1 | Key Takeaway: Punctuation, Transitions, and Sentence Structure

#1: Surround Non-Restrictive Clauses and Appositives With Commas

 The key rule to remember here is that a portion of a sentence that can be removed without
changing the meaning of the sentence must be surrounded by commas.

 A non-restrictive clause isn’t essential to the meaning of the sentence.

Nate, who works as a software engineer, majored in computer science.

 An appositive is a descriptive phrase that doesn’t include a verb.

Torsha, a fan of celebrity gossip, loves watching The Wendy Williams Show.

#2: Use Commas After Introductory Phrases or Clauses And to Separate Items in a List
 Any time a sentence starts with a dependent clause or modifying phrase, it must be
followed by a comma.

Although I want to go to Hawaii for Joe’s wedding, I have to work.

In high school, Suzy was the class clown.

 In lists of three or more items, you must place a comma after every item except the last.
During spring break, my days will consist of eating, watching Netflix, and sleeping.

#3: Don’t Use Commas to Separate Complete Thoughts

 Using a comma to separate two complete thoughts creates a grammar error known as a
comma splice.

Dorothy failed her test, it was extremely difficult. X

Dorothy failed her test because it was extremely difficult. 
Dorothy failed her test; but it was extremely difficult. 
Dorothy failed her test: it was extremely difficult. 
Dorothy failed her test which was extremely difficult. 

#4: Don’t Use a Comma Between an Adjective and a Noun

 On the SAT, this comma rule tends to come up when a title is being used as an adjective
before a noun.

I enjoy reading the books of acclaimed writer, Malcolm Gladwell. X

I enjoy reading the books of acclaimed writer Malcolm Gladwell. 
2 | Key Takeaway: Punctuation, Transitions, and Sentence Structure

#5: Semicolons connect two independent clauses. (See examples in #3)

#6: Colons come after a complete sentence and set up a list or explanation.
X Jasmine brought everything she needed for the exam, including: pencils, a backpack, and
a calculator.

✓ Jasmine brought everything she needed for the exam: pencils, a backpack, and a
calculator.

X Lewis was excited to meet his relatives, his aunt, uncle, and cousins from the Bahamas.

✓ Lewis was excited to meet his relatives: his aunt, uncle, and cousins from the Bahamas.

✓ Sandy repeatedly complained about her least favorite restaurants: places where you can
often hear loud conversations and crying babies.

#7: Dashes can be used to mark off non-essential clauses or introduce lists and
explanations.
 They can be used to mark off a non-essential clause or phrase (like a comma) or
introduce a list or explanation (like a colon).

 If dashes are used with non-essential clauses or phrases, you can’t mix them with
commas. You have to go with either two dashes or two commas.

Ryan, an energetic teenager—can’t sit still during class. X

Ryan—an energetic teenager—can’t sit still during class. 
Ryan, an energetic teenager, can’t sit still during class. 
Ryan can’t sit still during class—he’s an energetic teenager. 
3 | Key Takeaway: Punctuation, Transitions, and Sentence Structure

The Case for Electronic Health Records

The US health-care system has made significant strides in the implementation of systems that
manage electronic health records, which include information such as a patient’s medical
history, medications currently 1 prescribed, and a list of allergies. From 2001 to 2013, the use of
electronic health record systems by office-based physicians began to decline only in the last
three years. While this progress is commendable, the US health-care system needs to make the
full transition to electronic health records a high priority.

Despite these clear benefits, some patients and medical professionals still harbor concerns
about the potential for error and the violation of patient privacy when electronic records are
used. These concerns, however, are also problems for paper records. By no means free from
errors, handwritten records are especially prone to errors resulting from illegible handwriting.
Electronic health record systems can actually reduce errors by, for instance, cross-referencing
drug 2 information, this provides doctors with automatic warnings about possible adverse drug
interactions. Likewise, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, serious
medical errors decreased by 55 percent after an electronic record system was implemented.
Furthermore, patient privacy is no more threatened by electronic records than it is by paper
records, which 3 are—according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, typically
accessed by at least 150 different health-care professionals.

The best way to address these concerns about accuracy and privacy 4 are not to avoid adopting
electronic health record systems but rather to implement them effectively. The benefits of fully
transitioning from paper to electronic health records far outweigh any perceived disadvantages.

