Question

Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, perhaps the greatest invention of all time, following up on Bell's invention, Theodore Newton Vail envisioned all parts of the country being linked by one telephone system. Which of the following options correctly replaces the comma after TIME?

1) replace the comma after TIME with a semicolon
2) replace the comma after TELEPHONE with a semicolon
3) no change

Answer 1

No punctuation change is required in the sentence about Alexander Graham Bell and the telephone; the comma after 'TIME' is correctly used as it precedes a parenthetical element.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct option for replacing the comma after TIME with another form of punctuation is option 3) no change. The first part of the sentence 'Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, perhaps the greatest invention of all time' is an independent clause, and the comma here is correctly used as it precedes a parenthetical element within the sentence.

Similarly, the subsequent independent clause 'following up on Bell's invention, Theodore Newton Vail envisioned all parts of the country being linked by one telephone system' is also properly introduced by a comma, as it opens with an introductory phrase.