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Question

Difficulty: MediumCommas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

In the early twentieth century, a new musical style emerged in the vibrant neighborhoods of New Orleans. The musicians who performed in early jazz brass bands, which were popular in New Orleans often relied on improvisation rather than written sheet music. This innovative approach helped popularize the genre across the nation.

Which of the following alternatives to the underlined portion is grammatically correct?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. who performed in early jazz brass bands, which were popular in New Orleans,Answer
  3. C
    , who performed in early jazz brass bands, which were popular in New Orleans,
  4. D
    who performed in early jazz brass bands; which were popular in New Orleans,

Answer

who performed in early jazz brass bands, which were popular in New Orleans,
The correct option correctly leaves the restrictive clause 'who performed in early jazz brass bands' without commas, as it is essential to identifying which musicians are being discussed. It also properly encloses the nonessential relative clause 'which were popular in New Orleans' with a pair of commas to set it off from the rest of the sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the clauses in the underlined portion and determine whether they are restrictive (essential) or nonrestrictive (nonessential).
The clause 'who performed in early jazz brass bands' is restrictive because it defines which specific musicians are being discussed. The clause 'which were popular in New Orleans' is nonrestrictive because it provides extra information about the brass bands.
Restrictive clauses do not take commas, whereas nonrestrictive clauses must be set off by a pair of commas.
2
Evaluate the punctuation surrounding each clause to find the grammatically correct option.
The correct option must not place a comma before 'who', but must place commas both before 'which' and after 'New Orleans'.
This maintains the integrity of the restrictive clause and correctly sets off the parenthetical nonrestrictive clause.

Key Concept

Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements
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Topics

Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

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