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Lesson Example Discussion Quiz: Class Homework

Lesson

Title: Parenthetical Expressions & Nonrestrictive Clauses

Grade: 8-a Lesson: S5-L1

Explanation: This lesson describes a topic in grammar which is important in understanding how words can and should be combined to make grammatically correct and readable sentences.

Lesson:

Definition: Parenthetical Expressions & Nonrestrictive Clauses

Parenthetical Expressions & Nonrestrictive Clauses Parenthetical expressions and nonrestrictive clauses add additional information to a sentence without changing its essential meaning. They refer to elements of a sentence that are unessential to the sentence’s core meaning and can be removed without changing the essential meaning of the sentence. Parentheses, commas, or dashes usually set off parenthetical expressions and Nonrestrictive clauses.

Examples:

Sentence: Anderson who is a very famous football player, was seen at the mall.

Correct sentence: Anderson, who is a very famous football player, was seen at the mall.

Tip: Parenthetical Expressions & Nonrestrictive Clauses

In this example, "who is a very famous football player" is a nonrestrictive clause that provides additional information about Anderson but is not essential for understanding who Anderson is or what he was doing at the mall.
Without this clause, the sentence could still convey the main message ("Anderson was seen at the mall").
Commas set off the nonrestrictive clause to indicate that it is extra information.