Question

which sentences contain correctly punctuated nonrestrictive modifiers? check all that apply.

my brother, john, is my favorite of all my brothers.
my oldest sister, maria, is a pilot.
my two best friends, tory and monica, met me at the movies.
the book, robinson crusoe, is a classic.
bulldogs, which i love, are the cutest!

Explanation:

🆕 New Concept Discovered: Restrictive vs. Nonrestrictive Modifiers
Extra info gets commas; essential info does not.

Step 1: Understand nonrestrictive modifiers

A nonrestrictive modifier adds extra, non-essential information to a sentence. If you remove it, the sentence still makes complete sense, and the identity of the noun remains clear. Nonrestrictive modifiers must be set off with commas.

Conversely, a restrictive modifier is essential to identify the noun. If you remove it, the meaning changes or becomes unclear. Restrictive modifiers do not use commas.

Step 2: Analyze each sentence

• "My brother, John, is my favorite of all my brothers."
• The phrase "of all my brothers" tells us the speaker has multiple brothers. Therefore, the name "John" is essential (restrictive) to identify which brother is being discussed. Setting it off with commas is incorrect.
• "My oldest sister, Maria, is a pilot."
• A person can only have one "oldest sister." Because "my oldest sister" already uniquely identifies who is being talked about, the name "Maria" is extra information (nonrestrictive). Setting it off with commas is correct.
• "My two best friends, Tory and Monica, met me at the movies."
• The phrase "my two best friends" already specifies a complete, limited group. The names "Tory and Monica" are extra details (nonrestrictive) rather than necessary identifiers. Setting them off with commas is correct.
• "The book, Robinson Crusoe, is a classic."
• There are millions of books in the world. The title "Robinson Crusoe" is essential (restrictive) to identify which book is a classic. Setting it off with commas is incorrect.
• "Bulldogs, which I love, are the cutest!"
• The clause "which I love" is a classic nonrestrictive relative clause. It adds a personal detail but does not change the identity of the subject "Bulldogs." Setting it off with commas is correct.

Answer:

The correctly punctuated sentences are:

• My oldest sister, Maria, is a pilot.
• My two best friends, Tory and Monica, met me at the movies.
• Bulldogs, which I love, are the cutest!