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Commas on the ACT English test cover when a comma is required and when it must be left out. Students have to punctuate series, introductory phrases, nonessential clauses, and compound sentences, while avoiding comma splices and commas that wrongly separate a subject from its verb. Items usually ask which choice makes the sentence grammatically acceptable or which choice correctly punctuates a series. The choices keep the same words and only change comma placement, often including a version with no comma, and a common trap is inserting a pause that sounds right when spoken but is not grammatically needed.
[1] Neighborhood object libraries lend residents infrequently used items that they do not use very often1. Instead of books, their shelves hold hand tools, cake pans, board games, and camping lamps. The inventory contains objects, many of who2 would otherwise sit idle in closets. A renter, for example, can borrow a wrench to tighten a loose faucet fitting and return it the next morning.3 By pooling such objects, neighbors gain temporary access without each household buying and storing the same equipment.
[2] The process is deliberately simple. Members browse a catalog, reserve an item, and collect it during open hours. A numbered tag and a quick inspection may seem fussy, but they allow the next borrower to trust the shelf.4 When the item comes back, a volunteer records the loan, and places5 it in a clearly labeled bin. Damaged objects go to a repair bench rather than directly to the shelf.
[3] Once this process is in place, the catalog grows through donations, the6 system's value is not measured only by its size. Even a small collection can help a neighbor repair a loose chair leg trim a window box and carry folding tables7 to a gathering. More important, repeated exchanges can reveal local patterns: several requests for pruning shears may inspire a gardening workshop, while demand for sewing kits may prompt a mending circle. Once residents have moved passed8 the idea that every useful object must be privately owned, the shelf becomes a record of shared needs.
[4] Even after the shelf becomes that record of shared needs, a shared collection also raises predictable concerns. Some residents worry that popular items will vanish just when needed. Others dislike sign-out forms or return deadlines. Yet the library’s rules are designed to answer those concerns. Members can reserve scarce items, volunteers send reminders, and borrowers report damage before another loan begins. These practices do more than protect the inventory; they make the collection dependable enough to remain useful.
Question 1
Which choice makes the sentence grammatically acceptable?
Answer: C — records the loan and places
“Records” and “places” form a compound verb with the same subject, so no comma should separate them.
Question 2
Which choice makes the sentence grammatically acceptable?
Answer: B — , but the
Both clauses can stand alone, so they can be joined with a comma followed by the coordinating conjunction “but.”
Question 3
Which choice correctly punctuates the series?
Answer: C — repair a loose chair leg, trim a window box, and carry folding tables
The three parallel actions—repair, trim, and carry—must be separated by commas so each list item is distinct. NO CHANGE omits the comma after “leg,” so the first two actions run together. Choice B still leaves “repair a loose chair leg trim a window box” unseparated. Choice D inserts a comma after “trim,” which splits the second action instead of marking the boundary between items.
Practice 88 Commas questions in the app
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