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Difficulty: Very hardCommas with Lists, Clauses, and Coordinate Adjectives

To reconstruct the prehistoric environment, the researchers analyzed the fossilized microscopic, plant spores, and compared the results with modern soil samples.

Which of the following options represents the correct punctuation for the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    fossilized, microscopic, plant spores, and they compared
  3. fossilized, microscopic plant spores and comparedAnswer
  4. D
    fossilized microscopic plant spores; comparing

Answer

The correct answer is the option that correctly punctuates the coordinate adjectives and the compound predicate, reading 'fossilized, microscopic plant spores and compared'.
The correct option correctly identifies 'fossilized' and 'microscopic' as coordinate adjectives, which requires a comma between them, while recognizing 'plant' as a cumulative adjective that should not be separated from 'spores' by a comma. Furthermore, it correctly punctuates the compound predicate ('analyzed... and compared...') by omitting the comma before the coordinating conjunction 'and'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the relationship between the adjectives 'fossilized', 'microscopic', and 'plant'.
'fossilized' and 'microscopic' are coordinate adjectives (they can be reversed or joined by 'and'), so they require a comma. 'plant' is cumulative with 'spores', so no comma should separate 'microscopic' and 'plant'.
Coordinate adjectives modify the noun independently and must be separated by a comma, whereas cumulative adjectives build on each other and must not be separated by commas.
2
Analyze the clause structure and punctuation around the conjunction 'and'.
The sentence has a compound predicate ('analyzed... and compared...'), not two independent clauses.
A comma should not be used before 'and' when it links two parts of a compound predicate sharing the same subject ('the researchers').
3
Evaluate the answer choices to find the one that applies both grammatical rules correctly.
The option containing 'fossilized, microscopic plant spores and compared' correctly applies both rules.
It includes the necessary comma for coordinate adjectives, avoids the unnecessary comma before the cumulative adjective, and correctly omits the comma in the compound predicate.

Key Concept

Distinguishing between coordinate and cumulative adjectives, and punctuating compound predicates vs. independent clauses.
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Topics

Commas with Lists, Clauses, and Coordinate Adjectives

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