Choose the sentence that most appropriately uses commas:
Tom Harry's son bought the house.

Appeared in: Raj. CHO -2025

Explanation

The phrase "Harry's son" is an appositive, which is a noun phrase that renames or provides additional information about the noun 'Tom'.
Because this information is non-essential (the sentence still makes sense without it: "Tom bought the house"), it is considered a non-restrictive appositive.
Non-restrictive appositives must be set off from the rest of the sentence by commas.
This punctuation clarifies that "Harry's son" is a description of Tom, not a separate individual.

Option A: This option lacks the necessary commas to set off the non-essential appositive phrase. The absence of commas makes the sentence ambiguous and grammatically incomplete.
Option B: This option is grammatically incorrect. The possessive apostrophe is misplaced ('Tom's Harry son'), creating a nonsensical phrase that does not follow English grammar rules.
Option C: This option uses commas incorrectly, treating 'Tom', 'Harry', and 'son' as items in a list. This fragments the sentence and separates the subject from its verb, making it ungrammatical.

Visual 1: Infographic: A flowchart or diagram explaining how to identify an appositive phrase and decide whether to use commas (i.e., is it essential or non-essential information?).

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Punctuation: Correct use of commas with appositive phrases as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
While this is an English grammar question, clear and precise communication is a critical skill in nursing.
Accurate punctuation in patient records, reports, and communication with the healthcare team prevents misinterpretation and medical errors.
For example, a misplaced comma in a medication order could lead to a dangerous dosage error.

How to Approach the Question

First, read the base sentence: "Tom Harry's son bought the house."
Identify the main subject and verb of the sentence. The main subject is 'Tom' and the verb is 'bought'.
Analyze the phrase "Harry's son". Determine its function. It renames or describes 'Tom'. This is an appositive phrase.
Ask yourself if the appositive phrase is essential or non-essential. Can you remove "Harry's son" and still have the core meaning? Yes, "Tom bought the house" is a complete sentence. Therefore, the phrase is non-essential.
Recall the rule: Non-essential (non-restrictive) appositives must be enclosed in commas.
Evaluate the options based on this rule. Only the option "Tom, Harry's son, bought the house." correctly applies commas around the non-essential phrase.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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Practise the full Raj. CHO -2025

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.