Question

is the comma usage and/or placement correct in this sentence? select the best answer.

the sanctions against russian imports which began in 1998, expired tuesday.

answer

no, the comma usage and/or placement is incorrect.
yes, the comma usage and/or placement is correct.

Explanation:

🆕 New Concept Discovered: Restrictive vs. Non-Restrictive Clauses
Identifying essential vs. extra information in a sentence.

Step 1: Analyze the clause structure

The sentence is:
"The sanctions against Russian imports which began in 1998, expired Tuesday."

Let's look at the clause: "which began in 1998".

In English grammar, relative clauses starting with "which" can be either:

• Non-restrictive (non-essential): They add extra information that isn't required to identify the noun. These must be set off by commas on both sides.
• Restrictive (essential): They define exactly which noun we are talking about. These do not use commas at all.

Step 2: Evaluate the comma placement

In this sentence, there is a single comma after the clause:
"...imports which began in 1998, expired Tuesday."

• If the clause is meant to be non-restrictive (extra information), it is missing a matching comma before "which":
• Incorrect: "...imports which began in 1998, expired..."
• Correct: "...imports, which began in 1998, expired..."

• If the clause is meant to be restrictive (essential information identifying which specific sanctions expired), there should be no commas at all:
• Correct: "...imports which began in 1998 expired..."

Because there is only one comma separating the subject and its verb (expired), the punctuation is grammatically incorrect.

Answer:

No, the comma usage and/or placement is incorrect.