Adjective Clauses

Grammar-Quizzes
 Restrictive and Non-Restrictive Clauses Framed | Unframed

 

 

Read & Contrast

 

The way you punctuate a sentence with a clause can change it meaning!

  • specific (restrictive) 
  • all (non-restrictive) 

 

bio-scientist

 

Specific vs. All

RESTRICTIVE -- REFERS TO A SPECIFIC ONE/ KIND  - NONRESTRICTIVE -- REFERS TO ALL
USE NO COMMAS USE COMMAS

The bio-scientist who creates green energy will make a profit.
(True for one kind of bio-scientist.)
 

The bio-scientist, who creates green energy, will make a profit. 
(True for all scientists classified as bio-scientists.)
 

The "green" household that reduces waste will save energy.
(True for one kind of household.)

The "green" household, which reduces waste, will save energy.
(True for all green households.)  

NOTE: Who or that can be used, not which. NOTE: Who or which can be used, not that.

 household=all the people living and working in the house

 

 

 

Practice cat    

 

Join the two sentences into one.  Decide whether to add commas to the clause:

  1. If the clause adds information that helps identify noun, don't add commas.
  2. If the clause adds "extra"  (non-identifying information) to the noun it modifies, add comma(s).

 

# SENTENCE AND CLAUSE YOUR RESPONSE REVEAL ANSWER

1

The cat is independent.   (true of all cats)

CLAUSE: He loves freedom.

 

 

2

The dog needs to be taken away. (true of one dog)

CLAUSE: The dog bit five children.

 


  The others can stay.

 

3

The rabbits hopped out into the field.  (true of some.)

CLAUSE:  They wanted to eat alfalfa grass.

 


  The others stayed in their holes.

4

The birds catch the worms.  (true of some)

CLAUSE:  They wake up early.

 


 

5

Dogs are treasured.  (true of some dogs)

CLAUSE:  They love their owners.

 


6

Dogs are treasured.  (true of all dogs)

CLAUSE:  They love their owners.

 


7

People may suffer heart disease or diabetes.  (true of some people)

CLAUSE:  They are obese.
     (extremely overweight)

 


8

Athletes have fewer health problems. (true of all athletes)

CLAUSE: They exercise daily.

 


9

People get better cardio-exercise. (true of some people)

CLAUSE:  who go on walks twice a day

 


10

The bald eagle is a bird of prey. (true of all eagles)

CLAUSE: It has a wing-span of about 75 inches.

 


 

     

 

 

 

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Julie Sevastopoulos - ESL Department - College of San Mateo - San Mateo, CA 94402 USA