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Difficulty: HardCommas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

The following passage is an excerpt from an art history essay.

Visitors to the museum often overlook the smaller galleries in favor of the grand exhibition halls. However, the Renaissance painting that hangs in the main gallery, a portrait of a wealthy Florentine merchant, was recently restored to its original brilliance. Conservators spent months removing layers of discolored varnish to reveal the vibrant colors underneath.

Which choice best punctuates the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. NO CHANGEAnswer
  2. B
    painting, that hangs in the main gallery, a portrait of a wealthy Florentine merchant, was
  3. C
    painting that hangs in the main gallery, a portrait of a wealthy Florentine merchant was
  4. D
    painting that hangs in the main gallery; a portrait of a wealthy Florentine merchant, was

Answer

The correct answer is the option that leaves the restrictive clause unpunctuated and uses a pair of commas to set off the nonessential appositive phrase.
The correct choice keeps the restrictive clause unpunctuated while correctly isolating the nonessential appositive phrase with a pair of commas. The clause beginning with 'that' defines the specific painting and must not be separated from it by a comma. The appositive 'a portrait of a wealthy Florentine merchant' adds descriptive info and is properly framed by commas on both sides.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine if the clause 'that hangs in the main gallery' is restrictive or nonrestrictive.
The clause is restrictive because it specifies exactly which painting was restored. It should not be enclosed in commas.
Restrictive elements are essential to the meaning of the sentence and are not punctuated with commas.
2
Determine if the phrase 'a portrait of a wealthy Florentine merchant' is restrictive or nonrestrictive.
The phrase is a nonessential appositive that adds extra detail about the painting but is not essential to the sentence structure. It must be set off with a pair of commas.
Nonessential or parenthetical elements must be set off with a pair of commas, one at the beginning and one at the end of the phrase.
3
Evaluate the punctuation options to find the one that correctly applies both rules.
The original text contains no commas around the restrictive clause and has commas both before and after the nonessential appositive. Therefore, the best choice is the original punctuation.
Maintaining the original structure avoids separating the restrictive clause and correctly bounds the parenthetical appositive.

Key Concept

Distinguishing between restrictive clauses (which require no commas) and nonessential appositives (which require a pair of commas).
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

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