Page 217 - Basic English Usage

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280 relatives: identifying and non-identifying clauses

1 Some relative clauses ‘identify’ nouns. They tell us which person or thing
is meant.
What's the name of the tall man who just came in?
(who just came in tells the hearer which tall man is meant: it identifies
the man.)
Whose is the car that’s parked outside?
(that’s parked outside tells the hearer which car is meant: it identifies
the car.)
Other relative clauses do not identify. They tell us more about a person
or thing that is already identified.
This is Ms Rogers, whom you met last year.
(whom you met last year does not tell us which woman is meant: we
already know that it is Ms Rogers.)
Have you seen my new car, which | bought last week?
(which | bought last week does not tell us which caris meant: we
already know that it is ‘my new car'.)
Non-identifying clauses are separated from the rest of the sentence by
commas (,,). Identifying clauses do not have commas. Compare:
The woman who does my hair has moved to another hairdresser's.
Dorothy, who does my hair, has moved to another hairdressers.

We only use that in identifying clauses. And we can only leave out the
object in identifying clauses. Compare:
The whisky (that) you drank last night cost £15 a bottle.
! gave him a large glass of whisky, which he drank at once.
(NOT ... whisky-thathe drank ...)(NOT ... whisky-hedrank ...)
Whom is unusual in identifying clauses. Compare:
The man (that) my daughter wants to marry has been divorced twice.
Max Harrison, whom my daughter wants to marry, has been divorced
twice.

Non-identifying clauses are unusual in an informal style.

281 remind

You remind somebody to do something that he might forget.
We do not use remember with this meaning.
remind + object + infinitive |
Please remind me to post these letters.
(NOT Pease rememberme ...)
! reminded her to send her sister a birthday card.