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An essential clause is a relative clause that limits a general, ambiguous noun. The
essential clause tells the reader which one of many the writer means.
Which man among the billions of human males on the planet? The one who
ordered the double anchovy pizza!
Which of the many cities on the planet? The one where Freddie met a
memorable woman!
Which of the many students in the class? The one who needs an A on the test!
Note that the exact same clauses abovein sentences with minor alterationscan
become nonessential. Read these versions:
In place of ambiguous nouns like man, city, and student, we now have Mr. Hall, Cairo,
and Veronica, specific proper nouns. The information in the relative clauses might be
interesting, but it's not necessary, for we already know which man, which city,
and which student. Because these clauses are now nonessential, they require commas
to separate them from the rest of the sentence.
A proper noun won't always signal that the relative clause is nonessential. In a passage
of more than one sentence, you will sometimes find such a well-defined common
noun that the relative clause is a mere accessory. Read this example:
The relative clause which never showed fear of the vehicle is nonessential since we
know which birds. Thus the clause requires commas.
Since an essential clause provides necessary limits on the vague noun it describes, use
no punctuation to connect it.
The rats are nesting in the closet where Grandma hides her
money .
The waiter who served the salad did not notice the caterpillar
nibbling a lettuce leaf.
When the clause becomes decorative rather than definingor nonessentialyou will
then need to separate it with commas:
Javier, who served the salad , did not notice the caterpillar
nibbling a lettuce leaf.