Alexis S. answered • 08/28/21
Twice Exceptional Tutor with Experience Teaching Children and Adults
An example of a restrictive or nonrestrictive clause:
Restrictive: The man whom I met last Sunday wore a blue hat.
"Whom I met last Sunday" is used to IDENTIFY the man. He is not just "the man," he is particularly "the man whom I met last Sunday.
Nonrestrictive: The man, whom I met last Sunday, wore a blue hat.
In this sentence, "whom I met last Sunday" is NOT used to identify the man--we already know who he is, probably because we've talked about him before. We are adding information to the sentence that is not necessary for the identification of the subject.
Now let's discuss our possible answers:
A. Commas add more information to clauses and nonrestrictive elements.
Well, nonrestrictive clauses themselves add information sentences, but the commas do not, so unless it is a very poorly-written sentence, I do not think the answer is A.
B. Commas come at the beginning of clauses and nonrestrictive elements.
Well, all sentences contain some form of a clause, so unless you're starting your sentences with a comma, this can't be it.
C. Commas split clauses or nonrestrictive elements into smaller, easier-to-read parts.
Technically, this one could be it, but if our only goal is to separate sections into smaller parts, I'd imagine there would be a lot more commas used in an average sentence.
D. Commas set off clauses and nonrestrictive elements from the rest of the sentence.
This is true. I have no arguments here.
Therefore, I think there are two options for an answer here: if A is just written very poorly and is supposed to imply that the information within the commas contains added information, then it is A. If not, then it is D.
