2

Came across a sentence:

Among their findings was that residents of cities apparently have a lower risk of psychological problems when they have regular access to a park or other natural environment, that has the effect of reducing the level of stress hormones

It's a writing test,and this was marked as the "correct" answer. I'm having trouble justifying the comma in front of "that". I'd like to know whether it is a rule I've never heard of or just a mistake.

Improve this question

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

The bug is that you’ve written

other natural environment, that has the effect

Except that we cannot use that there at all. This is one of those “real”* places where you cannot freely interchange that and which. You need which here because it is not a restrictive/defining clause:

other natural environment, which has the effect

Descriptive/non-defining clauses like these require which, never that.

* “Real” in that this a matter of grammar not of style advice, the latter of which often tries to pretend that you should follow its stylistic preferences as though they were actual grammatical rules.

Improve this answer
3
  • I originally thought that the "that has the effect..." part refered to the "environment".So would it be correct if it was the case?
    – DwightSchrute
    Commented Mar 5, 2017 at 14:46
  • @DwightSchrute To, it’s referring to “when they have regular access to a park or other natural environment”.
    – tchrist ♦
    Commented Mar 5, 2017 at 14:59
  • 1
    Good answer. I do not understand why anyone would down-vote it. (Your answer does not require the word "real," however, and the footnote is also unnecessary. I don't like to edit other people's answers, especially ones by someone as learned and experienced as you, or I would remove them myself.) +1.
    – Mark Hubbard
    Commented Mar 5, 2017 at 17:07

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .