After years of comparative analysis, linguist Dr. Sarah Martinez published her findings on the evolution of trade terminology in ancient...

Let's begin by understanding the meaning of this sentence. We'll use our understanding of pause points and segment the sentence as shown - understanding and assimilating the meaning of each segment bit by bit!

Sentence Structure

• After years of comparative analysis,
• linguist Dr. Sarah Martinez
  • published her findings
    • on the evolution of trade terminology
      • in ancient Mediterranean cultures.
• Her work
  • revealed
    • where specific commercial terms originated(?)
    • and
    • which linguistic patterns indicate cross-cultural exchange.

Understanding the Meaning

The first sentence sets up the context:

• 'After years of comparative analysis'
  • Dr. Martinez spent a long time comparing and studying something
• 'linguist Dr. Sarah Martinez published her findings'
  • She's a language expert who shared what she discovered
• 'on the evolution of trade terminology in ancient Mediterranean cultures'
  • Specifically, she studied how trade-related words developed in ancient cultures around the Mediterranean Sea

Now the second sentence tells us what her work revealed:

• 'Her work revealed...'
  • This is where we're about to learn what she discovered

This is where we have the blank. Let's look at the choices:

• Choice A: originated (no punctuation)
• Choice B: originated, (comma)
• Choice C: originated: (colon)
• Choice D: originated; (semicolon)

To see what punctuation (if any) we need here, let's read the rest of the sentence and understand what it's saying!

• 'where specific commercial terms originated(?) and which linguistic patterns indicate cross-cultural exchange'

What do we notice about the structure here?

Her work revealed TWO things:

• First thing: 'where specific commercial terms originated'
  • where trade words came from
• Second thing: 'which linguistic patterns indicate cross-cultural exchange'
  • which language patterns show that cultures were trading with each other

These two things are parallel elements - both are telling us what was revealed. They're connected by the word 'and.'

When 'and' is connecting two parallel elements like this, the 'and' itself does the job of linking them together. We don't put punctuation between the first element and the 'and' - they flow directly together.

So we need: originated with no punctuation before 'and.'

The correct answer is A.

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Coordinating Elements with "And" - When NOT to Use Punctuation

When "and" connects two parallel elements that serve the same function in a sentence, you don't put punctuation before the "and." The conjunction itself links them together.

Pattern:

• Verb + Element 1 + and + Element 2 (no punctuation before "and")

Example 1:

• The study examined how diseases spread and why some populations were more vulnerable
• Two parallel clauses, both objects of "examined"
• Connected by "and" with no punctuation

Example 2:

• She discovered where the artifact was made and when it was buried
• Two parallel clauses, both objects of "discovered"
• Connected by "and" with no punctuation

In our question:

• Her work revealed where specific commercial terms originated and which linguistic patterns indicate cross-cultural exchange
• Two parallel clauses (called noun clauses in grammar terms), both objects of "revealed"
• Connected by "and" with no punctuation needed

Note: This is different from using commas in a series of three or more items, or using a comma when "and" connects two independent clauses in a compound sentence. When "and" simply coordinates two parallel elements like this, it works without punctuation.