ENG 100
COMMAS PRACTICE 3
Identifying Essential and Nonessential Phrases and Clauses. If the italicized phrase or
clause is essential, write E on the line after the number; if it is nonessential, write N to
indicate that you would use commas in this sentence. None of the sentences are ambiguous;
that is, the italicized group of words MUST be either nonessential or essential.
1.
_____
All students going on the trip tomorrow will meet in the auditorium after school
today.
2. _____
The White River Bridge which closed today for resurfacing will not be open for
traffic until mid-October.
3. _____
The symphony that Beethoven called the Eroica was composed to celebrate the
memory of a great man.
4. _____
From the composer’s letters, we know that the “great man” whom he had in mind
was Napoleon Bonaparte.
5. _____
Natalie Curtis always interested in American Indian music wan an early recorder
of American Indian songs.
6. _____
The driver who caused the wreck was going too fast.
7. _____
The musician who founded the annual music festival in Puerto Rico was Pablo
Casals.
8. _____
Semantics which is concerned with the meanings of words is an interesting
subject of study for high-school students.
9. _____
My car which is seven years old simply refuses to start on cold mornings.
10. _____
All contestants submitting photographs for the contest must sign a release form.
Kay M. Hedrick
ENG 100 – RCSHS
Taken from Warriner’s English Composition and Grammar,
Fifth Course, Exercise 3, page 612-613
rev. 11/12