Question

read the sentence.

the works of charles dickens a famous british writer include david copperfield and oliver twist.

which is the best revision of this sentence?

• the works of charles dickens a famous british writer include, david copperfield and oliver twist.
• the works of charles dickens, a famous british writer, include david copperfield and oliver twist.
• the works of charles dickens-a famous british writer include david copperfield and oliver twist.
• the works of charles dickens a famous british writer include-david copperfield and oliver twist.

Explanation:

Identify the appositive phrase

The phrase "a famous British writer" is a non-essential appositive phrase that renames "Charles Dickens."

Apply punctuation rules for non-essential elements

Non-essential appositive phrases must be set off from the rest of the sentence with commas on both sides.

Evaluate the given options

• Option 1: Incorrectly places a comma after "include" and lacks commas around the appositive.
• Option 2: Correctly places commas before "a" and after "writer" to set off the appositive phrase.
• Option 3: Only uses a single dash before the appositive without a matching punctuation mark after it.
• Option 4: Incorrectly uses a dash after "include" and lacks punctuation around the appositive.

Answer:

• (A) The works of Charles Dickens a famous British writer include, David Copperfield and Oliver Twist.
• (B) The works of Charles Dickens, a famous British writer, include David Copperfield and Oliver Twist. (Correct answer)
• (C) The works of Charles Dickens—a famous British writer include David Copperfield and Oliver Twist.
• (D) The works of Charles Dickens a famous British writer include—David Copperfield and Oliver Twist.