Question

The Poet Laureate Consultant, and the Librarian of Congress eagerly prepare for the new Walt Whitman exhibit.

How is the comma used incorrectly in the sentence above?

The comma attempts to separate a compound subject.
The comma attempts to separate a compound predicate.
The comma attempts to set apart an essential element.
The comma attempts to join two independent clauses.

Answer 1

The right answer for the question that is being asked and shown above is that: "The comma attempts to separate a compound predicate." The Poet Laureate Consultant, and the Librarian of Congress eagerly prepare for the new Walt Whitman exhibit.

Answer 2

The comma is used incorrectly in this sentence because it attempts to separate a compound subject.

A compound subject occurs in a sentence when a sentence has two or more subjects. In this case, the compound subject is The Poet Laucreate Consultant and the Librarian of Congress.

To avoid confusion, a predicate is the part that modifies the subject in some way. In this case the predicate is prepared. It is not a compound predicate, nor does the comma separate it from anything.