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Difficulty: MediumCommas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

In 1938, a South African museum curator named Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer discovered an unusual blue fish among a local trawler's catch. The specimen, which had lobe-like fins and a three-lobed tail, was later identified as a coelacanth. Scientists were astonished because this lineage of fish was believed to have gone extinct over sixty million years ago.

Which choice correctly punctuates the underlined portion of the passage?

  1. NO CHANGEAnswer
  2. B
    specimen, which had lobe-like fins and a three-lobed tail was
  3. C
    specimen, that had lobe-like fins and a three-lobed tail, was
  4. D
    specimen; which had lobe-like fins and a three-lobed tail, was

Answer

The correct answer is the original phrasing, which correctly uses a pair of commas to enclose the nonessential relative clause.
The relative clause 'which had lobe-like fins and a three-lobed tail' is a nonessential (nonrestrictive) clause because it provides extra description about the specimen but is not required to identify it. Nonessential clauses must be set off from the rest of the sentence by a pair of commas. The original phrasing correctly places a comma before 'which' and a comma after 'tail'.

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 'which had lobe-like fins and a three-lobed tail' provides descriptive detail about the specimen but is not needed to identify which specimen is being referred to. Therefore, the clause is nonessential.
Distinguishing between essential and nonessential information determines whether punctuation (like commas) is required to set off the clause.
2
Determine the correct punctuation rules for setting off a nonessential relative clause.
Nonessential clauses must be set off from the rest of the sentence by a pair of commas: one at the start of the clause and one at the end.
Using a pair of commas correctly signals to the reader that the enclosed information is parenthetical and can be omitted without changing the core meaning of the sentence.
3
Evaluate the options to find the one that correctly applies a pair of commas without creating other errors.
The original sentence correctly places a comma before 'which' and a comma after 'tail', meaning no change is needed.
This verifies that the original punctuation is correct and that the other options introduce punctuation errors like dangling commas, incorrect pronouns, or sentence fragments.

Key Concept

Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

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