Reducing a Non-identifying Clause and Reduced Clause

Reducing a Non-identifying Clause

NON-IDENTIFYING CLAUSE

A non-identifying clause adds nonessential information that is loosely related to the rest of the clause. It is an aside comment or even an after-thought. For this reason, reducing the clause can potentially delete information (the relative pronoun and the verb tense) which is needed to relate the clause to the main clause. Reduce a clause only if the deleted information can still be understood from the main clause.

PRONOUN & TENSE INCLUDED

The Tonight Show, which was in Los Angeles, is now in New York.

The Tonight Show, which is in New York, stars Jimmy Fallon.

Jimmy Fallon, who is on the A- list of comedians, stars on the Tonight Show.

The Tonight Show stars Jimmy Fallon, who is on the A- list of comedians.

The Tonight Show stars Jimmy Fallon, who was on Saturday Night Live until 2004.

RELATIVE CLAUSE WITH PASSIVE

Ellen, who is scheduled for later in the show, will be interviewd by Jimmy Fallon.   Jimmy Fallon will interview Ellen, who is scheduled for tonight.

The show is recorded in NBC Studios, which is located in New York.

RELATIVE CLAUSE WITH PROGRESSIVE

The Tonight Show, which is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary, has a new host.

Our group bought tickets to see the Tonight Show, which is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary. (nonID clause)

REDUCED CLAUSE

Lost tense information may occur when the time frame in the relative clause differs from that in the main clause. Lost pronoun reference may be problematic when the non-identifying clause is placed at the end of the clause—the clause may refer to the closest noun (as expected) or it may refer to the entire clause before it. The reduced clause may sound tacked on, unrelated or misplaced.

REDUCED / MISSING INFORMATION

*The Tonight Show, in Los Angeles, is now in New York.   (Tense?)

The Tonight Show, in New York, stars Jimmy Fallon.    (OK)

Jimmy Fallon, on the A-list of comedians, stars on the Tonight Show. (OK)

~The Tonight Show stars Jimmy Fallon, on the  A-list of comedians.   (Keeping the pronoun and verb would help relate the clause better.)

*The Tonight Show stars Jimmy Fallon, on Saturday Night Live until 2004.  (lost tense and pronoun reference)

PASSIVE VERB

Ellen, scheduled for later in the show, will be interviewd by Jimmy Fallon.   ~Jimmy Fallon will interview Ellen, scheduled for tonight. (?)

~The show is recorded in the NBC Studios, located in New York.   (OK)

PROGRESSIVE VERB

The Tonight Show, celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary, has a new host.    (OK)

~Our group bought tickets to see the Tonight Show, celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary.   (Does it refer to the Tonight Show, or possibly the whole clause?)