IELTS Writing Task 1: Commas with relative clauses in maps 🏝

Commas with relative clauses are one of the most common mistakes I have to correct. Most grammar books will tell you: "If the information is essential (necessary etc), you don't need commas. If the information is not essential (necessary etc), you need commas."

And then students spend valuable time racking their brains whether the information is essential—and then make mistakes anyway.

I explain this topic in a different way: It all boils down to whether there is one of something or more than one of something.

1️⃣ "The entrance, which was located in the western wing, was renovated." = There is only one entrance in the building. The relative clause provides a side comment.

2️⃣ "The entrance which was located in the western wing was renovated." = There are several entrances. Without the specification in the relative clause, the reader won't understand what entrance I mean.

To help you better understand this, here is an exercise. The two excerpts about the task above contain relative clauses. Do you need the commas? ❓

1️⃣ The first lava flow took place on 6 May and affected the western part of the town. Before the eruption there used to be a town square with houses around it. The whole square was buried under lava. The lava, however, did not reach the coastal line, so the houses [1] which were located along it were untouched. Another construction that was not destroyed was the castle [2] which was located in the central part of the town.

2️⃣ The eruption resulted in two large lava flows, one on 6 May and one on 12 May, affecting the western and eastern parts respectively. The first flow [3] which reached much of the coastal line buried the square and most of the buildings, with the only ones remaining intact being the castle and a few right on the coast. The flow [4] which reached the town six days later did not cause structural damage to any infrastructure.

KEY

[1] No comma_
[2] A comma__
[3] Commas__
[4] No commas

PS: My IELTS Task 1 pictures, including this one, are real tasks. They look oh so cute because they are drawn by my wonderful colleague Anna Skopina. 🏝

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