Classify vs identify clause

Question

Hello,1. An identifying clause defines who or what we are talking about and refers to a noun which is preceded by the definite article the:This is the book I told you about last week. 1. A classifying clause describes what kind of person(s) or thing(s) we are talking about. It refers to a singular uncountable or plural countable noun without an article or a singular countable noun preceded by the indefinite article a or an:I wrote my essay on a photo which was taken by Robert Capa.I am not able to understand  this classifying clause. How is it different from an identifying clause?Could anyone explain it?Thanks.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

hanuman_2000I am not able to understand this classifying clause. How is it different from an identifying clause?

I think this book is using different words to describe the difference between restrictive / nonrestrictive or defining / non defining clauses. It is not well-written in my opinion.

An identifying (restrictive, defining) clause is a relative clause that we need to identify exactly what things (among a larger group) we are talking about. For example:

All students who scored above 85% on the test  will get an "A."

If you remove an identifying clause from the sentence, the meaning of the sentence will change a lot, or sound incomplete. If we remove the relative clause from the sentence above, does the meaning change?

All students will get an "A."

A classifying clause just gives some additional information about the noun it modifies.

My father's eldest sister, who lives in Miami, is very sick.

If you remove it, the basic meaning of the sentence does not change. My father has only one "eldest sister." Where she lives is interesting, but not essential, information.

My father's oldest sister  is very sick.

Sometimes the same clause can be either identifying or classifying. You can tell the difference by the commas that set off a classifying clause, or the relative pronoun (In American English, "that" introduces a identifying clause and "which" is a classifying clause).

For example, my father has three sisters. One of them lives in Miami. We use an identifying clause to tell which sister we are talking about.

My father's sister who lives in Miami is very sick.

Classify vs identify clause

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