The search for nonrestrictive relative clauses:

1. The search for nonrestrictive relative clauses: “Comma here, boy, Comma here!”

2. Nonrestrictive vs. Restrictive • The Grammar class students, who were spending their weekends in dimly lit rooms doing grammar analysis and pondering whether the cheese on their pizza should be capitalized, were profiting greatly from the course. • The Grammar class students who were spending their weekends in dimly lit rooms doing grammar analysis and pondering whether the cheese on their pizza should be capitalized were profiting greatly from the course.

3. APPOSITIVE EXAMPLES: From The Daily Collegian(Monday, March 29, 2004) “Head Elections Commissioner Tim Dorman, who was not present at the time, said he has heard conflicting accounts and has not been able to prove whether or not the two Squirrels were wearing Foulke n’ A shirts.” (p.4) “Larry Young, Paul Robeson Cultural Center director, said love should not determine a person’s worth.” (p.2) “St. John’s University, the only accredited American university offering you this unique opportunity, makes it possible for you to complete your entire degree in Rome, whether you are interested in pursuing an M.B.A. degree or an M.A. degree. (p.5 advertisement)

4. COMMENTARY EXAMPLES: From The Daily Collegian(Monday, March 29, 2004) “The summit should show how the university supports all 88 [Greek] chapters, which isn’t always the picture that is painted.” (p.4) “GE is helping rebuild Irag’s decrepit electrical infrastructure, which has suffered from war, neglect and years of sanctions.” (p.6) “The Department of Defense also is working on the [high speed] technology, which it is eyeing for use in bombers that quickly could reach targets anywhere on the globe.” (p.6)

5. PROBLEMS FOR INSIGHT • PROBLEM #1 • Try to make a sentence beginning with the subject pronoun “I” immediately followed by an non-restrictive clause (in this case, an appositive phrase), and also try to make a sentence with the subject pronoun “I” immediately followed by a restrictive clause. • PROBLEM #2 • Do the same as PROBLEM #1, except this time use the subject pronoun “you” (singular and/or plural). • PROBLEM #3 • How would you explain to a student why a restrictive relative clause can be used with the singular subject “Egypt” in the following sentence? • The Egypt where slavery was practiced saw the development of great works of art impressive to this day.

6. When I see a comma, which is included in sentences of a nonrestrictive clause, I take a pause. As long as you live, remember when you see two commas in a sentence, the clause that’s in between them is appositive. Robin Hood, who was a thief, was a good guy. Superman, who had no wings, was able to fly. Batman, who lived in a cave, drove a car. Yao Ming, who comes out of China, is an NBA superstar. Robin Hood was a good guy. Superman was able to fly. Batman drove a car. Yao Ming is an NBA superstar. The previous four sentences have no nonrestrictive clauses. They have no pauses. Know some writers like to write down, commentary nonrestrictive clauses that have a relative pronoun. Just remember this. The relative pronoun used is always “which”. I got off work early, which was great. I caught the bus, which was late. I called the bus driver a name, which was wrong. Then waited for the trolley, which had gone. So, I had to walk home. Know the relative pronoun “which”, refers to the entire preceding clause. Memorize its function and be amazed. Which doesn’t just refer to one noun phrase. So if you’ve learned anything today, I hope it’s this… Stop! Wait! Pause! Here Comes a Nonrestrictive Relative Clauseby Hardie Cooper

7. Stop! Wait! Pause! Here comes a nonrestrictive relative clause