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Learn the difference between essential and nonessential clauses, and when to use commas to set off nonessential clauses. Practice exercises provided.
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Essential and Nonessential Clauses English Bellwork
Monday, April 1 • Directions: Write out the two sentences and answer the question. • 1. The Viking, which photographed Mars in 1976, showed a huge volcano. • 2. The scientists who analyze photographic data could study Viking photographs of Mars for years. • 3. One of these sentences has commas around the clause, and one does not. Explain why that might happen.
Info: • Adjective clauses may be either essential or nonessential. • Essential clauses are necessary to make the meaning of a sentence clear. A clause beginning with that is essential. • Nonessential clauses add interesting information but are not necessary for the meaning of a sentence. A clause beginning with which is usually not essential. Use commas to set off nonessential clauses from the rest of the sentence.
Tuesday, April 2 • Directions: Write out the sentences and insert commas to the clauses where they are needed. • 1. Apollo 8 which did not land orbited the moon and sent back pictures of the surface. • 2. Apollo 11 developed as the mission that was to land an American on the moon. • 3. The astronauts who held Americans’ interest in 1969 were Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins.
Wednesday, April 3 • Directions: Write out the sentences, underlining the clauses, and inserting in commas where needed. • 1. The explorers whom I most admire are astronauts. • 2. One man who made space travel possible was Robert Goddard. • 3. Goddard who tested many rockets helped develop liquid fuel.
Thursday, April 4 • Directions: Write out ONE of the sample sentences with a nonessential clause, inserting commas where needed. Then, using it as a guide, write your OWN sentence with a nonessential clause! • 1. The Soviet Union was the first nation with a space satellite which they called Sputnik. • 2. The United States whose first satellite was called Explorer I followed the Soviet Union four months later. • 3. Yuri Gagarin who was the Soviet Union’s first astronaut orbited Earth once.
Friday, April 5 • Directions: Review the sample sentences, noting which ones have essential and nonessential clauses, Then, write TWO of your own sentences with an essential and nonessential clause! • 1. Alan Shepard became the American astronaut who first traveled into space. • 2. One event that really captured American’s attention was the space walk of Edward White. • 3. White, who had so much fun on the walk, was finally ordered back into the spacecraft by Mission Control.