1 3
A) NO CHANGE A) NO CHANGE
B) prescribed; and B) are
C) prescribed: and C) are,
D) prescribed and, D) are;

2 4
A) NO CHANGE A) NO CHANGE
B) information to provide B) have been
C) information; providing C) had been
D) information, provides D) is
4 | Key Takeaway: Punctuation, Transitions, and Sentence Structure

Transition Word Guide

Addition
Additionally / In addition / Moreover / Furthermore / Besides
For example / For instance
Likewise / Similarly / In other words
In conclusion / In summary / To sum up

Contrast
Although / Though / Even though / Even if
However / Nevertheless / Nonetheless / But / Yet / Still
Despite / In spite of / Instead of / Rather than
While / Whereas / Meanwhile / As
On the other hand / On the contrary / Conversely
Anyway / Anyhow

Causation
As / For / Because / Since
Accordingly / Consequently / So / Hence / Therefore / Thereby

Sequence
At last / In the end / Finally / Eventually / Ultimately
5 | Key Takeaway: Punctuation, Transitions, and Sentence Structure

Librarians Help Navigate in the Digital Age

In recent years, public libraries in the United States have experienced reduction in their
operating funds due to cuts imposed at the federal, state, and local government levels. 1
However, library staffing has been cut by almost four percent since 2008, and the demand for
librarians continues to decrease, even though half of public libraries report that they have an
insufficient number of staff to meet their patrons’ needs. Employment in all job sectors in the
United States is projected to grow by fourteen percent over the next decade, yet the expected
growth rate for librarians is predicted to be only seven percent, or half of the overall rate. This
trend, combined with the increasing accessibility of information via the Internet, 2 has led some
to claim that librarianship is in decline as a profession. 3 As public libraries adapt to rapid
technological advances in information distribution, librarians’ roles are actually expanding.

1 2
A) NO CHANGE A) NO CHANGE
B) Consequently, B) have
C) Nevertheless, C) which have
D) Previously, D) which has

3
A) Hence
B) Even if
C) As
D) Ultimately

Tiny Exhibit, Big Impact

The first time I visited the Art Institute of Chicago, I expected to be impressed by its famous
large paintings. 1 On one hand, I couldn’t wait to view 2 painter, Georges Seurat’s, 10-foot-wide
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte in its full size. It took me by surprise, then,
when my favorite exhibit at the museum was one of 3 it’s tiniest; the Thorne Miniature Rooms.

1 2
A) NO CHANGE A) NO CHANGE
B) For instance, B) Consequently,
C) However, C) Nevertheless,
D) Similarly, D) Previously,

3
A) NO CHANGE
B) its tiniest;
C) its tiniest:
D) it’s tiniest,
6 | Key Takeaway: Punctuation, Transitions, and Sentence Structure

Ghost Mural

In 1932 the well-known Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros was commissioned to paint a
mural on the second-story exterior wall of a historic building in downtown Los Angeles.
Siqueiros was asked to celebrate tropical America in his work, he accordingly titled it “América
Tropical.” He painted the mural’s first two sections, featuring images of a tropical rainforest and
a Maya pyramid, during the day. 1 Also, to avoid scrutiny, Siqueiros painted the final section of
the mural, the 2 centerpiece at night.

The reason for Siqueiros’s secrecy became clear when the mural was unveiled. The centerpiece
of the work was dominated by images of native people being oppressed and 3 including an
eagle symbolizing the United States. Siqueiros’s political message did not please the wealthy
citizens who had commissioned his work. They eventually ordered the mural to be literally
whitewashed, or 4 painted over with white paint.

1 3
A) NO CHANGE A) NO CHANGE
B) However, B) included
C) Although, C) includes
D) Moreover, D) had included

2 4
A) NO CHANGE A) NO CHANGE
B) centerpiece, B) being painted
C) centerpiece; C) painted
D) centerpiece— D) had painted
7 | Key Takeaway: Punctuation, Transitions, and Sentence Structure

If you love video games and have thought about how the games you play might be changed or
improved, or if you’ve imagined creating a video game of your own, you might want to consider
a career as a video game designer. There 1 were a number of steps you can take to determine
whether game design is the right field for you and, if it is, to prepare yourself for such a career.

Before making the choice, you should have some sense of what a video game designer does.
Every video game, whether for a console, computer, or mobile device, starts with a concept
that originates in the mind of a designer. The designer envisions the game’s fundamental 2
elements: the settings, characters, and plots that make each game unique, and is thus a primary
creative force behind a video game.

