16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsVery hardRestrictive versus nonrestrictive clause with a plural antecedent

Standard English Conventions practice question

Of the manor's four ____ the two that face the road were rebuilt after the fire of 1820.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  1. A. lodges,Correct
  2. B. lodges, the two, that
  3. C. lodges the two, which
  4. D. lodges; the two that

Answer: A. lodges,

'That face the road' identifies which two lodges and takes no commas; the introductory phrase 'Of the manor's four lodges' is closed by a comma.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. lodges, the two, that
Commas around 'that face the road' treat an identifying clause as an aside.
C. lodges the two, which
The introductory phrase needs its closing comma, and 'which' with a comma would make the clause nonrestrictive.
D. lodges; the two that
A semicolon cannot follow a prepositional phrase.

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