16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsVery hardParenthetical sentence inside a sentence

Standard English Conventions practice question

The lighthouse (it was automated in 1998 ____ no longer has a keeper.

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

  1. A. )Correct
  2. B. .)
  3. C. );
  4. D. ),

Answer: A. )

A complete sentence placed in parentheses inside another sentence takes no period of its own, and nothing separates the closing parenthesis from the verb.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. .)
A period inside the parentheses would end the sentence mid-way.
C. );
A semicolon after the parenthesis splits the subject 'The lighthouse' from its verb.
D. ),
A comma after the parenthesis splits the subject from its verb.

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