Then he took me into a back room(,) where the rejected suits were kept.

[diamondcutter]

I went into the tailor’s shop and asked if they had a cheap suit. The fellow I spoke to made no answer at first, looked me up and down, noticed that I was almost in rags, then said, “Just a minute.” I waited till he had finished his work. Then he took me into a back room, where the rejected suits were kept.

Source: An English textbook for senior high school students in China, People’s Education Press

Do you think whether the comma in the last sentence could be removed to make the where-clause a restrictive clause like this?

Then he took me into a back room where the rejected suits were kept.

 

[5jj]

Do you think whether the comma in the last sentence could be removed to make the where-clause a restrictive clause like this?

Then he took me into a back room where the rejected suits were kept.

That would be better with the back room.

 

[diamondcutter]

Do you mean the original sentence would be better with the back room?

 

[jutfrank]

No, 5jj meant that a restrictive clause would be more likely with a definite article.

The original sentence is just fine as it is.

 

[5jj]

Do you mean the original sentence would be better with the back room?

Only if there was only one backroom.

 

[diamondcutter]

1. Then he took me into the back room where the rejected suits were kept. (There is more than one back room and only this one is used to keep the rejected suits.)

2. Then he took me into the back room, where the rejected suits were kept. (This is the only back room and it is used to keep the rejected suits.)

3. Then he took me into a back room, where the rejected suits were kept. (There may be just one or may be more than one back room. The function of the back rooms are just for keeping the rejected suits.)

4. Then he took me into a back room where the rejected suits were kept. (There are many back rooms. Some of them are used to keep the rejected suits and some are for other purposes. This room is one of the back rooms which are used to keep the rejected suits.)
= Then he took me into one of the back rooms where the rejected suits were kept.

What do you think of my understanding?

 

[Tarheel]

I won't argue with your analysis. However, I wouldn't say the room keeps the suits. Instead, they keep the suits in the room. (A room is an inanimate object and doesn't do anything.)

 

[diamondcutter]

Thank you for your reply, Tarheel. I've used the passive voice to rewrite the sentences.

 

[jutfrank]

I don't like what you're trying to do here. You'd do better to focus on the actual sentence, and what it actually means. The relative clause here is not restrictive—it provides additional information about the room.

If you want to explore the meaning and use of other forms, you should use other sentences, in their respective contexts.

 

[Tarheel]

The original sentence is written from the customer's viewpoint. Keeping that in mind, the original is fine. (The customer doesn't know or care how many back rooms there are. He's just there to get a suit.)