Commas with essential/non-essential phrases/clauses/interrupters

Front

What is an essential clause?

Back

An essential clause is a part of a sentence that provides necessary information to understand the main idea. It cannot be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Front

What is a nonessential clause?

Back

A nonessential clause adds extra information to a sentence but can be removed without altering the main meaning.

Front

When should commas be used with nonessential clauses?

Back

Commas should be used to set off nonessential clauses from the rest of the sentence.

Front

True or False: Essential clauses should be set off by commas.

Back

False

Front

What is an interrupter in a sentence?

Back

An interrupter is a word or phrase that breaks the flow of a sentence and is usually set off by commas.

Front

Example of a sentence with a nonessential clause:

Back

My brother, who lives in New York, is visiting us.

Front

Example of a sentence with an essential clause:

Back

The book that you lent me is fascinating.

Front

What punctuation is used to separate items in a list?

Back

Commas are used to separate items in a list.

Front

How do you punctuate a sentence with an interrupter?

Back

You place commas before and after the interrupter.

Front

Identify the essential phrase in this sentence: 'The students who study hard will pass the exam.'

Back

The essential phrase is 'who study hard'.