Question

In which sentence are the underlined words a restrictive clause?

Their dream has always been to live close to the ocean.
They plan to travel in the summer and settle down in the winter.
The design that they are following is simple and modest.
Our grandparents are building a houseboat to live in after they retire.

Answer 1

The sentence with a restrictive clause is "The design that they are following is simple and modest," which clarifies a specific design essential to the sentence's meaning.

Step-by-step explanation:

The sentence in which the underlined words form a restrictive clause is "The design that they are following is simple and modest." In this sentence, the clause "that they are following" is restrictive because it specifies a particular design among potentially many others; without this clause, we would not know which design is being referred to, making it essential to the meaning of the sentence. Unlike non-restrictive clauses, which are set off by commas and add non-essential information, restrictive clauses are not punctuated with commas and are critical to understanding the subject of the sentence. This concept is integral to sentence structure and clarity in writing.