16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsHardDash pair around an interrupting list

Standard English Conventions practice question

The three ____ were all born in the same village.

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

  1. A. brothers — Tom, Ned, and Will —Correct
  2. B. brothers — Tom, Ned, and Will,
  3. C. brothers, Tom, Ned, and Will —
  4. D. brothers Tom, Ned, and Will

Answer: A. brothers — Tom, Ned, and Will —

A list containing commas is set off by dashes on both sides.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. brothers — Tom, Ned, and Will,
A dash opens and a comma closes: mismatched.
C. brothers, Tom, Ned, and Will —
A comma opens and a dash closes: mismatched.
D. brothers Tom, Ned, and Will
No punctuation at all makes the sentence hard to read.

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