16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsVery hardSentence punctuation outside a closing parenthesis

Standard English Conventions practice question

By 2020 the bridge was carrying 40,000 vehicles a day (twice its design load ____

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. ).

The parenthesis holds only a phrase inside a larger sentence, so the sentence's period goes OUTSIDE the closing parenthesis.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. .)
A period inside the parentheses belongs only to a complete sentence that stands entirely within them.
C. )
The sentence would have no end punctuation.
D. ;)
A semicolon inside the parenthesis makes no sense.

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