On July 23, 1854, a clipper ship called the Flying Cloud entered San Francisco ______blank left New York Harbor under the guidance of Captain Josiah Perkins Creesy and his wife, navigator Eleanor Creesy, a mere 89 days and 8 hours earlier, the celebrated ship set a record that would stand for 135 years.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between sentences. In this choice, the period after “Bay” is used correctly to mark the boundary between one sentence (“On…Bay”) and another sentence that begins with a supplementary phrase (“Having…years”). Here, the supplementary phrase beginning with “having” modifies the subject of the second sentence, “the celebrated ship.”
Choice A is incorrect. Without a comma preceding it, the conjunction “and” can’t be used in this way to join sentences. Choice C is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. A comma can’t be used in this way to join two sentences. Choice D is incorrect because it results in a run-on sentence. The sentences (“On…Bay” and “having…years”) are fused without punctuation and/or a conjunction.
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