restrictive clause

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noun Grammar.

a relative clause that identifies the antecedent and that is usually not set off by commas in English. In The year that just ended was bad for crops, the clause that just ended is a restrictive clause.

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Compare nonrestrictive clause.

Origin of restrictive clause

First recorded in 1900–05

Words nearby restrictive clause

restriction fragment, restrictionism, restriction play, restriction site, restrictive, restrictive clause, restrictive covenant, restrictive practice, restrike, restroom, restructure

How to use restrictive clause in a sentence

They would not, for example, supersede federal law regarding the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment.
A Field General in the War on Christmas|David Freedlander|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Missouri now has the most restrictive abortion laws in the country.
Abortion in Missouri Is the Wait of a Lifetime|Justin Glawe|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Will it be difficult to jump back into that restrictive form of writing?
David Cronenberg: Why Frustrated Novelists Hate the Screenplay|Craig Hubert|October 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He also supported restrictive measures on abortion as a state legislator in Massachusetts.
The Republican War on Women Continues, Just More Quietly|Eleanor Clift|October 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Sanford hits back at Sullivan, who “has certainly not lived up to this clause.”
Mark Sanford’s Epic Facebook Overshare|Olivia Nuzzi|September 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He added that lessening clause, remembering, quite simply, how much more brilliant he was than Nigel.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
The Act contained another practical clause, designed to block the construction of lines from political considerations.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
An insurance policy may be assigned, though it usually contains a clause that the consent of the insurer is needful.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
This clause was adopted, and James Madison for the first time attracted state-wide attention to his thinking and philosophy.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey
His lordship next proceeded to the ten-pound qualification clause.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan