16Hit 1600
Standard English ConventionsVery hardNested interruption with commas and dashes

Standard English Conventions practice question

The city's ____ been dropping by a meter a year as wells multiply faster than the rains can refill it.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  1. A. aquifer — a layer of waterlogged gravel, sand, and silt — hasCorrect
  2. B. aquifer — a layer of waterlogged gravel, sand, and silt, has
  3. C. aquifer, a layer of waterlogged gravel, sand, and silt — has
  4. D. aquifer — a layer of waterlogged gravel, sand, and silt — have

Answer: A. aquifer — a layer of waterlogged gravel, sand, and silt — has

The appositive contains its own commas, so dashes must enclose it on both sides; the subject 'aquifer' then takes the singular verb 'has.'

Why the other answers are wrong

B. aquifer — a layer of waterlogged gravel, sand, and silt, has
The interruption opens with a dash but closes with a comma.
C. aquifer, a layer of waterlogged gravel, sand, and silt — has
The marks are mismatched in the other direction.
D. aquifer — a layer of waterlogged gravel, sand, and silt — have
The dashes are right, but 'have' does not agree with the singular 'aquifer.'

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