SENTENCE UNITY

UNITY OF IDEA

DETERMINING RESTRICTIVE AND NON-RESTRICTIVE CLAUSES

Exercise 1
1. There is a boy in my batch who is too conscious about his hair.
2. Mahatma Gandhi who studied law in England led India’s freedom movement.
3. I did my undergrad in Boston where some of the top universities are based.
4. Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones at others.
5. The house where no one has lived for years looks like a ghost house.

Exercise 2
1. You own quite a comfortable car which is adequate for you.
2. He who has health has hope; and he who has hope has everything.
3. My mother who saw spark in my eyes for colors and design nudged me towards a course in fashion design.
4. Don’t live a lifestyle that overextends your means
5. Anyone who plays the game can teach the game.

Exercise 3
1. The man who lives next door is a doctor.
2. The earlier software contractor wrote a bloated code which now needs to be rewritten.
3. My neighbor who won last week’s lottery gave all his money to a bird sanctuary.
4. The charts that have not been fully updated fail to show anything concrete.
5. Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.

UNITY OF TENSE

ACHIEVING CORRECT TENSE

Check the following sentences for confusing shifts in tense. If the tense of each underlined verb expresses the time
relationship accurately, write S (satisfactory). If a shift in tense is not appropriate, write U (unsatisfactory) and make
necessary changes. In most cases with an inappropriate shift, there is more than one way to correct the inconsistency.
Reading the sentences aloud will help you recognize differences in time.

___ 1. If the club limited its membership, it will have to raise its dues.
___ 2. As Barbara puts in her contact lenses, the telephone rang.
___ 3. Thousands of people will see the art exhibit by the time it closes.
___ 4. By the time negotiations began, many pessimists have expressed doubt about them.
___ 5. After Capt. James Cook visited Alaska on his third voyage, he is killed by Hawaiian islanders in 1779.
___ 6. I was terribly disappointed with my grade because I studied very hard.
___ 7. The moderator asks for questions as soon as the speaker has finished.
___ 8. Everyone hopes the plan would work.
___ 9. Harry wants to show his friends the photos he took last summer.
___ 10. Scientists predict that the sun will die in the distant future.
___ 11. The boy insisted that he has paid for the candy bars.
___ 12. The doctor suggested bed rest for the patient, who suffers from a bad cold.

ANSWERS
UNITY OF IDEA

DETERMINING RESTRICTIVE AND NON-RESTRICTIVE CLAUSES

Answers to Exercise 1
1. Restrictive
There is a boy in my batch who is too conscious about his hair. [Since it’s a restrictive clause, it takes no comma.]
2. Non-restrictive
Mahatma Gandhi, who studied law in England, led India’s freedom movement. [Since it’s a non-restrictive clause, it takes
a pair of commas.]
3. Non-restrictive
I did my undergrad in Boston, where some of the top universities are based. [Since it’s a non-restrictive clause at the end
of the sentence, it takes a single comma.]
4. Restrictive
Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones at others.
5. Restrictive
The house where no one has lived for years looks like a ghost house.

Answers to Exercise 2
1. Non-restrictive
You own quite a comfortable car, which is adequate for you.
2. Restrictive
He who has health has hope; and he who has hope has everything.
3. Non-restrictive
My mother, who saw spark in my eyes for colors and design, nudged me towards a course in fashion design.
4. Restrictive
Don’t live a lifestyle that overextends your means.
5. Restrictive
Anyone who plays the game can teach the game.

Answers to Exercise 3
1. Restrictive
The man who lives next door is a doctor.
2. Non-restrictive
The earlier software contractor wrote a bloated code, which now needs to be rewritten.
3. Restrictive
My neighbor who won last week’s lottery gave all his money to a bird sanctuary. [If there was only one neighbor, the
clause will be non-restrictive.]
4. Restrictive
The charts that have not been fully updated fail to show anything concrete.
5. Restrictive
Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.

ANSWERS
UNITY OF IDEA

DETERMINING RESTRICTIVE AND NON-RESTRICTIVE CLAUSES

U 1. If the club limited its membership, it will have to raise its dues. (change will to would)
U 2. As Barbara puts in her contact lenses, the telephone rang. (change puts to put) OR As Barbara puts in her contact
lenses, the telephone rings. (change rang to rings to illustrate ongoing action)
 S 3. Thousands of people will see the art exhibit by the time it closes.
U 4. By the time negotiations began, many pessimists have expressed doubt about them. (change have to had )
U 5. After Capt. James Cook visited Alaska on his third voyage, he is killed by Hawaiian islanders in 1779.
(change is to was)
U 6. I was terribly disappointed with my grade because I studied very hard. (change studied to had studied)
S 7. The moderator asks for questions as soon as the speaker has finished. (asks as habitual action; will ask is also
possible)
U 8. Everyone hopes the plan would work. (change hopes to hoped)
S 9. Harry wants to show his friends the photos he took last summer.
S 10. Scientists predict that the sun will die in the distant future.
U 11. The boy insisted that he has paid for the candy bars. (change has to had)
U 12. The doctor suggested bed rest for the patient, who suffers from a bad cold. (change suffers to was suffering)