Question

Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly?

a) "Anthony, tired of failing his exams, started studying every night after school."
b) "Anthony tired of failing his exams started studying every night after school."
c) "Anthony, tired of failing his exams started studying every night after school."
d) "Anthony tired of failing his exams, started studying every night after school.""

Answer 1

The correctly punctuated sentence is "Anthony, tired of failing his exams, started studying every night after school." It uses commas to offset the nonessential clause. This example follows the correct use of punctuation by providing clarity and readability.

Step-by-step explanation:

The sentence that is punctuated correctly is: "Anthony, tired of failing his exams, started studying every night after school." This sentence correctly uses commas to set off the nonrestrictive clause "tired of failing his exams" that provides additional information about Anthony. The clause isn't essential to the core meaning of the sentence, which could stand alone as "Anthony started studying every night after school."

When reviewing questions related to the use of the short-to-long principle, the sentence that illustrates it well is: A group of five students resolved the test quickly, accurately, and without any assistance. This principle suggests that when listing items in a series, you should arrange them from shortest to longest for the sake of readability and rhythm.

For inserting missing commas or omitting incorrectly placed commas, the corrected sentences are:

1. I finally found my keys, and I got to work just in time.
2. Mrs. Contreras threw out her old coffee table and cleaned the carpet.
3. Taking the elevator to the roof, we hoped we could see the skyline and the bay.
4. Though Susan wasn't feeling well, she went to the store anyway and bought ice cream, pizza, and candy.
5. I let my neighbor borrow my phone because she said hers was tapped by the police.

Mixed construction sentences should be revised to maintain clarity and grammatical coherence. An example of a corrected mixed construction is:

People who have hobbies are happier than others.

By starting my general studies classes last semester, I gave myself the opportunity to take classes in my major this fall.

Subtle changes in capitalization and punctuation can alter the tone and formality of a message, as seen in Mateo's different messages throughout the week.