Correcting Comma Errors - GMAT Verbal

The phrase "For the first nineteen years of his life" is an introductory phrase, explaining information necessary to the meaning of the sentence, but sitting outside the main construction of the sentence. Any such phrase needs to be set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma. Therefore, the only possible correct answer choice is "For the first nineteen years of his life, the young man."

In the sentence, the phrase "like art and gym" is an explanatory phrase, one that conditions the meaning of the sentence, but is not a part of the sentence's core structure. Any such phrase must be set apart from the main portion of the sentence with a comma. The only answer choice that correctly places in a comma is "which he found frivolous, like art and gym."

The comma inserted in the underlined portion of the sentence between "margins" and "over" is unnecessary. The full phrase should run continuously without interruption, as it is all one thought. The only answer choice with appropriate punctuation is "in profit margins over the final quarter of the year."

"The GMAT builds character" and "it is full of challenging sentences" are independent clauses. They are related, but independent; therefore, the best way of separating them within the same sentence is with a semicolon rather than a comma.

The phrase "which is one of the largest buildings in the world" is an example of a relative clause, which gives more information about its antecedent: the Willis Tower. Any such phrase that occurs in the middle of a sentence must be introduced and completed with a comma. The correct answer choice is "The Willis Tower, which is one of the largest buildings in the world, was built."

The phrase "All his life" is an example of a introductory phrase, explaining information necessary to the context of the sentence, but outside of the main sentence, grammatically. These types of phrases must be followed by a comma in order to separate them from the rest of the sentence. The correct answer choice is "All his life, the boy wanted."

The phrase "listening to music" is a parenthetical expression: a phrase that explains more about a particular word or phrase in the sentence, but is not introduced by a relative pronoun. These phrases must be introduced and completed with a comma in order to separate them from the main clause of the sentence. The correct answer choice is "The girl's favorite pastime, listening to music, eventually lead to her career as a professional singer."

In this sentence, two independent clauses are being joined by a coordinate conjunction. When this occurs, a comma must come before the coordinate conjunction. The correct answer choice is "because he is honest, and he likes to help others."

The phrase "a convertible" is a paranthetical expression: a phrase that explains more about a particular word or phrase in the sentence, but is not introduced by a relative pronoun. These phrases must be introduced and completed with a comma in order to separate them from the main clause of the sentence. The correct answer choice is "wanted, a convertible, for her 30th birthday."

The phrase "to bond fish and test out their survival skills" is a list of actions. All items in any sort of list/parallel words or phrases should be separated by commas. Additionally, a comma must come before the "and" because the action "fish" and "test out their survival skills" are not necessarily related, so they should not be grouped together. The correct answer is "in order to bond, fish, and test out their survival skills."

The phrase "who was on the company's board of directors" is an example of a relative clause, which gives more information about its antecedent: "Amir." Any such phrase that occurs in the middle of a sentence must be introduced and completed with a comma. The correct answer choice is "Amir, who was on the company's board of directors, wanted"

The phrase "When he picked up his kids from school" is an example of a introductory phrase, explaining information necessary to the context of the sentence, but outside of the main sentence, grammatically. These types of phrases must be followed by a comma in order to separate them from the rest of the sentence. The correct answer choice is "When he picked up his kids from school, he surprised them."

The phrase "Jogging around his neighborhood" is an example of a introductory phrase, explaining information necessary to the context of the sentence, but outside of the main sentence, grammatically. These types of phrases must be followed by a comma in order to separate them from the rest of the sentence. The correct answer choice is "Jogging around his neighborhood, he saw something strange."

The words "big" and "blue" are coordinate adjectives: adjectives that modify the same noun separately, but are not separated with a conjunction. Coordinate adjectives need to be separated with a comma. The correct answer choice is "They wanted a big, blue banner."

The phrase "Having completed all her requirements" is an example of a introductory phrase, explaining information necessary to the context of the sentence, but outside of the main sentence, grammatically. These types of phrases must be followed by a comma in order to separate them from the rest of the sentence. The correct answer choice is "Having completed all her requirements, she."

The phrase "who lives in Asia" is an example of a relative clause, which gives more information about its antecedent: his family. Any such phrase that occurs in the middle of a sentence must be introduced and completed with a comma. The correct answer choice is "He speaks with his family, who lives in Asia, every week."

In this sentence, two independent clauses are being joined by a coordinate conjunction. When this occurs, a comma must come before the coordinate conjunction. The correct answer choice is "The man always had to explain what he did for a living, yet he felt that people"

The phrase "which was necessary for John's job" is an example of a relative clause, which gives more information about its antecedent: the camera. Any such phrase that occurs in the middle of a sentence, often called an interrupting phrase, must be introduced and completed with a comma. The correct answer choice is "The camera, which was necessary for John's job, no longer worked."

In this sentence, two independent clauses are being joined by a coordinating conjunction ("for"). When this occurs, a comma must come before the coordinate conjunction. The correct answer choice is "he was trying to solve the problem, for his boss promised a bonus to the first person that could do it."