Question

Read the following sentence The woman standing next to my sister is her karate instructor. Which of the following statements about the bolded participial is true? A.) It needs commas because the participial phrase is essential. B.) It needs commas because the participial phrase is nonessential. C.) It does not need commas because the participial phrase is essential. D.) It does not need commas because the participial phrase is nonessential.

Answer 1

The correct answer is C.) It does not need commas because the participial phrase is essential.
Essential phrases are those which are vital for the sentence and without which the sentence wouldn't make much sense. They are never separated by commas. On the other hand, nonessential phrases are not really important and can be deleted from the sentence without it changing its meaning. They are always set off by commas.