I was the person who posed the original question about nonrestrictive clauses and phrases perhaps being more significant than restrictive ones as indicators of maturity in writing. I don't feel on very firm ground on this but thought I'd throw it out for discussion. My basis would be the idea that mature writing includes more structures and features not found in speech. (Katharine Perera writes along these lines in *Children's Writing and Reading.*) I think one is likely to hear a child say something like this: "The kid who took my lunch money is in fifth grade." On the other hand, he would be unlikely every to say something with a nonrestrtictive clause like this: "Fifth graderes, who regularly steal lunch money from us second graders, should have their own lunchroom." If this child ever grew up frame a sentence like that, it would almost certainly be in writing. ******************************************************************************* Michael Kischner North Seattle Community College 9600 College Way North Seattle, WA 98103 (206) 528-4540 FAX (206) 527 3784 email [log in to unmask] *******************************************************************************