Question

language development: conventions
identify the choice that best answers the question.
which sentence containing an appositive phrase is correctly punctuated?
a. aunt veras collection of devices, phones laptops and tablets, is truly impressive.
b. aunt veras collection—of devices, phones, laptops, and tablets, is truly—impressive.
c. aunt veras collection, of devices, phones, laptops, and tablets, is truly impressive.
d. aunt veras collection of devices—phones, laptops, and tablets—is truly impressive.

Explanation:

To determine the correctly punctuated sentence with an appositive phrase, we analyze each option:

• Option A: In "phones laptops and tablets", there should be commas between the items in the list (e.g., "phones, laptops, and tablets"). Also, the appositive phrase structure here isn't properly punctuated with the right marks for an appositive.
• Option B: The em dashes are used incorrectly. The phrase "of devices, phones, laptops, and tablets" isn't an appositive in the right context, and the em dash before "impressive" is unnecessary.
• Option C: The commas around "of devices, phones, laptops, and tablets" are incorrect. The phrase "of devices..." isn't an appositive phrase here; it's part of the prepositional phrase "collection of devices...", and the commas misinterpret the structure.
• Option D: The appositive phrase "phones, laptops, and tablets" is correctly set off by em dashes, which are appropriate for an appositive that provides additional information about "collection of devices". The list within the appositive is properly punctuated with commas between items, and the overall sentence structure is correct.

Answer:

D. Aunt Vera's collection of devices—phones, laptops, and tablets—is truly impressive.