Question #N953
Which choice correctly punctuates the following sentence? The author’s book, a collection of essays on the history of the English language, was a critical and commercial success.
A. The author’s book, a collection of essays on the history of the English language, was a critical, and commercial success.
B. The author’s book a collection of essays on the history of the English language, was a critical and commercial success.
C. The author’s book, a collection of essays on the history of the English language was a critical and commercial success.
D. The author’s book, a collection of essays on the history of the English language was a critical, and commercial success.
Correct Answer is: A
The sentence correctly uses a comma after the introductory phrase "The author’s book" and a comma before the conjunction "and" in the list of descriptors for the book. This is because the phrase "a collection of essays on the history of the English language" is a nonessential phrase. The sentence could be read without this phrase, and the meaning would remain the same. Nonessential phrases must be set off from the main clause with commas, while essential phrases should not be set off from the main clause with commas. The conjunction "and" in the list of descriptors "critical and commercial success" should be preceded by a comma, because it is part of a series of two or more items.