Conventions of Composition Rule 4 Practice

1. Wrong: They looked under the bed, and the dresser for the wallet.

Better: They looked under the bed and the dresser for the wallet.

Explanation: The compound object of the preposition under shouldn't be separated by a comma.

2. Wrong: Sally, and Mary said their vows, and left the mosque.

Better: Sally and Mary said their vows and left the mosque.

Explanation: Neither the compound subject (Sally and Mary) nor the compound predicate (said and left) should be separated by commas.

3. Wrong: The boy who won the prize in the Prep Science competition, and the girl who earned the highest mark in English both went on the school's trip to Quebec.

Better: The boy who won the prize in the Prep Science competition and the girl who earned the highest mark in English both went on the school's trip to Quebec.

Explanation: The two parts of this compound subject shouldn't be separated with commas.

4. Correct: After I finished David Levithan's Every Day, I raced to read the sequel.

Explanation: This sentence has no compound elements.

5. Correct: Varsity football, Varsity Field Hockey, Boys Varsity Soccer, and Varsity Volleyball all won championships that fall.

Explanation: A compound subject of more than two items must be separated by commas.