My Grammar and I (Or Should That Be 'Me'?): Old-School Ways to Sharpen Your English

clause .
I used to know the spy who came in from the cold .
I used to know the spy whom the Russians codenamed Smirnoff .
I  will  claim  to  have  known  whichever  of  the  spies  you  bring  into  the
conversation .
Which is that?
Restrictive clauses (also sometimes called defining clauses ) define or classify
a noun or pronoun in the main clause. Non-restrictive or non-defining  clauses
offer further description. A non-restrictive clause is usually preceded by a pause
in  speech  or  a  comma  in  writing,  whereas  a  restrictive  clause  is  not.  A  non-
restrictive clause is also usually followed by a pause or a comma, if it does not
end the sentence.
Rule:  Non-restrictive  clauses  are  dispensable.  Their  role  is  merely  to  give
additional information.
Sorry, have we lost you?
Let’s  look  at  some  examples.  Although  the  following  sentences  make

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grammatical  sense  without  their  subordinate  clauses,  they  do  not  convey  much
information – the restrictive clause is essential .
The man who died on the trip was once my history teacher.
The car that broke down is now in the garage.
You look like the cat that got the cream .
Take out that clause and you are left with:
The man was once my
history teacher.
Which man? Why are you telling me this?
Why should I care?
The car is now in the
garage .
Again, which car? So what?
You look like the cat .
Duh? I think you’ll find I don’t have
whiskers or a tail.
On the other hand,
The history teacher, who had a trusty aim with the board rubber , ensured that
we never forgot important dates.
The car, which broke down half way through France , had to be towed back to
England.
My  new  cat,  which  somehow  got  a  pot  of  cream  out  of  the  fridge  last  week  ,
came home with someone’s trout today.
You don’t feel obliged to ask Which history teacher? , Which car? , Which cat?
at the end of these sentences. The information given in the subordinate clause is
a bonus.
Now consider the difference between these:
The dogs which barked in
the night-time did not
recognize the thief.
Restrictive: some of the dogs did
recognize the thief and therefore did not
bark.
The dogs, which barked in
the night-time, did not
recognize the thief .