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Difficulty: MediumCommas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

The following passage is about a famous scientific discovery.

In 1938, Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer noticed a strange blue fish in a local fisherman's catch. The coelacanth , a prehistoric fish, that scientists believed was extinct, was rediscovered through this single specimen. This ground-breaking find shocked the scientific community and rewrote the history of vertebrate evolution.

Which choice best punctuates the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. , a prehistoric fish that scientists believed was extinct, was rediscoveredAnswer
  3. C
    , a prehistoric fish that scientists believed was extinct was rediscovered
  4. D
    ; a prehistoric fish that scientists believed was extinct, was rediscovered

Answer

The correct choice is the option that correctly sets off the nonessential appositive phrase with a pair of commas while keeping the restrictive clause within it unpunctuated: ', a prehistoric fish that scientists believed was extinct, was rediscovered'.
The correct option properly identifies the entire phrase 'a prehistoric fish that scientists believed was extinct' as a nonessential appositive that requires a pair of commas to set it off from the main clause. Additionally, it correctly recognizes that the relative clause starting with 'that' is restrictive and must not be separated from 'fish' by a comma.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the nonessential element in the sentence.
The phrase 'a prehistoric fish that scientists believed was extinct' is an appositive modifying 'coelacanth' and is nonessential to the main clause.
Nonessential elements must be set off from the rest of the sentence by a pair of commas, dashes, or parentheses.
2
Analyze the relative clause within the appositive.
The relative clause 'that scientists believed was extinct' is restrictive because it specifies which prehistoric fish is being referred to.
Restrictive clauses should not be separated from their referent by commas.
3
Select the option that correctly applies these rules.
The option starting with a comma and ending with a comma after the restrictive clause is correct.
It correctly encloses the entire nonessential appositive with a pair of commas without incorrectly placing a comma before the restrictive clause.

Key Concept

Using commas to enclose nonessential elements while leaving restrictive clauses unpunctuated.
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Topics

Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

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