Which sentences are punctuated correctly? Check all that apply.
A. Apples which come in many varieties are delicious raw or cooked. B. The friend—whom I met at camp—will be attending my school this year. C. Gabriel will travel to Peru (where his mother was born) next month. D. Bears in Space—which is my favorite movie—is on at eight o’clock tonight. E. Charlie, my oldest cousin, just got a job at the car wash.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The sentences that are punctuated correctly are B, C, D, and E.
Explanation:
A. “Apples which come in many varieties are delicious raw or cooked.”
This sentence is incorrect because it lacks the necessary commas to set off the nonrestrictive clause. The correct version should be: “Apples, which come in many varieties, are delicious raw or cooked.” The phrase “which come in many varieties” provides additional information but is not essential to the main point of the sentence, thus requiring commas.
B. “The friend—whom I met at camp—will be attending my school this year.”
This sentence is punctuated correctly. The em dashes effectively set off the nonessential clause “whom I met at camp,” indicating that this information can be omitted without changing the core meaning of the sentence. The use of em dashes adds emphasis and clarity.
C. “Gabriel will travel to Peru (where his mother was born) next month.”
This sentence is also correct. The parentheses are used properly to include additional information that is not critical to the main point of the sentence. This structure is effective for providing context without interrupting the flow of the main statement.
D. “Bears in Space—which is my favorite movie—is on at eight o’clock tonight.”
This sentence is correctly punctuated with em dashes. The phrase “which is my favorite movie” is nonessential, providing additional information about “Bears in Space.” The dashes appropriately indicate that the inserted clause can be removed without altering the fundamental meaning.
E. “Charlie, my oldest cousin, just got a job at the car wash.”
This sentence is correct as well. The commas around “my oldest cousin” denote that this is a nonrestrictive appositive, which provides extra information about Charlie but does not change the meaning of the sentence.
In summary, sentences B, C, D, and E use appropriate punctuation to convey additional information while maintaining clarity and grammatical accuracy.