Question

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the following sentence contains an introductory phrase:
after looking through her purse three times carla realized she’d forgotten her earplugs at home and would have to listen to her boyfriend’s band.
which revision correctly punctuates the sentence?
after looking through her purse, three times carla realized she’d forgotten her earplugs at home and would have to listen to her boyfriend’s band.
after looking through her purse three times, carla realized she’d forgotten her earplugs at home and would have to listen to her boyfriend’s band.
after, looking through her purse three times carla realized she’d forgotten her earplugs at home, and would have to listen to her boyfriend’s band.
after looking through her purse three times carla realized she’d forgotten her earplugs at home, and would have to listen to her boyfriend’s band.

Explanation:

To determine the correct punctuation, we analyze introductory phrases. An introductory phrase (like "After looking through her purse three times") should be followed by a comma before the main clause ("Carla realized..."). Let's check each option:

• First option: Incorrectly places a comma after "purse" instead of after the full introductory phrase.
• Second option: Puts a comma after the complete introductory phrase "After looking through her purse three times", which is correct.
• Third option: Unnecessary comma after "After" and incorrect comma placement later.
• Fourth option: Missing comma after the introductory phrase, creating a run - on.

Answer:

B. After looking through her purse three times, Carla realized she’d forgotten her earplugs at home and would have to listen to her boyfriend’s band.