Choose the option that corrects the sentence below.
"Commander-in-Chief Sam Houston defeated the Mexican army and captured Santa Anna in 1836."
A. Commander-in-Chief, Sam Houston, defeated the Mexican army and captured Santa Anna in 1836.
B. Commander-in-Chief Sam Houston defeated the Mexican army and captured Santa Anna, in 1836.
C. Commander-in-Chief, Sam Houston defeated the Mexican army and captured Santa Anna in 1836.
D. The sentence is correct.
To me, the sentence looks correct, but I think A might also be right too.. But I can't have two answers. Which do you think? Thanks!
The answer is A. The appositive, Sam Houston, must be set apart by commas.
Ah, okay. Thank you so much!
You're very welcome.
Both option A and option C could be considered correct, but let me explain the grammar rule to help you choose the best option.
When using an appositive (a word or phrase that renames or defines a noun) like "Commander-in-Chief," it should be set off with commas. This helps to clearly separate the additional information from the rest of the sentence.
In this case, "Commander-in-Chief" is an appositive that renames or defines the proper noun "Sam Houston." Therefore, according to punctuation rules, the correct option is:
C. Commander-in-Chief, Sam Houston, defeated the Mexican army and captured Santa Anna in 1836.
Option C includes the necessary commas to properly set off the appositive "Commander-in-Chief."