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Difficulty: HardCommas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

In the early twentieth century, the verification of Einstein's general theory of relativity hinged on observing the deflection of starlight during a solar eclipse. Arthur Eddington, who captured the photographic evidence that confirmed the theory, was an English astrophysicist who led the crucial 1919 expedition to the island of Príncipe. This landmark observation catapulted Einstein to global fame and revolutionized modern physics.

Which of the following choices best punctuates the underlined portion of the passage?

  1. NO CHANGEAnswer
  2. B
    Eddington; who captured the photographic evidence that confirmed the theory,
  3. C
    Eddington, who captured the photographic evidence that confirmed the theory
  4. D
    Eddington, who captured the photographic evidence, that confirmed the theory,

Answer

NO CHANGE
The correct option correctly uses a pair of commas to set off the nonessential relative clause beginning with 'who captured' and ending with 'theory' from the main sentence, while correctly avoiding commas around the restrictive clause 'that confirmed the theory'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify whether the underlined relative clause is essential (restrictive) or nonessential (nonrestrictive) to the meaning of the sentence.
The clause 'who captured the photographic evidence that confirmed the theory' modifies the proper noun 'Arthur Eddington.' Because proper nouns uniquely identify a person, any relative clause modifying them is nonessential.
Nonessential elements must be set off from the rest of the sentence with punctuation (typically commas).
2
Determine the correct punctuation to set off the nonessential clause.
A pair of commas must enclose the nonessential clause: one immediately before it (after 'Eddington') and one immediately after it (after 'theory').
Failing to include both commas leaves a punctuation mark dangling and breaks the syntactic flow of the main sentence.
3
Evaluate the restrictive clause 'that confirmed the theory' nested inside the nonessential clause.
This nested clause is restrictive because it specifies which photographic evidence is being discussed. Therefore, it must not be separated from 'evidence' by commas.
Commas should never isolate a restrictive clause from the noun it modifies.

Key Concept

Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements
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Topics

Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

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