16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsVery hardDash pair enclosing a list within a sentence

Standard English Conventions practice question

Three varieties — Ashmead's Kernel, Pitmaston Pineapple, and ____ are grown nowhere else in the county.

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

  1. A. Cornish Gilliflower —Correct
  2. B. Cornish Gilliflower,
  3. C. Cornish Gilliflower;
  4. D. Cornish Gilliflower

Answer: A. Cornish Gilliflower —

The list opened with a dash must be closed with a dash.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. Cornish Gilliflower,
A comma can't close what a dash opened.
C. Cornish Gilliflower;
A semicolon can't.
D. Cornish Gilliflower
With no closing mark, the list runs into the verb.

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