Transcript of Restrictive and Non-Restrictive Postmodifiers
Restrictive and Non-Restrictive Post-modifiers Nicole Wachner and Becky Davis What is a post-modifier?
a word or group of words that describes a noun phrase or restricts its meaning in some way, and is placed after it Examples of Noun Post-modifiers -the book on the table
-the civil conflict in Africa.
- the Senate of the United States Post-modifiers commonly answer the traditional
news reporting questions of who,
what, where, when, how, or why. What do post-modifiers do? Review Restrictive Modifiers -Defines the noun Examples The student who got the highest grade was given a prize
The painting dated 1894 is a forgery; the one dated 1892 is genuine. Non-Restrictive Modifiers -Conveys additional or optional information
-Usually marked with commas -Necessary to the meaning of the sentence Examples The student, who comes from Seattle, was given a prize The waiters, dressed in their white jackets, are already arranging the chairs on the sidewalk. Common Core
Standards 6th Grade Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements. Chicago Manual of Style 6.38Restrictive and nonrestrictive A relative clause that is restrictive—that is, essential to the meaning of the sentence—is neither preceded nor followed by a comma. But a relative clause that could be omitted without essential loss of meaning (a nonrestrictive clause) should be both preceded and (if the sentence continues) followed by a comma. 6.23Restrictive and
nonrestrictive appositives A word, abbreviation, phrase, or clause that is in apposition to a noun (i.e., provides an explanatory equivalent) is normally set off by commas if it is nonrestrictive—that is, if it can be omitted without obscuring the identity of the noun to which it refers. 6.26Commas with restrictive and nonrestrictive phrases A phrase that is restrictive—that is, essential to the meaning (and often the identity) of the noun it belongs to—should not be set off by commas. A nonrestrictive phrase, however, should be enclosed in commas (or, if at the end of a sentence, preceded by a comma). Example- The insect, a large cockroach with hairy legs, is crawling across the kitchen table. The End Examples When Speaking You can often tell by the intonation of the voice whether a sentence is restrictive or non-restrictive Examples- Mr. Smith, who lives down the street, is an engineer, but Ms. Cadrivan, who lives over on the next block, is a physicist. - The Mr. Smith who lives down the street is an engineer, but the Mr. Smith who lives over on the next block is an accountant.