Which sentence contains a correctly punctuated nonrestrictive modifier?
A. Jake, who is twenty-seven, is studying to be a yoga teacher.
B. Jake who is, twenty-seven, is studying to be a yoga teacher.
C. Jake who is twenty-seven is, studying to be, a yoga teacher.
D. Jake, who is twenty-seven is, studying to be a yoga teacher.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct sentence that contains a correctly punctuated nonrestrictive modifier is:
A. Jake, who is twenty-seven, is studying to be a yoga teacher.
Explanation:
A nonrestrictive modifier is a clause, phrase, or word that provides extra information about a noun but does not affect the basic meaning of the sentence. Since this information is additional and not essential to understanding the sentence’s main idea, it must be set off with commas.
In the correct sentence, “who is twenty-seven” is the nonrestrictive modifier. It provides extra information about Jake’s age, but the sentence would still make sense if this information were removed: “Jake is studying to be a yoga teacher.” This shows that the clause “who is twenty-seven” is not crucial to the sentence’s meaning but adds detail, making it a nonrestrictive clause.
To properly punctuate a nonrestrictive modifier:
- Commas are used to enclose the nonrestrictive clause to indicate that it is additional and not essential.
- In sentence A, the commas are correctly placed before “who” and after “twenty-seven,” setting off the nonrestrictive clause properly.
Why Other Sentences Are Incorrect:
- B. Jake who is, twenty-seven, is studying to be a yoga teacher.
- The comma after “is” is misplaced and breaks up the sentence awkwardly. This disrupts the natural flow of the sentence.
- C. Jake who is twenty-seven is, studying to be, a yoga teacher.
- This sentence has misplaced commas around “studying to be,” breaking up the sentence at incorrect points. It also lacks commas to enclose the nonrestrictive clause.
- D. Jake, who is twenty-seven is, studying to be a yoga teacher.
- This sentence misses the comma after “twenty-seven,” leading to incorrect punctuation around the nonrestrictive clause.
Correct punctuation ensures clarity and helps the reader understand which information is extra (nonrestrictive) and which is essential to the main idea of the sentence.