Which sentence uses a comma in a way that is considered contested usage?
Select the two correct answers.
A. Stephen did not understand the question, and so Gina tried to explain it to him more clearly.
B. Zagreb, Sarajevo, and Dubrovnik are all major cities in the Balkan region of Eastern Europe.
C. Winston Churchill famously said, “It is not in our power to anticipate our destiny.”
D. Faith, Millie’s best friend from summer camp, is coming to visit in a few weeks.
F. We are passing through New Orleans, Louisiana right before we stop in Houston, Texas.
D. Faith, Millie’s best friend from summer camp, is coming to visit in a few weeks.
F. We are passing through New Orleans, Louisiana right before we stop in Houston, Texas.
The two sentences that use a comma in a way that is considered contested usage are:
A. Stephen did not understand the question, and so Gina tried to explain it to him more clearly.
D. Faith, Millie’s best friend from summer camp, is coming to visit in a few weeks.
The correct answers are B and D.
In sentence B, the comma usage after "Sarajevo" is considered contested because it is an Oxford comma. The Oxford comma is the comma used before the coordinating conjunction (usually "and" or "or") in a list of three or more items. Some style guides recommend using the Oxford comma, while others discourage it.
In sentence D, the comma usage after "Faith" is considered contested because it is a nonrestrictive appositive. An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames or adds additional information about another noun in the sentence. Nonrestrictive appositives are not essential to the meaning of the sentence and are set off with commas. However, there is a debate about whether to use commas around nonrestrictive appositives, and styles differ among different style guides.