Question #N649
The playwright, a prolific writer of historical fiction, has a reputation for scrupulously researching his scripts. He spends months, sometimes years, poring over historical documents to ensure accuracy. His attention to detail is evident in his choice of language, his depiction of settings, and his portrayal of characters.
Which choice best combines the sentences at the underlined portion to create a grammatically correct and stylistically effective sentence?
A. He spends months, sometimes years, poring over historical documents to ensure accuracy, and his attention to detail
B. He spends months, sometimes years, poring over historical documents to ensure accuracy, and this attention to detail
C. Spending months, sometimes years, poring over historical documents to ensure accuracy; his attention to detail
D. Spending months, sometimes years, poring over historical documents to ensure accuracy, his attention to detail
Correct Answer is: D
Choice D is the best answer because it correctly joins the two sentences with a comma and a modifier. The modifier "Spending months, sometimes years, poring over historical documents to ensure accuracy" modifies the noun phrase "his attention to detail" and creates a grammatically correct sentence. The semicolon in Choice C creates a comma splice and is incorrect.