Parenthetical Elements
Common Core standard L.6.2.a
Definition: Nonrestrictive elements are parts of a sentence that can be removed without changing or impeding the meaning of that sentence.
Other ways to say it: Parenthetical elements; nonessential elements
Includes: Adjective clauses; adjective phrases; appositives
Parenthetical elements are used to elaborate. They add information to the basic sentence, but they don't change the meaning of the sentence if they're left out.
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Restrictive vs. Nonrestrictive
Both restrictive and nonrestrictive elements add information to the sentence. They typically describe or clarify the noun that comes before them. Restrictive elements are necessary to the reader’s comprehension of the sentence, while nonrestrictive elements are strictly extra.
Most grammar concepts focus on correctness and rules about the individual words within a sentence. Nonrestrictive elements focus on the meaning of the sentence.
Example: My best friend, Tiffani, is a hairdresser.
In this sentence, Tiffani is a nonrestrictive element. The name clarifies the noun “friend” by providing a name for the friend. However, it’s nonrestrictive because the phrase “best friend” implies that there’s only one. The addition of a name is not necessary for the reader or listener to know who the narrator is talking about.
Example: My friend Emily likes to eat nachos.
Like the above example, Emily provides a name for the noun “friend” that comes before. However, by making the sentence about one friend, a name is necessary for the reader or listener to know who the narrator is talking about. Presumably the narrator has more than one friend.
Note: Nonrestrictive elements require commas around them. The commas show that whatever is between them can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence. Restrictive (required) elements should NOT have commas around them.
Think: Nonrestrictive = yes, comma.
Example: The teacher Stuart Higglebottom is our featured speaker tonight.
Let’s pretend this sentence is about a conference for teachers. There will be many teachers, principals, and other school personnel at the conference. Out of all the teachers there, only one is the featured speaker. “Stuart Higglebottom” is a restrictive element because without it the reader would not know which of the teachers will be featured.
Example: Stuart Higglebottom, the teacher, is our featured speaker tonight.
By switching the order of the elements from the above example, we can turn a restrictive element into a nonrestrictive one. Now the appositive “the teacher,” which gives more information about the noun before it (Stuart Higglebottom) is nonrestrictive. It’s a safe assumption that there’s only one Stuart Higglebottom at the conference; it’s not a particularly common name. In this sentence, the nonrestrictive element tells the reader that Stuart Higglebottom is a teacher rather than a principal or a secretary. However, that information is not necessary to the reader’s understanding of who the featured speaker will be.
Practice: Comma or no comma?
Note: All sentences will be written without commas, regardless of grammatical correctness.
My dog Tessa chases the ball.
Dr. Peach the pediatrician has three hermit crabs.
Sharon Draper’s book Out of my Mind is my favorite.
Your school supply list includes a graphing calculator which is expensive.
Your school supply list includes a graphing calculator that works.
Answers: comma; comma; no comma; comma; no comma