Question

Which sentences are punctuated correctly? Check all that apply.

The dog (that was barking) was a St. Bernard.
That sculpture which is made of scrap metal was designed by an older artist.
The astronauts on the mission were all experienced.
The bicycle—that has the best brakes—is a European brand.
One sport that I would like to learn is hockey.

Answer 1

Correct: sentences 3 and 5.

Briefly:
- 3 ("The astronauts on the mission were all experienced.") is fine.
- 5 ("One sport that I would like to learn is hockey.") correctly uses a restrictive "that" clause.

Incorrect:
- 1: parentheses around a restrictive "that" clause are inappropriate — use no parentheses ("The dog that was barking...") or a nonrestrictive phrasing with commas/which.
- 2: uses "which" without commas; either use "that" for a restrictive clause or add commas for a nonrestrictive "which" ("That sculpture, which is made of scrap metal, ...").
- 4: mixes em dashes (a nonrestrictive mark) with "that"; use "which" with the dashes or remove the dashes and keep "that."