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Difficulty: MediumSentence Fragments

The research team successfully isolated the gene responsible for the enzyme's production. A discovery that could lead to new treatments for metabolic disorders.

Which choice best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. production, a discovery that could leadAnswer
  3. C
    production; a discovery that could lead
  4. D
    production, this discovery could lead

Answer

production, a discovery that could lead
The correct option correctly replaces the period with a comma, turning the fragment into an appositive phrase that modifies 'production' and creating a single, grammatically correct sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the underlined portion to determine if a grammatical error exists.
The text following the period, 'A discovery that could lead to new treatments for metabolic disorders,' has no main verb. It is a sentence fragment.
A complete sentence requires a subject and a verb that expresses a complete thought.
2
Evaluate how to connect the fragment to the preceding independent clause.
Using a comma allows the phrase starting with 'a discovery' to act as an appositive modifying the noun 'production' in the main clause.
Appositive phrases must be joined to their independent clauses using a comma.
3
Verify that the other choices do not introduce new punctuation errors.
A semicolon requires independent clauses on both sides, which rules out the option using a semicolon. Using a comma with a subject-verb clause ('this discovery could lead') without a coordinating conjunction creates a comma splice, ruling out that option.
Eliminating options with semicolon errors and comma splices ensures the final choice is grammatically sound.

Key Concept

Correcting sentence fragments by integrating dependent phrases into the main clause using appropriate punctuation.
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Topics

Sentence Fragments

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