Question

a. directions: underline the relative clause in each sentence. then, circle the noun that the relative clause modifies.

1. i have a friend whose mother is a chemical engineer.
2. my family will spend a week at proud ranch, which offers horseback riding.
3. layla, who belongs to the wilderness club, has learned a lot about nature and survival.
4. what is the name of the spacecraft that is orbiting jupiter?

b. directions: underline the relative clause in each sentence. if the relative clause is nonessential, add commas to correct the punctuation.

1. corn snakes which are sometimes confused with copperheads are harmless.
2. the technician who helped me was both knowledgeable and patient.
3. the state name minnesota comes from a dakota word that means “sky - tinted water.”
4. nikola tesla whose achievements were downplayed during his lifetime now has an electric car named after him.

c. directions: underline the relative clauses in the following paragraph. then, edit the paragraph to correct any errors in comma use. cross out each incorrect comma, and add commas that are needed to set off nonessential clauses.
the star wars movies which were designed from the start to be a nine - part series came from the imaginative mind of george lucas. lucas’s original idea was to update the saturday afternoon space serials that he had seen as a kid. he wrote the script, that would be used for the first movie, and also directed that film. stars wars: a new hope which came out in 1977 became an all - time box office success and a cultural phenomenon. six films later, the star wars movie, that was released in 2015, turned out to be the biggest hit in the entire series. that film was subtitled the force awakens. today, even critics who once scoffed at star wars as “kid stuff” see the film franchise as one of the dominant cultural forces of the last fifty years.

Explanation:

1.

• "whose mother is a chemical engineer" is the relative - clause modifying "friend".
• "which offers horseback riding" is the relative - clause modifying "Proud Ranch".
• "who belongs to the Wilderness Club" is the relative - clause modifying "Layla".
• "that is orbiting Jupiter" is the relative - clause modifying "spacecraft".

2.

• "which are sometimes confused with copperheads" is a non - essential relative clause. The correct sentence is: Corn snakes, which are sometimes confused with copperheads, are harmless.
• "who helped me" is an essential relative clause, no comma needed.
• "that means'sky - tinted water.'" is an essential relative clause, no comma needed.
• "whose achievements were downplayed during his lifetime" is a non - essential relative clause. The correct sentence is: Nikola Tesla, whose achievements were downplayed during his lifetime, now has an electric car named after him.

3.

• "which were designed from the start to be a nine - part series" is a non - essential relative clause. The correct sentence: The Star Wars movies, which were designed from the start to be a nine - part series, came from the imaginative mind of George Lucas.
• "that he had seen as a kid" is an essential relative clause, no comma needed.
• "that would be used for the first movie" is an essential relative clause, no comma needed.
• "which came out in 1977" is a non - essential relative clause. The correct sentence: Stars Wars: A New Hope, which came out in 1977, became an all - time box office success and a cultural phenomenon.
• "that was released in 2015" is a non - essential relative clause. The correct sentence: Six films later, the Star Wars movie, that was released in 2015, turned out to be the biggest hit in the entire series.
• "who once scoffed at Star Wars as 'kid stuff'" is an essential relative clause, no comma needed.

Answer:

1.

• Underlined relative clause: whose mother is a chemical engineer; Circled noun: friend
• Underlined relative clause: which offers horseback riding; Circled noun: Proud Ranch
• Underlined relative clause: who belongs to the Wilderness Club; Circled noun: Layla
• Underlined relative clause: that is orbiting Jupiter; Circled noun: spacecraft

2.

• Underlined relative clause: which are sometimes confused with copperheads; Sentence with commas: Corn snakes, which are sometimes confused with copperheads, are harmless.
• Underlined relative clause: who helped me; No comma addition needed.
• Underlined relative clause: that means "sky - tinted water."; No comma addition needed.
• Underlined relative clause: whose achievements were downplayed during his lifetime; Sentence with commas: Nikola Tesla, whose achievements were downplayed during his lifetime, now has an electric car named after him.

3.

• Underlined relative clause: which were designed from the start to be a nine - part series; Edited sentence: The Star Wars movies, which were designed from the start to be a nine - part series, came from the imaginative mind of George Lucas.
• Underlined relative clause: that he had seen as a kid; No comma change needed.
• Underlined relative clause: that would be used for the first movie; No comma change needed.
• Underlined relative clause: which came out in 1977; Edited sentence: Stars Wars: A New Hope, which came out in 1977, became an all - time box office success and a cultural phenomenon.
• Underlined relative clause: that was released in 2015; Edited sentence: Six films later, the Star Wars movie, that was released in 2015, turned out to be the biggest hit in the entire series.
• Underlined relative clause: who once scoffed at Star Wars as "kid stuff"; No comma change needed.