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Difficulty: MediumCommas with Lists, Clauses, and Coordinate Adjectives

To evaluate structural integrity after seismic events, civil engineers inspected sturdy, reinforced beams cataloged surface fractures, and measured displacement along load-bearing walls.

Which choice best completes the sentence according to the conventions of standard written English?

  1. A
    sturdy, reinforced beams cataloged surface fractures, and measured
  2. B
    sturdy reinforced beams, cataloged surface fractures, and measured
  3. sturdy, reinforced beams, cataloged surface fractures, and measuredAnswer
  4. D
    sturdy, reinforced beams, cataloged surface fractures and, measured

Answer

sturdy, reinforced beams, cataloged surface fractures, and measured
The correct choice properly separates the coordinate adjectives 'sturdy' and 'reinforced' with a comma, as both adjectives modify 'beams' independently. Furthermore, it correctly separates the three parallel verb phrases in the series with commas, placing a comma after the first phrase ending in 'beams' and before the conjunction 'and' before the third phrase.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the relationship between the consecutive adjectives modifying 'beams'.
The adjectives 'sturdy' and 'reinforced' are coordinate adjectives because they can be joined by 'and' ('sturdy and reinforced') and their order can be reversed ('reinforced, sturdy'). Therefore, a comma is required between them.
Coordinate adjectives independently modify the same noun and require comma separation.
2
Identify the overall sentence structure and series elements.
The sentence lists three parallel action phrases performed by the engineers: (1) 'inspected sturdy, reinforced beams', (2) 'cataloged surface fractures', and (3) 'measured displacement along load-bearing walls'.
Items in a series of three or more elements must be separated by commas.
3
Check comma placement for items in a series.
A comma is needed after the first list item ('beams,') and before the coordinating conjunction preceding the final item (', and measured').
Standard written English requires commas after each element in a series of three or more actions.

Key Concept

Commas with Coordinate Adjectives and Serial Lists
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Commas with Lists, Clauses, and Coordinate Adjectives

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