Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
Select one:
?. We are seeking an efficient, reliable, technician who can work independently.
b. We are seeking an efficient reliable technician who can work independently.
c. We are seeking an efficient, reliable technician who can work independently.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is:
c. We are seeking an efficient, reliable technician who can work independently.
Explanation:
Punctuation, especially the use of commas, plays a critical role in clarifying meaning and improving the readability of sentences. In this sentence, the focus is on listing two adjectives (“efficient” and “reliable”) that describe the noun “technician.”
1. Understanding Coordinate Adjectives:
When two or more adjectives modify the same noun equally (called coordinate adjectives), they should be separated by commas. You can test whether adjectives are coordinate by:
- Asking if the adjectives can be joined with “and” without changing the meaning:
efficient and reliable technician — this makes sense, so they are coordinate adjectives. - Checking if you can reverse the adjectives and the sentence still sounds correct:
reliable, efficient technician — this also makes sense.
Since “efficient” and “reliable” are coordinate adjectives, a comma should separate them.
2. Why option (a) is incorrect:
- “We are seeking an efficient, reliable, technician who can work independently.”
The comma after “reliable” is incorrect because it separates the adjective from the noun it modifies unnecessarily. Commas do not separate an adjective from the noun it describes.
3. Why option (b) is incorrect:
- “We are seeking an efficient reliable technician who can work independently.”
This lacks a comma between the two coordinate adjectives “efficient” and “reliable.” Without a comma, it reads as if “efficient” modifies “reliable technician” as a whole, which is not the intended meaning.
4. Correct punctuation (option c):
- “We are seeking an efficient, reliable technician who can work independently.”
This correctly places a comma between the two coordinate adjectives, improving clarity and readability.
Summary
In English grammar, commas are necessary between coordinate adjectives to signal that each adjective independently modifies the noun. Missing or misplaced commas can confuse readers or cause ambiguity. Option (c) uses commas correctly to separate “efficient” and “reliable,” while keeping the adjective-noun relationship intact. This makes it the grammatically correct choice.