Use Punctuation to Set Off Nonrestrictive Elements

Which forms of punctuation can NOT be used to set off parenthetical elements?

• Parentheses
• Quotation marks
• Dashes
• Commas

Is the following sentence punctuated correctly? 
My doctor, who graduated from Harvard University, is very intelligent.

• Yes
• No

What is the nonrestrictive element (or nonessential piece of information) in this sentence?
Pearls which are expensive aren't something I buy very often.

• which are expensive
• aren't something I buy very often 
• Pearls
• There is no nonrestrictive element in this sentence.

Which of the following is punctuated correctly?

• My dog Spot, a dalmatian- weighs nearly 60 pounds.
• My baby who is eight months old just learned to walk.
• Titanic (my favorite movie of all time) won an Academy Award. 

Which of the following does NOT refer to an unnecessary piece of extra information in a sentence? 

• Parenthetical element
• Appositive
• Parentheses
• Nonrestrictive element

Which of the following sentences has correctly punctuated the parenthetical element? 

• Elvis Presley-1935-1977-was known as the King of Rock.  
• My mom bought me some cool shoes Jordan's, for Christmas.
• Dr. Montgomery, the art teacher at Trent Lott Academy, is very creative.

Which sentence is NOT punctuated correctly?

• My brother Sam- my older brother- attends Ole Miss.
• Walt Disney, (1901-1946), created a magical amusement park. 
• Russell Westbrook (a member of the OKC Thunder) was awarded the NBA MVP award. 
• My birthday, which is next Wednesday, is going to be so much fun.

Which punctuation do you ALWAYS use to set of a range of dates? 

• Quotation marks
• Parentheses
• Commas
• Dashes

What is the nonrestrictive (or unnecessary) information in the following sentence? 
My computer- that I got for Christmas last year- has touchscreen capabilities.

• has touchscreen capabilities
• that I got for Christmas last year
• My computer

Which of the following is not punctuated correctly? 

• My best friend, Kathy- is on the softball team. 
• My best friend, Kathy, is on the softball team.
• My best friend (Kathy) is on the softball team.