IXL | Commas with nonrestrictive elements

If the relative clause in bold is nonrestrictive, set it off with commas. If it is restrictive, submit the text without making any changes.

Joan of Arc who is celebrated every year in France with a national holiday bravely led the French army in an important victory against the English during the Hundred Years' War.

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question

If the relative clause in bold is nonrestrictive, set it off with a comma. If it is restrictive, submit the text without making any changes.

To shorten her daily commute, Melissa chose to rent an apartment that is a mere five blocks from her office downtown.

key idea

Use commas to set off nonrestrictive information in a sentence. Nonrestrictive information is supplemental; it is not necessary in order for a reader to identify who or what is being discussed. Without the information, the meaning of the sentence would still be clear.

The Golden Gate Bridge, which first opened in 1937, took over four years to build.

The underlined information isn't required to interpret the sentence.

The Golden Gate Bridge took over four years to build.

Without the information, a reader still knows which bridge took four years to build.

Do not use commas to set off restrictive information in a sentence. Restrictive information is necessary in order for a reader to identify exactly who or what is being discussed. Without the information, the meaning of the sentence would become unclear.

The author J.K. Rowling was born in Yate, England.

The underlined information helps a reader identify which author is being discussed.

The author was born in Yate, England.

Without the information, a reader doesn't know which author is being discussed.

solution

The relative clause that is a mere five blocks from her office downtown is restrictive. The information is needed to narrow down the apartment being discussed, so do not set off the relative clause with a comma.

To shorten her daily commute, Melissa chose to rent an apartment that is a mere five blocks from her office downtown.

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