This document discusses the difference between essential and non-essential clauses. Essential clauses use "that" and provide necessary information to make a complete sentence, while non-essential clauses use "which" and commas and provide extra information that can be removed without changing the core meaning. The document provides examples to illustrate essential clauses restrict information and non-essential clauses add supplemental details.

1. Essential Vs
Non-Essential
Clauses
“That vs Which”
By Belinda Rangel

2. What are Clauses?
• Clauses are a group of words that
consist of a subject and a verb.
• Identify if the thing or fact is important
in the sentence

3. Essential clause
• Restrictive clause
• Identifies necessary information to
make a complete sentence
• Uses “That”

4. Non-Essential
Clause
• Non-Restrictive clause
• Extra information added to the
sentence
• Can be removed without changing
the meaning
• Use “Which” and commas

5. How to identify
• Remove clause from the sentence
• If the meaning changed it’s an essential
clause
• If the meaning did not change it’s a
non-essential clause

6. Examples
• Example 1: Brad’s sweater that has
fancy elbow pads was a birthday gift
from his sister.
• Example 2: Paul’s favorite café, which
serves excellent coffee and paninis, is
in Memphis, Tennessee.