Which one of the following sentences containes an unnecessary comma.
A. We had to decide among steak, lobster, and pork roast.
B. Before we could enter the building, we had to show our identification badges.
C. The car that was used as a demonstration in the race, is owned by cambridge motor company.
D. The tree, which has been part of the community for more than 75 years, was struck by lightning.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm
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To determine which sentence contains an unnecessary comma, we can analyze each option:
A. "We had to decide among steak, lobster, and pork roast." - This sentence is using commas correctly to separate items in a list, so it does not contain an unnecessary comma.
B. "Before we could enter the building, we had to show our identification badges." - This sentence does not contain an unnecessary comma either. It uses a comma correctly to separate the dependent clause at the beginning of the sentence.
C. "The car that was used as a demonstration in the race, is owned by Cambridge Motor Company." - This sentence contains an unnecessary comma. The phrase "that was used as a demonstration in the race" is a restrictive or essential clause, providing important information about the car. Therefore, it should not be separated by commas. Removing the comma after "race" would correct this sentence.
D. "The tree, which has been part of the community for more than 75 years, was struck by lightning." - This sentence contains an unnecessary comma. The phrase "which has been part of the community for more than 75 years" is a non-restrictive or non-essential clause, providing additional information but not necessary for the sentence's meaning. Therefore, it should be set off by commas. Removing the commas around "which has been part of the community for more than 75 years" would fix this sentence.
So, the sentence that contains an unnecessary comma is option C: "The car that was used as a demonstration in the race, is owned by Cambridge Motor Company."