Question

Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly?

1) Trees, that are not native to North Texas are often killed by heat and drought.
2) Trees, that are not native to North Texas, are often killed by heat and drought.
3) Trees that are not native to North Texas are often killed by heat and drought.
4) Trees that are not native to North Texas, are often killed by heat and drought.

Answer 1

The correct sentence is the third one, which reads: 'Trees that are not native to North Texas are often killed by heat and drought.' It properly uses no commas because the clause is restrictive and essential to the sentence's meaning.

Step-by-step explanation:

Correct punctuation is vital in conveying the correct meaning in a sentence. In the given examples, the correct punctuation is seen in the sentence without any commas, which is sentence 3: 'Trees that are not native to North Texas are often killed by heat and drought.' This is because the clause 'that are not native to North Texas' is a restrictive clause, providing essential information about the trees being discussed, and therefore should not be separated by commas from the rest of the sentence.

Let's examine the punctuation in the sentence using one of the provided examples:

• Example 2 - Quentin's father gave him a golden pocket watch, which was a priceless family heirloom.

In this example, the clause 'which was a priceless family heirloom' is nonrestrictive; it adds extra information about the pocket watch but is not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Hence, it is correctly set off with a comma.