What is a nonrestrictive relative clause?

A nonrestrictive relative clause is a relative clause that does not aid in the identification of the referent of its head noun, but only provides information about it.

A nonrestrictive relative clause is formally distinguished in some languages.

• What is a relative clause?

• What is a restrictive relative clause?

Comrie 1989 138–139

Context for this page:

• Concept module: nonrestrictive relative clause
• In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): N
• In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
• In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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