Writing Academic English 4th Edition

Thefirsttwohavebeendoneforyouasexamples.

Employeeswhoworkpart-timeusuallyreceivenobenefits.

(Theverbworkis pluraltoagreewiththepluralantecedentemployees.)

Identifyandpunctuatesentenceswithadjectiveclauses.

Step 1 Underlinetheadjectiveclauseorclausesineachsentence.(Some

sentenceshavetwo.)

Step 2 Inthespacenexttothesentence, writeRfora restrictiveandNRfor

a nomestrictiveclause.

Step 3 Addcommastothenomestrictiveclauses.

HewontheprizeforhisresearchintothestructureofT-cells,whichmightlead

toa cureforAIDS.

(Wealreadyknowwhichresearchhewontheprizefor:hisresearchintothe

structureofT-cells.Theinformationwhichmight leadtoacureforAIDSisnot

necessarytoidentifytheresearch;itmerelygivesusextrainformationaboutit.)

Hewontheprizeforresearchthatmightleadtoa cureforAIDS.

(Forwhichresearchdidhewintheprize?Weneedtheclausethatmightleadto

acureforAIDStotellus.)

Nonrestrictive(unnecessary):commas

ProfessorJones,whoteachesmybiologyclass,won aNobelPrizetwoyearsago.

(Thepersonwho wonaNobelPrizeis identifiedbyhisname,sotheclausewho

teachesmybiologyclassisextra,unnecessaryinformationaboutProfessor

Jones.Ifit wereomitted,wewouldstillknowwhichpersonwontheNobelPrize.)

Restrictive(necessary):nocommas

Theprofessorwhoteachesmybiologyclasswona NobelPrizetwoyearsago.

(WhichprofessorwonaNobelPrizetwoyearsago?Theclausewhoteachesmy

biologyclassis necessarytoidentifytheprofessor.)

Anemployeewhoworkspart-timeusuallyreceivesnobenefits.

(Theverbworksissingulartoagreewiththe~tecedentemployee.)

PunctuationofAdjectiveClauses

Adjectiveclausesareeitherrestrictive(necessary)ornonrestrictive(unnecessary).

• Arestrictiveclauseis necessarybecauseit identifiesitsantecedentforthe
  reader.Donotusecommaswithrestrictiveclauses.


• Anomestrictiveclauseisnotnecessarytoidentifyitsantecedent;it merely
  givesthereadersomeextrainformationaboutit.Becauseyoucanomita
  nomestrictiveclausewithoutlossofmeaning,separateit fromtherestofthe
  sentencewithcommas.


• Therelativepronounthatis usedinrestrictiveclausesonly.Whichis usedin
  nomestrictiveclausesonly.Theotherrelativepronounsandadverbscanbe
  usedinbothrestrictiveandnomestrictiveclauses.

Theverbinanadjectiveclauseagreesinnumberwithitsantecedent.Comparethese

twosentences:

Restrictiveand

Nonrestrictive

Gauses

Verb

Agreement"in

Adjective

Clauses

232 Part 111 I SentenceStructure