SAT OwlAmong the best-known works of Zora Neale Hurston ______ her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, which follows Janie Crawford's search for independence and self-expression in early twentieth-century Florida.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
is,
is:
is
, is
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
This sentence is inverted: the subject "her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God" comes after the verb "is." Just as no punctuation separates a subject from its verb in normal order, none should separate this verb from its subject. The opening prepositional phrase is also tied directly to the verb, so no comma belongs before "is."
Choice B is tempting because a title follows, but a colon cannot separate a verb from its subject.
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