Which sentence contains a restrictive clause?
- The road, which was long and winding, took us deeper and deeper into the dark forest.
- The parrot, which must have been tame, flew out of the tree and landed on my shoulder.
- Aware that I could be bitten, I carefully approached the trapped dog, which growled at me.
- I chose the player who ran fastest, but the other captain wanted the one with the hardest kick.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is sentence 4: “I chose the player who ran fastest, but the other captain wanted the one with the hardest kick.”
Explanation:
A restrictive clause (also known as a defining or essential clause) is a type of subordinate clause that provides essential information to define or identify the noun it modifies. Without this clause, the meaning of the sentence would be incomplete or unclear. Restrictive clauses do not need commas because they are necessary for the sentence to make sense.
In sentence 4, “who ran fastest” is a restrictive clause. Here’s why:
- The clause “who ran fastest” is essential because it specifies which player was chosen. Without this information, it would be unclear which player is being referred to. The clause directly limits or defines the noun “player,” making it essential to the meaning of the sentence. Therefore, it is a restrictive clause.
- Notice that there are no commas around this clause. This is another key feature of restrictive clauses. Commas are not used because the clause is necessary for understanding the specific noun being discussed.
Comparison with Other Sentences:
- Sentence 1: “The road, which was long and winding, took us deeper and deeper into the dark forest.”
- The clause “which was long and winding” is a nonrestrictive clause, which provides extra, non-essential information about the road. The sentence would still make sense without this description, so it’s not restrictive. This clause is set off by commas.
- Sentence 2: “The parrot, which must have been tame, flew out of the tree and landed on my shoulder.”
- The clause “which must have been tame” is also nonrestrictive. It adds extra information about the parrot but does not change the meaning of the main sentence if removed. Like sentence 1, it is set off by commas.
- Sentence 3: “Aware that I could be bitten, I carefully approached the trapped dog, which growled at me.”
- The clause “which growled at me” is nonrestrictive, offering additional information about the dog but not defining the dog in a way that would change the meaning of the sentence if removed. It is also set off by commas.
In summary, restrictive clauses are essential to the meaning of the sentence and do not use commas. Sentence 4 is the only one with a restrictive clause.