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Difficulty: MediumCommas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

In the early nineteenth century, a Cherokee silversmith named Sequoyah set out to create a written language for his people. Sequoyah's writing system which he painstakingly developed, consisted of eighty-five characters representing distinct syllables. Within a few years, literacy rates among the Cherokee rose dramatically, demonstrating the success of his invention.

Which of the following choices best punctuates the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. , which he painstakingly developed,Answer
  3. C
    , that he painstakingly developed,
  4. D
    ; which he painstakingly developed,

Answer

The correct option is the one that sets off the nonessential clause with a pair of commas: ', which he painstakingly developed,'
The relative clause is nonessential because it modifies 'Sequoyah's writing system,' which is already specific and unique. Nonessential elements must be enclosed by a pair of commas. The correct option correctly provides both the opening comma before 'which' and the closing comma after 'developed' to set off this parenthetical clause.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine whether the underlined clause is essential (restrictive) or nonessential (nonrestrictive) to the sentence.
The clause modifies 'Sequoyah's writing system.' Because this noun phrase refers to a specific, unique entity that is already fully identified, the modifying clause is nonessential.
Nonessential elements provide extra information but are not required to identify the noun they modify.
2
Identify the punctuation rules that apply to nonessential elements.
Nonessential elements must be set off from the rest of the sentence by a pair of commas—one at the beginning and one at the end of the element.
Enclosing parenthetical information in commas allows the reader to follow the main clause without interruption.
3
Evaluate the options to find the one that correctly applies these rules.
The option starting with a comma and using the pronoun 'which' followed by a closing comma correctly sets off the clause. Other options either leave a dangling comma, use a restrictive pronoun with commas, or introduce a semicolon that creates a fragment.
Only the correct option maintains proper sentence structure and punctuation.

Key Concept

Punctuation of nonessential relative clauses
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Topics

Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

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