7.9 Essential vs. Nonessential Adjective Clauses

EXAMPLES Reshma Saujani, whose organization helps girls get into computer science, believes the gender balance in the field will improve. Girls Who Code is based in the U.S., where it has reached girls in all 50 states. Smartphones changed the way (that) people shop. Jeff Bezos wanted a company name that began with A. People who want quick information can use the Web.

(a) Saujani, who founded Girls Who Code in 2012, thinks there should be more women in computer science. b) The computer, which was invented in the 1940s, has become part of our everyday lives. (c) The computer that I bought two years ago is slow compared to today’s computers.

The computer (that) she just bought has a lot of memory. The Web, which Tim Berners-Lee created, is a useful tool.

EXPLANATION In these examples, the adjective clause is nonessential because we can identify the noun in the main clause without the added information. Read the sentences without the adjective clause. The adjective clause adds extra information to an already complete sentence.

In these examples the adjective clause is essential, because, without it, we can’t identify the noun. If we take the adjective clause out, the noun isn’t properly identified, and the idea isn’t complete. In example (a), Saujani is unique and does not need to be identified. The clause is nonessential. Example (b) refers to the whole class of computers as an invention. The clause is nonessential. Example (c) refers to only one computer, which is identified by the adjective clause. The clause is essential. In an essential adjective clause, the relative pronoun that can be used or omitted. In a nonessential adjective clause, the relative pronoun that cannot be used. The relative pronoun cannot be omitted.

Notes: Here are some questions to help you decide if the adjective clause needs commas. If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then the adjective clause is set off by commas. ✓ Can I put the adjective clause in parentheses? Google (which was founded in 1998) is a popular search engine. ✓ If the adjective clause is deleted, does the sentence still make sense? Google is a popular search engine. ✓ Is the noun a unique person, place, or thing? Reshma Saujani, who is an advocate for more women in computer science, founded Girls Who Code. ✓ If the noun is plural, am I including all members of a group? Personal computers, which became popular in the 1990s, have changed the way we get information. (all personal computers)

EXERCISE 14 Decide which of the following sentences contain a nonessential adjective clause. Put commas in those sentences. If the sentence doesn’t need commas, write OK. 1. People who text use abbreviations. OK 2. My father, who texted me a few minutes ago, is sick. 3. Kids who spend a lot of time on the computer don’t get much exercise. 4. The Freecycle Network™ which was created in 2003 helps keep things out of landfills. continued

5. People usually have a lot of things they don’t need. 6. Saujani whose organization has an impressive website has provided help to thousands of girls around the country. 7. At first, Amazon was a company that sold only books. 8. Meg Whitman who ran eBay for 10 years left the company in 2008. 9. Young women can go to the Girls Who Code website where there is a lot of useful information. 10. The Windows operating system which was developed by Microsoft came out in 1985. 11. Did you like the story that we read about Reshma Saujani? 12. The computer that I bought three years ago doesn’t have enough memory. 13. The Web which is one of the most important inventions of the 20th century has changed the way people get information. 14. Bill Gates who created Microsoft with his friend became a billionaire.

15. Steve Jobs who died in 2011 helped create the Apple computer. 16. It’s hard to remember a time when computers were not part of our everyday lives.

EXERCISE 15 Combine the two sentences into one. The sentence in parentheses ( ) is not essential to the main idea of the sentence. It adds extra information.

1. eBay is now a large corporation. (It was started in Pierre Omidyar’s house.)

eBay, which was started in Pierre Omidyar’s house, is now a large corporation.

2. Reshma Saujani runs Girls Who Code. (She thinks there should be more women in computing.)

3. Pierre Omidyar started eBay as a hobby. (His wife became part of the company.)

4. eBay hired Meg Whitman in 1998. (More expert business knowledge was needed at that time to run the company.)

5. In 2008, eBay hired John Donahoe. (He fired a lot of people.)