A Mini-Lesson on Identifying and Non-identifying Adjective Clauses

I am writing this mini-lesson for a particular student and anyone else who cares to learn a little English grammar. When I finish, you should know the difference between a PHRASE and a CLAUSE. You should also know the difference between an identifying Adjective Clause and a Non-identifying Adjective Clause.
Let's learn what a PHRASE is first(just in case you might not know.) Here's a sentence with a PHRASE in it: " I went to the movies." "To the movies" is a PHRASE. "To" is a preposition and "movies" is a noun and the object of the preposition "to". "To the movies" is a prepositional phrase. It cannot be a "CLAUSE" because it only has three words(to the movies) and has no subject and no verb. A CLAUSE must have a subject and a verb.
An adjective as a single word is a word that describes a noun and answers the question which? what kind?or how many? about the noun. Examples: RED wine(what kind?) TEN dollars(how many?) the FOURTH house(which one?)
An Identifying Adjective Clause must have a subject and a verb just as all clauses do. It also must answer one of the three questions (which, what kind or how many) about the main subject of the sentence. If all of this is true, THE CLAUSE IS NOT SET OFF IN COMMAS. THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT ABOUT IDENTIFYING ADJECTIVE CLAUSES. This is what you have to get in your head and learn the difference between the two kinds of adjective clauses. One uses commas to set iself off and the other does not!
Here is an example: People who are unwilling to risk failure will never succeed. The clause "WHO ARE UNWILLING TO RISK FAILURE" is an adjective clause describing the subject "People". It answers the question What kind? about the noun, "People". It is an "Identifying Adjective Clause(no commas) because it cannot be left out of the sentence without drastically changing the meaning of the sentence. Leave it out and look what the sentence says: " People will never succeed." Do you see how the clause is necessary to the meaning of the sentence? If the clause is necessary to the meaning of the sentence, do not set put commas around the clause. Here is another example: Food that has turned green in the refrgerator should be thrown away. Can you see if you put commas around the adjective phrase the sentence would read, "FOOD SHOULD BE THROWN AWAY." ? This is the Identifying Adjective Clause with some examples. The next section will explain the Non-identifying Adjective Clause.


A Non-Identifying Adjective Clause in a sentence IS set off with commas and is NOT essential to the meaning of the sentence. Here are some examples: Dr. Smith, who comes from Kansas, is a Nephrologist. "who comes from Kansas" is not esential to the meaning of the sentence and therefore is set off with commas. The important part of the sentence is: Dr. Smith is a nephrologist. The fact that he comes from Kansas is incidental, and just adds a little more information about the doctor. Here is one more: Babe Ruth, a baseball player, hit 60 homeruns. (The important part is "Babe Ruth hit 60 homeruns.")
Now here is one for you to decide whether it is a sentence with an Identifying Adjective Clause(no commas) or a Non-identifying Adjective Clause(commas). I will just write the sentence and you decide if it needs commas around the clause or not.
You can write it as a "COMMENT" if you wish or e-mail me leocoleman@rocketmail.com. Here is the sentence: "THE DOCTOR WHO FLEW TO PAKISTAN HELPED FOUR PEOPLE WITH MEDICAL EMERGENCIES ON THE FLIGHT. Answer in a "COMMENT" or e-mail to me (leocoleman@rocketmail.com) .......and I will see you for further instruction.