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Question

Difficulty: EasyCommas with Lists, Clauses, and Coordinate Adjectives

The local library acquired a rare historical manuscript, researchers immediately requested access to study it.

Which choice is the best version of the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    manuscript, researchers
  2. manuscript, and researchersAnswer
  3. C
    manuscript; because researchers
  4. D
    manuscript. Because researchers

Answer

manuscript, and researchers
The correct choice is the option containing 'manuscript, and researchers'. This choice correctly joins two independent clauses using a comma followed by the coordinating conjunction 'and'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the structure of the clauses on both sides of the punctuation.
The clause before the punctuation ('The local library acquired a rare historical manuscript') and the clause after ('researchers immediately requested access to study it') are both independent clauses.
Understanding clause boundaries helps determine how to connect them properly.
2
Determine the correct way to connect two independent clauses.
Two independent clauses must be joined by either a semicolon, a period, or a comma paired with a coordinating conjunction (such as 'and').
Using a comma alone results in a comma splice, which is a grammatical error.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that correctly connects the clauses.
The option containing 'manuscript, and researchers' correctly uses the coordinating conjunction 'and' with a comma.
This resolves the comma splice without creating a fragment or punctuation error.

Key Concept

Connecting Independent Clauses
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Commas with Lists, Clauses, and Coordinate Adjectives

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