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Difficulty: MediumCommas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

During the Renaissance, the construction of the Florence Cathedral's massive dome posed a seemingly impossible challenge. Filippo Brunelleschi, the architect who designed the dome, utilized a unique herringbone brick-laying pattern to prevent the structure from collapsing. Ultimately, this innovative engineering method solved a problem that had puzzled builders for decades.

Which choice represents the correct punctuation for the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. NO CHANGEAnswer
  2. B
    Brunelleschi, the architect, who designed the dome, utilized
  3. C
    Brunelleschi, the architect who designed the dome utilized
  4. D
    Brunelleschi; the architect who designed the dome, utilized

Answer

The correct answer is the original phrasing, which correctly uses a pair of commas to set off the nonessential appositive phrase without separating the restrictive relative clause from its referent.
The correct choice sets off the nonessential appositive phrase 'the architect who designed the dome' with a pair of commas. The clause 'who designed the dome' is restrictive because it identifies which architect is referred to, so it should not be separated from 'architect' by commas.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the nonessential element in the sentence.
The phrase 'the architect who designed the dome' is an appositive modifying 'Filippo Brunelleschi' and is nonessential to the grammatical structure of the main clause.
The sentence remains a complete, grammatical thought if this descriptive phrase is removed.
2
Determine the correct punctuation for the parenthetical appositive.
It must be enclosed by a matching pair of commas: one before the phrase and one after it.
Nonessential and parenthetical elements must be set off with a pair of punctuation marks to separate them from the rest of the independent clause.
3
Analyze the relative clause within the appositive phrase.
The clause 'who designed the dome' is restrictive to the noun 'architect' because it identifies which architect is being discussed.
Restrictive clauses are essential to define the noun they modify and must not be separated from that noun by commas.

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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