Question

punctuating restrictive and nonrestrictive elements correctly

read the sentence below. which revision, if any, is necessary?

thomas jefferson who was born in virginia wrote the declaration of independence.

• the clause \who was born in virginia\ needs to be set off by commas because it is a restrictive element.
• the clause \who was born in virginia\ needs to be set off by commas because it is a nonrestrictive element.
• the sentence is correct as written.

Explanation:

Analyze the sentence structure

The sentence provided is: "Thomas Jefferson who was born in Virginia wrote the Declaration of Independence."
The subject is "Thomas Jefferson," and the main verb phrase is "wrote the Declaration of Independence." The clause "who was born in Virginia" is a relative clause modifying "Thomas Jefferson."

Determine if the clause is restrictive or nonrestrictive

A restrictive element is essential to the meaning of the sentence; if removed, the meaning of the sentence changes or becomes unclear. A nonrestrictive element adds extra, non-essential information. Since "Thomas Jefferson" is a specific, unique proper noun, we already know exactly who is being referred to. The information that he "was born in Virginia" is extra information and is not needed to identify him. Therefore, the clause is nonrestrictive.

Apply punctuation rules

Nonrestrictive elements must be set off by commas to separate them from the rest of the sentence. Restrictive elements, on the other hand, are never set off by commas. Since "who was born in Virginia" is nonrestrictive, it needs commas before and after it: "Thomas Jefferson, who was born in Virginia, wrote the Declaration of Independence."

Evaluate the given options

• Option 1 states that the clause needs commas because it is restrictive. This is incorrect because restrictive clauses do not take commas.
• Option 2 states that the clause needs commas because it is nonrestrictive. This is correct.
• Option 3 states that the sentence is correct as written. This is incorrect because the nonrestrictive clause lacks necessary punctuation.

Answer:

• The clause "who was born in Virginia" needs to be set off by commas because it is a restrictive element.
• The clause "who was born in Virginia" needs to be set off by commas because it is a nonrestrictive element. (Correct answer)
• The sentence is correct as written.