Setting Off Non-Essential Material
Sometimes certain modifying words, phrases, or clauses, although they may contribute to the meaning of the sentence, are not essential to its meaning. That is, deleting the material would not substantially change the sentence’s meaning or emphasis. Commas should set off such non-essential material.
| Non-essential | The President, knowing the need for drastic action, declared the entire state a disaster. |
| Essential | Anyone knowing the condition of the region will approve the President’s action. |
Nonrestrictive modifiers
Modifying phrases or clauses may be restrictive or nonrestrictive. Clauses and phrases that modify the noun but are not essential to understanding the meaning of the noun within its sentence are called nonrestrictive. That is, they are said not to restrict the meaning. Such clauses and phrases must be set off from the rest of the sentence with commas:
Compare these two sentences:
Actors who have big egos are often insecure.
Actors, who have big egos, are often insecure.
At first glance, the two sentences above seem to mean exactly the same thing. Upon closer examination, however, you can see that they convey different meanings. Look at the first sentence again.
Actors who have big egos are often insecure.
In this sentence, who have big egos is restrictive; the writer’s intention is to limit the nouns actors only to those who have big egos. The sentence suggests that only those actors with big egos – not all actors – are insecure. The modifying phrase restricts the meaning of actors, the noun it modifies, and therefore it is not set off by commas.
Now look at the second sentence again.
Actors, who have big egos, are often insecure.
In this sentence, the modifying phrase who have big egos is nonrestrictive because it suggests that all actors have big egos. Because the modifying phrase does not restrict the meaning of the noun actors, it is set off by commas.
Note: Adjective clauses following a proper (capitalized) noun will nearly always be nonrestrictive and thus require commas:
Elizabeth Blackwell, who attended medical school in the 1840s, was the first American woman to earn a medical degree.
Many clauses and phrases, however, are essential to understanding the meaning of the noun – they narrow the meaning of the word or word group they modify – and are not separated by commas. These are called restrictive and are not set off with commas.
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The glory which is built upon a lie soon becomes a most unpleasant encumbrance. (Mark Twain)
Note: A name that follows a common noun or noun phrase is restrictive and should not be set off by commas:
The philosopher Alfred North Whitehead once wrote that the history of philosophy was a series of footnotes to Plato.
But when the name comes first, the common noun that follows it is nonrestrictive and should be set off by commas:
Francois Truffaut, the film director, died of cancer in 1984.
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Identify the errors in these sentences. Any sentence that is incorrect contains only one error.
1. Virginia Woolf’s novel, Mrs. Dalloway, is seldom studied in high schools.
2. Everyone, who wishes to pass this test, should attend the help session.
3. When you visit Mystic Seaport, a replica of a 19th century fishing village, you will see interesting nautical relics.
4. Did you know that London’s Saint Paul’s Cathedral located at the head of Ludgate Hill was designed by Sir Christopher Wren?
5. Her brother Ted, looking out of the window, noticed the injured animal first.
6. The city that she loves is San Francisco.
7. Baker, a biographer of Hemingway, taught at Middlebury College.
8. Mrs. Malaprop is a famous character in Sheridan’s play, The Rivals.
9. Any athlete, who participates in the Olympics, should be honoured.
10. Her cousin Louis who is an enthusiastic lacrosse player attends Temple University.
11. Dickens' novel, A Tale of Two Cities, is set in London and Paris.
12. All passengers, who are travelling with United Airlines, should prepare to depart.
13. Because my sister, Evelyn, is a bright child, my parents sent her to a local Montessori school; my sister Jane is also bright, but she refuses to attend the school.
14. The old man, watching a television programme, fell asleep in the den.
15. Everyone who knew him liked him.
16. All students who plan to attend the track meeting should buy tickets immediately.
17. Vitus Bering shipwrecked in 1740 on Bering Island was found years later preserved in snow. (Annie Dillard)
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18. Fleas and rats which were in fact the carriers are not mentioned in the plague writings. (Barbara Tuchman)
19. I took along my son who had never had any fresh water up his nose and who had seen lily pads only from train windows. (E. B. White)
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Punctuate the following sentences:
1. Anyone wishing to join the Biology Club on its field trip should notify the secretary before ten o’clock tomorrow.
2. Alfalfa which returns nitrogen to the soil is used extensively in crop rotation.
3. The symphony that Beethoven called the “Eroica” was composed to celebrate the memory of great man.
4. From other sources we know that the “great man” whom the composer had in mind was Napoleon Bonaparte.
5. Carl Sandburg always interested in folk music was one of the first collectors of American folk songs.
6. That newborn snakes can live for months without food is a fact known to few people.
7. The explorer who discovered Pikes Peak was Zebulon Pike a native of New Jersey.
8. Semantics which is concerned with the meanings of words and their effects on human behavior is a proper study for high school students.
9. Their house which is perched on the bluff is completely modern in design and materials.
10. All young men applying for the position of camp counselor must have had previous experience.
11.The new highway is the one that skirts the city.
12. Latin America covers an area stretching from Mexico to Cape Horn.
13. The Cabinet which includes heads of executive departments advises the President on national and international affairs.
14. Some of the hikers unaccustomed to the fast pace fell behind soon after we started the climb.
15. The new requirements apply to any student who wishes to take an honors course.
16. The new car looking better than ever in the bright sunlight raced down the empty highway.
17.The old man living next door is a retired admiral.
18. The comments printed s footnotes in the second edition make amusing reading.
19. Novels and short stories that attempt to recreate life as it is do not always end happily.
20. Mrs. Peabody who loved the movies always brought her own popcorn.
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