Activity 16.9: Restrictive v. Nonrestrictive Relative Clauses 2
Exercise A – Put an asterisk in front of the ungrammatical sentences below.
1. The Mississippi River, which is the biggest river in America, begins in Minnesota.
*2. The Mississippi River, that is the biggest river in America, begins in Minnesota.
3. I have visited Itasca State Park, which marks the beginning of the Mississippi River.
*4. I have visited Itasca State Park, that marks the beginning of the Mississippi River.
5. Alice, who studied hard, earned a good grade.
*6. Alice, that studied hard, earned a good grade.
7. I picked the beans, which were mature.
*8. I picked the beans, that were mature.
9. Cheetahs, which can run 70 miles per hour, are built for speed.
*10. Cheetahs, that can run 70 miles per hour, are built for speed.
11. The girls, who studied hard, got good grades.
*12. The girls, that studied hard, got good grades.
Exercise B – Try to write out the rule that the ungrammatical sentences above violate.
Do not use the relative pronoun that in nonrestrictive adjective clauses.
Relative clauses between commas are always nonrestrictive.
Antecedents that are unique do not take restrictive relative clauses because the antecedents are already limited to the maximum extent possible.
