Question

which sentence includes a nonrestrictive clause that is punctuated correctly?

we ate pistachio ice cream-which is my favorite and played laser tag.
we ate pistachio ice cream which is my favorite, and played laser tag.
we ate pistachio ice cream-which is my favorite-and played laser tag.
we ate pistachio ice cream (which is my favorite and played laser tag).

Explanation:

Identify the nonrestrictive clause

Using the Relative Clauses knowledge point
The clause "which is my favorite" adds extra, non-essential information about "pistachio ice cream" and is therefore a nonrestrictive relative clause.

Evaluate punctuation rules

Using the Relative Clause Punctuation knowledge point
A nonrestrictive clause must be set off from the rest of the sentence at both ends using matching punctuation marks, such as commas, em dashes, or parentheses.

• Option 1: "We ate pistachio ice cream—which is my favorite and played laser tag" uses an em dash at the beginning but lacks a matching punctuation mark at the end of the clause.
• Option 2: "We ate pistachio ice cream which is my favorite, and played laser tag" uses a comma at the end but lacks one at the beginning.
• Option 3: "We ate pistachio ice cream—which is my favorite—and played laser tag" correctly sets off the clause at both ends using matching em dashes.
• Option 4: "We ate pistachio ice cream (which is my favorite and played laser tag)" incorrectly includes the main verb phrase "and played laser tag" inside the parentheses.

Answer:

• We ate pistachio ice cream—which is my favorite and played laser tag
• We ate pistachio ice cream which is my favorite, and played laser tag
• We ate pistachio ice cream—which is my favorite—and played laser tag (Correct answer)
• We ate pistachio ice cream (which is my favorite and played laser tag)