The most common relative pronouns and their uses are shown in the table below.

Dropping the relative pronoun

The relative pronoun can be omitted in restrictive clauses when the pronoun functions as an object in the clause. This means that “whom” is almost always dropped in restrictive clauses (since it is only used for objects), and “that” is frequently dropped.

It can be tricky to identify whether a pronoun is acting as a subject or object. Remember that a clause always has a subject and a verb. If there is no other subject in a clause, the relative pronoun is acting as the subject and cannot be dropped.

Frequently asked questions about relative clauses

What is the difference between restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses?

Both restrictive clauses and nonrestrictive clauses are types of relative clauses (or adjective clauses), which act as adjectives in sentences to describe nouns or pronouns.

• Restrictive clauses give essential identifying information about the nouns they modify. They often answer the question “which one?” If they are removed from a sentence, the meaning of the sentence is changed or becomes unclear (e.g., “Apples that are picked too early are sour”).
• Nonrestrictive clauses give extra, nonessential information about the nouns they modify. They can be removed from a sentence without changing its meaning or making it unclear (e.g., “Apples, which are my favorite fruit, are high in fiber”).

Nonrestrictive clauses are set off from the rest of the sentence by commas. Restrictive clauses should not be set off by commas.

What is a defining relative clause?

“Defining relative clause” is another name for a restrictive clause, which is a type of relative clause (or adjective clause) that gives essential identifying information about the noun or pronoun it modifies (e.g., “The girl who is holding a teddy bear is my daughter”).

Restrictive clauses cannot be removed from a sentence without changing its meaning or making it unclear.

What is a non-defining relative clause?

“Non-defining relative clause” is another name for a nonrestrictive clause, which is a type of relative clause (or adjective clause) that gives extra, nonessential information about the noun or pronoun it modifies (e.g., “I am going to visit Lake Superior, which is the world’s largest freshwater lake”).

Nonrestrictive clauses can be removed from a sentence without changing its meaning.