PSAT Writing : Correcting Punctuation Errors: Commas for Introductory or Interrupting Phrases
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Example Questions
Example Question #781 : Act English
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
The students anxious about their grades were pestering their teacher about the test.
The students anxious about their grades were
The students, anxious about their grades, were
The students' anxious about their grades were
The students, anxious about their grades were
The students anxious about their grades, were
The students, anxious about their grades, were
The phrase "anxious about their grades" is an interrupting phrase, or one that provides extra information, but is not crucial to the structure of the sentence. All interrupting phrases need to be set apart from the rest of the sentence by commas. The only answer choice that does this is "The students, anxious about their grades, were."
Example Question #561 : Correcting Punctuation Errors
The athlete, a respected team leader was always the first person in the locker room before a game.
The athlete, a respected team leader was
The athlete, a respected team leader having been
The athlete, a respected team leader, was
The athlete a respected team leader was
The athlete, the respected team leader was
The athlete, a respected team leader, was
The phrase "a respected team leader" is what is known as an interrupting phrase, or a phrase that provides information but is unnecessary for the structure of the sentence. All interrupting phrases must be set apart from the rest of the sentence by commas; therefore, the correct answer is "The athlete, a respected team leader, was."
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