Conceptualizing a game is only the beginning of a video game designer’s 3 job, however, no
matter how good a concept is, it will never be translated into a video game unless it is
communicated effectively to all the other members of the video game development team. A
designer must generate extensive documentation and explain his or her ideas clearly in order to
ensure that the programmers, artists, and others on the team all share the same vision. 4
Likewise, anyone considering a career as a video game designer must be skilled writers and
speakers. In addition, because video game development is a collaborative effort and because
the development of any one game may take months or even years, a designer must be an
effective team player as well as detail oriented.

1
A) NO CHANGE 3
B) has been A) NO CHANGE
C) are B) job, however. No
D) was C) job—however, no
D) job however no
2
A) NO CHANGE
4
B) elements: the settings, characters, and
A) NO CHANGE
plots that make each game unique—
B) Nevertheless,
C) elements—the settings, characters, and
C) Consequently,
plots that make each game unique—
D) However
D) elements; the settings, characters, and
plots that make each game unique;
8 | Key Takeaway: Punctuation, Transitions, and Sentence Structure

Just as travelers taking road trips today may need to take a break for food at a rest area along
the highway, settlers traversing the American West by train in the mid-1800s often found 1
themselves in need of refreshment. However, food available on rail lines was generally of
terrible quality. Fred Harvey, an English-born 2 entrepreneur. He decided to open his own
restaurant business to serve rail customers. Beginning in the 1870s, he opened dozens of
restaurants in rail stations and dining cars. These Harvey Houses, which constituted the first
restaurant chain in the United States, 3 was unique for its high standards of service and quality.
The menu was modeled after those of fine restaurants, so the food was leagues beyond the
abysmal fare travelers were accustomed to receiving in transit.

1
A) NO CHANGE B) himself or herself 3
C) their selves D) oneself A) NO CHANGE
B) were unique for their
2 C) was unique for their
A) NO CHANGE B) entrepreneur: D) were unique for its
C) entrepreneur; he D) entrepreneur,

1-MCP works by limiting a fruit’s production of ethylene, 1 it is a chemical that causes fruit to
ripen and eventually rot. But some fruits do not respond as well to 1-MCP as others 2 did, and
some even respond adversely. While 1-MCP keeps apples firm and crisp for months, it also
limits 3 their scent production. This may not be much of a problem with certain kinds of apples
that are not naturally very fragrant, such as Granny Smith, but for apples that are prized for
their fruity fragrance, such as McIntosh, this can be a problem with consumers, 4 that will reject
apples lacking the expected aroma. Furthermore, some fruits, particularly those that naturally
produce a large amount of ethylene, do not respond as well to 1-MCP treatment. Take Bartlett
5 pears, for instance, unless they are treated with exactly the right amount of 1-MCP at exactly
the right time, they will remain hard and green until they rot, and consumers who experience
this will be unlikely to purchase them again.

1 4
A) NO CHANGE A) NO CHANGE
B) being B) they
C) that is C) which
D) DELETE the underlined portion. D) who

2 5
A) NO CHANGE B) do, A) NO CHANGE
C) have, D) will, B) pears, for instance:
C) pears for instance,
3 D) pears. For instance,
A) NO CHANGE B) there
C) its D) it’s
9 | Key Takeaway: Punctuation, Transitions, and Sentence Structure

One significant benefit of 3-D printing technology is its ability to create scale reproductions of
fossils. A team led by Drexel University professor Kenneth Lacovara is making models of
dinosaur bones one-tenth the bones’ original sizes 1 in order to learn how they fit together
when the animals were alive. In the past, such research was limited by the weight and bulk of
the fossils as well as 2 its preciousness and fragility. In many cases, scientists had to rearrange
bones virtually, using artists’ renderings. But now 3-D scale models can be rearranged with
ease, which is a huge boon to scientists.

Because CT scanners can map objects that are impossible to excavate, CT scanning and 3-D
printing can also be used to reproduce fossils that scientists cannot observe firsthand. 3 By
contrast, researchers from the National Museum of Brazil 4 has relied on this technique to
study a fossilized skeleton that was discovered protruding from a rock at an old São Paulo
railroad site.

1 3
A) NO CHANGE A) NO CHANGE
B) in order for learning B) Nonetheless,
C) so that one is learning C) Besides,
D) so to learn D) For example,

2 4
A) NO CHANGE A) NO CHANGE
B) it’s B) relied
C) their C) will rely
D) there D) is relying