Question

which pair of adjectives in this sentence should be joined by a comma? select the best answer.

the banana yellow dress stood out in the sea of black somber suits.

answer

• somber, suits
• black, somber
• yellow, dress

Explanation:

🆕 New Concept Discovered: Coordinate Adjectives
How to identify adjectives that modify a noun equally.

Step 1: Understand coordinate vs. cumulative adjectives

When two or more adjectives modify the same noun, we need to determine if they are coordinate or cumulative:

• Coordinate adjectives modify the noun equally. They require a comma between them.
• Cumulative adjectives build on one another to modify the noun and do not take a comma.

To test if adjectives are coordinate (and need a comma), use these two tests:

1. The "And" Test: Can you put "and" between the adjectives and have the sentence still make sense?
2. The Reversal Test: Can you reverse the order of the adjectives and have the sentence still make sense?

Step 2: Apply the tests to the adjective pairs

Let's look at the adjectives modifying the nouns in the sentence: "The banana yellow dress stood out in the sea of black somber suits."

• "banana yellow" modifying "dress":
• "Banana" acts as a noun adjunct modifying "yellow" (it describes the shade of yellow). They cannot be reversed ("yellow banana dress" changes the meaning) and we cannot say "banana and yellow dress." Thus, no comma goes here.
• "black somber" modifying "suits":
• Let's try the "And" Test: "...sea of black and somber suits." (This makes perfect sense).
• Let's try the Reversal Test: "...sea of somber black suits." (This also makes perfect sense).
• Since both tests pass, "black" and "somber" are coordinate adjectives and must be separated by a comma: black, somber.

Step 3: Eliminate incorrect options

• somber, suits: "Suits" is a noun, not an adjective. We never place a comma between a final adjective and the noun it modifies.
• yellow, dress: "Dress" is a noun, not an adjective. We do not place a comma between the adjective "yellow" and the noun "dress."

Answer:

black, somber