16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsEasy–MediumAttaching an appositive

Standard English Conventions practice question

Marisol spent the summer restoring a 1962 sailboat ____ a project her grandfather had begun decades earlier.

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

  1. A. sailboat, a projectCorrect
  2. B. sailboat. A project
  3. C. sailboat; a project
  4. D. sailboat a project

Answer: A. sailboat, a project

'a project her grandfather had begun decades earlier' renames the sailboat. An appositive at the end of a sentence is attached with a comma.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. sailboat. A project
A period leaves 'A project her grandfather had begun decades earlier' as a fragment — it has no main verb.
C. sailboat; a project
A semicolon needs a complete clause on each side; the appositive isn't one.
D. sailboat a project
With no mark, 'sailboat a project' runs two noun phrases together.

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