Help with some sentences..Please

Question

I am doing some practice problems out of my english book. There are 4 that I can't figure out which sentence is correct...It is an assignment on working with commas...Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Which one of the following sentences is correct?
	A.	We got a good look at the most extraordinary thing about the animal. Its foreclaws were nearly as long as my fingers.
	B.	We got a good look at the most extraordinary thing about the animal, its foreclaws were nearly as long as my fingers.
	C.	We got a good look at the most extraordinary thing about the animal its foreclaws were nearly as long as my finger

Which one of the following sentences is correct?
	A.	My father had at least caught a glimpse of a badger twice in his life, prior to that moment I did not know they existed.
	B.	My father had at least caught a glimpse of a badger twice in his life; however, prior to that moment I did not know they existed.
	C.	My father had at least caught a glimpse of a badger twice in his life prior to that moment I did not know they existed.

Which one of the following sentences is correct?
	A.	The badger, rather than running away, advanced toward the truck, halting a few feet away from the front tire, he growled menacingly at it.
	B.	The badger, rather than running away, advanced toward the truck. Halting a few feet away from the front tire, he growled menacingly at it.
	C.	The badger, rather than running away, advanced toward the truck; halting a few feet away from the front tire, and growling menacingly at it.

Which one of the following sentences is correct?
	A.	One morning I was riding with my father on the seventh fairway, we met a beast about the size of a raccoon; but shaped like a huge, furry snapping turtle.
	B.	One morning I was riding with my father on the seventh fairway, we met a beast about the size of a raccoon; but shaped like a huge, furry snapping turtle.
	C.	One morning as I was riding with my father on the seventh fairway, we met a beast about the size of a raccoon that was shaped like a huge, furry snapping turtle.

Andriy Lapin · Accepted Answer

Dear friend,

1.

We got a good look at the most extraordinary thing about the animal. Its foreclaws were nearly as long as my fingers. - correct; two independent clauses.

We got a good look at the most extraordinary thing about the animal, its foreclaws were nearly as long as my fingers. - incorrect, the comma is not normally used to separate independent clauses unless they are linked by a coordinator.

We got a good look at the most extraordinary thing about the animal its foreclaws were nearly as long as my finger. - incorrect; no punctuation at all is impossible between two independent clauses

(optionally, a colon would do fine in this example:

We got a good look at the most extraordinary thing about the animal: its foreclaws were nearly as long as my finger.)

2.

My father had at least caught a glimpse of a badger twice in his life, prior to that moment I did not know they existed. - incorrect; the comma is not normally used to separate independent clauses unless they are linked by a coordinator.

My father had at least caught a glimpse of a badger twice in his life; however, prior to that moment I did not know they existed. - correct, but the the sentences in this section are devoid of logical sense, perhaps due to the lack of context.

My father had at least caught a glimpse of a badger twice in his life prior to that moment I did not know they existed. - incorrect; no punctuation at all is unacceptable here.

3.

The badger, rather than running away, advanced toward the truck, halting a few feet away from the front tire, he growled menacingly at it. - incorrect; the comma before halting should be changed to a period because the two parts are not closely associated and using too many punctuation signs within one sentence is inadvisable.

The badger, rather than running away, advanced toward the truck. Halting a few feet away from the front tire, he growled menacingly at it. - correct, see the explanation above.

The badger, rather than running away, advanced toward the truck; halting a few feet away from the front tire, and growling menacingly at it. - incorrect, no comma should be put before and growling + the second part is not a finite clause, so the semicolon is indvisable.

4.

One morning I was riding with my father on the seventh fairway, we met a beast about the size of a raccoon; but shaped like a huge, furry snapping turtle. - incorrect, semicolon not needed.

One morning I was riding with my father on the seventh fairway, we met a beast about the size of a raccoon; but shaped like a huge, furry snapping turtle. - incorrect; it exactly repeats the previous sentence.

One morning as I was riding with my father on the seventh fairway, we met a beast about the size of a raccoon that was shaped like a huge, furry snapping turtle. - correct, but it is better to place a comma after one morning.

Respectfully, Gleb Chebrikoff

Help with some sentences..Please

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