In the following four assessment items, choose the sentence in which the appositive or appositive phrase is essential to the sentence and punctuated correctly.
A) Presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln had just won the election.
B) Presidential candidate, Abraham Lincoln, had just won the election.
The sentence "Presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln had just won the election" is the correct option as it contains an essential appositive phrase. The phrase "Abraham Lincoln" provides essential information about which presidential candidate is being referred to.
The sentence "A) Presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln had just won the election" is the correct option. The appositive phrase "Presidential candidate" is essential to identifying which Abraham Lincoln is being referred to, and it is punctuated correctly without the use of commas.
To determine which of the two sentences has the essential appositive or appositive phrase properly punctuated, we need to understand what an appositive is and how it should be punctuated.
An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that provides additional information about another noun or noun phrase in the sentence. It is often set off by commas but can also be used without commas when the appositive is essential to the meaning of the sentence.
Let's analyze the sentences in question:
A) Presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln had just won the election.
B) Presidential candidate, Abraham Lincoln, had just won the election.
In Sentence A, "Presidential candidate" is not set off by commas, indicating that the phrase is essential information to identify which Abraham Lincoln is being referred to. It is correctly punctuated because it does not need commas to separate it from the rest of the sentence.
In Sentence B, "Presidential candidate" is set off by commas, which indicates that it is nonessential information. The use of commas suggests that the sentence can still make sense without the appositive phrase "Abraham Lincoln." Therefore, this sentence does not have the essential appositive or appositive phrase properly punctuated.
Therefore, the sentence with the essential appositive or appositive phrase properly punctuated is Sentence A) "Presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln had just won the election."