Punctuating Nonrestrictive Clauses

Punctuating Nonrestrictive Clauses

11th Grade · ELA · 25 min· L.6.2

Lesson Preview

Learning Objective

I can correctly punctuate nonrestrictive clauses using dashes, commas, or parentheses.

  • 1

    Dashes can mark interruptions in the structure of a sentence, but feel more "interrupty" than a comma.

  • 2

    Dashes can act like parentheses in pairs, setting off information that could be removed without changing the sentence's core meaning.

  • 3

    A dash can be used in place of a colon to introduce an idea or a list, or to indicate interruptions in speech.