16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsMediumComma after an introductory participial phrase

Standard English Conventions practice question

Exhausted after the long climb ____ the hikers set up camp well before dark.

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

  1. A. climb, theCorrect
  2. B. climb the
  3. C. climb; the
  4. D. climb. The

Answer: A. climb, the

'Exhausted after the long climb' is an introductory phrase describing the hikers. It's followed by a comma before the main clause.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. climb the
Without the comma the reader can't tell where the introductory phrase ends.
C. climb; the
A semicolon needs a complete clause on each side; the opening phrase has no subject or verb.
D. climb. The
A period leaves 'Exhausted after the long climb' as a fragment.

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