Professor _______ is stepping down after forty years of teaching at the university.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
james, the head of the department,
James, the head of the department
James the head of the department
James, the head of the department,
Correct Answer: D
Choice D is the best answer. The phrase "the head of the department" is a nonrestrictive appositive describing Professor James. It provides extra information and can be removed without changing the core meaning. Therefore, it must be surrounded by commas.
Choice A is incorrect because it fails to capitalize "James" and "The." Choice B is incorrect because it is missing the closing comma after "department." Choice C is incorrect because nonrestrictive appositives require punctuation.