Question

Add commas, parentheses, or dashes: The work of a nuclear physicist that is, someone who studies atomic nuclei is fascinating.

A) The work of a nuclear physicist (that is, someone who studies atomic nuclei) is fascinating.
B) The work of a nuclear physicist, that is someone who studies atomic nuclei, is fascinating.
C) The work of a nuclear physicist, (that is someone who studies atomic nuclei) is fascinating.
D) The work of a nuclear physicist, that is someone who studies atomic nuclei is fascinating.

Answer 1

The correct way to punctuate the provided sentence is with parentheses: 'The work of a nuclear physicist (that is, someone who studies atomic nuclei) is fascinating.' This properly sets off the non-essential appositive phrase within the sentence.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct option for adding commas, parentheses, or dashes in the sentence "The work of a nuclear physicist that is, someone who studies atomic nuclei is fascinating" is Option A: The work of a nuclear physicist (that is, someone who studies atomic nuclei) is fascinating. This is because the phrase "that is, someone who studies atomic nuclei" is an appositive that provides additional information to the noun 'nuclear physicist' and is properly set off with parentheses. Commas and dashes are also used for appositives, but in this case, parentheses are the preferred punctuation as the information is supplementary rather than essential to the meaning of the sentence and does not require the emphasis that dashes would give.